[Ezzy]

Pretty sure it was indirect.

[Ezzy]

Sure Jack.

Dr. Robert Tomas in Ft. Myers performed the surgery. The cost was around $3700. There were no hidden fees, the price on the web-site covered everything (except travel). The surgery was technically not under general, but I remember nothing. No discomfort during the procedure. It hurt like hell to do anything the first 2-3 days afterward, but I could lie down and sleep comfortably. I was able to walk and drive comfortably after about 10 days. The sutures were absorbable, so nothing left behind.

I was probably a text-book candidate for the Desarda procedure – standard inguinal hernia. I was in relatively good shape, not overweight.

As for my ‘normal’ activity level, I would consider it pretty high. I lift weights, ride bikes, surfing, paddle-boarding, etc… After 6 months I was able to return to all those activities in some fashion or other, but it took a full year before I felt 100% comfortable.

[Ezzy]

I’m 4 years out from a Desarda repair for an inguinal hernia. It took a solid 6 months to get back to my normal activities. For at least a year, I could definitely tell where the repair was made. There was a visible ridge and some tightness – but not pain. Now I feel absolutely nothing in the repaired area. No tightness, no ridge, no weird pains, etc… It took a while to get here, but I am very happy with the result.

[Ezzy]

quote pinto:

Ezzy, how soon post-op did you start lifting? Free weights or gym machines? Did/do you avoid squats or crunches?

Around 3 months is when I started back on gym machines. Around 6 months I was back to free weights. Around 9 months I’m back to lifting 90% of my top weights before the hernia. I’m no power lifter, but I move fairly heavy weights (relative to my age/weight), that seemed unimaginable 3 or 4 months ago.

[Ezzy]

I had a Desarda repair about 10 months ago. I have finally reached the point where I have absolutely no abnormal sensations in the repaired area. It feels 100% normal (and I lift weights and am pretty active). I definitely had tightness and occasional strange nerve pains for at least 6-7 months though.

[Ezzy]

Gabapentin did absolutely nothing for me. No side effects but also no help with pain.

[Ezzy]

quote Bobcoco:

Ezzy, thanks for the info. That’s good to hear. What made you decide you wanted a ‘no mesh’ repair? Do you feel any tension created by that repair? Did you choose the local anethesia option? (hard to imagine being somewhat awake) I might pick your brain about this some more in the coming days if that’s alright. I’m still looking around, but intrigued by the Desarda technique. I currently have an old mesh that’s giving me fits, so not eager to get another one put in…..I’m leaning toward the no mesh options.

Not feeling any tension and have not lost any flexibility (which is very important for me). There are still aches and pains in the area, and I can still feel the healing ridge underneath the skin, but nothing feels unnatural. Although I was not technically under full anesthesia, I remember absolutely nothing from the surgery. The whole surgery process was actually kind of pleasant. They got me very relaxed going in (good drugs) and I woke up very clear-headed with very little pain. Now, I did have significant pain once all the anesthesia wore off later in the day, and the following 48 hours were rough, but I got through it without any strong narcotics (kind of wish a took some the first day though!). I was able to return to my desk job after 9 days.

[Ezzy]

quote Bobcoco:

Ezzy, can you tell me more about your experience with Dr. Tomas? What made you decide to go with him over other techniques? Did he give you any permanent restrictions on any type of exercise? I want to be able to do some mild to moderate weight lifting in the future, but I read somewhere that he gave someone a lifetime ban on heavy lifting. Not sure what to make of that. Feel free to PM me if your more comfortable discussing your experience in private. Thanks!

I’m in my mid-40s and have been lifting weights for 20+ years. I’m no body-builder, but I’m in good shape. I’m about 3 1/2 months out from my surgery (direct inguinal hernia) and I’m in the gym lifting weights and doing about everything I was doing before the surgery (yoga, jogging, cycling). I’m very mindful of my technique, and have cut out deep-squats and dead-lifts, but feel comfortable working out hard (although with less weight for now). I was given no long term restrictions by Dr. Tomas, but just a general warning that the repair may take up to 8 months to be 100% and don’t be stupid.

I felt very comfortable with Dr. Tomas for several reasons 1) Experience – he has done thousands of Desarda repairs 2) Simple pricing – I knew exactly what I was going to pay for the surgery so I could easily budget for it 3) My hernia type was a good fit for the Desarda repair (direct inguinal) and the repair leaves zero foreign material behind. I didn’t spend a lot time with Dr. Tomas, but he seemed friendly and confident.

[Ezzy]

You are very lucky to even have two options for non-mesh repairs within driving distance! Most have to travel far distances just to find one. I have been happy with the results from the Desarda repair I had with Dr. Tomas, but I had to drive 9 hours to see him. Several of the other patients I met there had flown in from much further.

[Ezzy]

quote dog:

Hi dear Mo, Ezzy and Jeremy and all my friends ..Well i was thinking to do a surgery with dr,Brown on wednesday ..check with him on friday and fly to florida 5 hours fly time ..to do laser treatment for my ears ringing ..other problem. :{.. I will need stay they 10 days. Go to doctor 2 times per day for 30 min treatment…http://functionalcranialrelease.com/inner-ear-treatments-laser-therapy/ like this So not sure if it is realistic for me to do.?

I had Desarda surgery on a Friday, and I was able to take an 8 hour car ride the following Monday — but I wasn’t driving, and I was able to keep an ice pack going on my groin most of the time. The first week I was not in shape to do anything but sleep, watch movies and do an occasional, very slow walk around the house. I am not saying you can’t pull it off, but knowing what I went through, there is NO way I could do your schedule. It would have been much too uncomfortable.

[Ezzy]

There is sticky topic on this form “Post-Op Recovery:What to Expect”.

[Ezzy]

There is sticky topic on this form “Post-Op Recovery:What to Expect”.

https://www.herniatalk.com/412-post-op-recovery-what-to-expect

[Ezzy]

quote Chaunce1234:

I should add that some clinics already do this. Shouldice in Canada is one, with an all-inclusive price for the entire 4 day stay, and Dr Thomas offers a single quote for a Desarda repair as well. There are probably others.

It’s really helpful to know cash prices for procedures. I have horrible insurance and always ask if there is a cash price. It’s hard to shop around when no one knows what anything costs! My general physician knows I like to pay cash, so he charges me $40-$75 bucks for a visit, which is less then if I use my insurance.

Besides offering mesh-free hernia repairs, this is one of the things I really liked about Dr. Tomas. The price on the website was exactly what I paid. No surprises. I did find a cash only facility in Maryland that would do a unilateral open hernia repair (with mesh) for $1,800 bucks.

[Ezzy]

quote dog:

possibly kind of promotional endorsement
. no even contact info..i want to ask him a few questions….i learned in my life never take anything on face value..Give me the name of that person :}

Well, I can say my recovery experience has been pretty similar to the one reported on the blog, expect for more pain (on my part) the first day or two. I’m almost 6 weeks out and feel great! Trust me, if we was not happy, I would be letting everyone know..

[Ezzy]

quote dog:

meshless he web you liked is very suspicious..who is that person..no contacts ..very questionable

Its just a guy blogging about his personal experience recovering from a Desarda repair. What is suspicious about that???

[Ezzy]

quote meshless:

I concur with Good Intentions and Ezzy’s remarks. I had no mesh bilateral inguinal and umbilical repair by Dr. Tomas in Ft. Myers, Florida. I had all three repaired on the same day. It’s been 11 months since my repair. I am happy to answer any questions that lead to my decision, and my experience thus far. I spent about a year researching hernia repair from many types of sources: message boards, NIH articles, other publications, litigation information, Google, etc. I was on a quest to find someone who documented their personal experience with a Desarda repair by Dr. Tomas. I wanted to learn about their experience before, during, and after surgery. Most of what I found lacked documentation for experiences months and years out. The experiences also lacked the details I was looking for about recovery. The best that I found was here: http://thelibrarian.bravesites.com/e…hernia-surgery. I think it is quite good, compared to what is out there. And it was very hard to find. I decided to document much of my experience, particularly during the 2 weeks immediately after my surgery, about how I felt at every day in the process. But I quickly realized why as time passes by it is harder to learn about someone’s personal experience. For me, there was less to report other than I don’t even think or feel anything regarding my hernias. My two weeks recovery documentation is pretty detailed. If anyone is considering Dr. Tomas or Desarda, I am happy to share.

There has been a good discussion going on over at https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt…353003&page=47 about Desarda and other hernia repair experiences. Just be warned, there is one poster (drgephys – who is not a medical doctor) who has a lot of strong opinions about tissue-based repair, but really has no clue what he is talking about.

[Ezzy]

quote Dill:

First, I’m new to the board–researching everything since I have an inguinal hernia that has suddenly started giving me pain and is getting larger so I have to have surgery. I don’t want mesh; I know that. I’m a good candidate, and shouldice accepted me except it’s out of country and my insurance won’t pay. I’m searching for a place that will accept my insurance and also do no mesh (Ohio won’t). In the meantime I’ve done more research on various sutures–I’m not sure why the steel thread wouldn’t react with some people either–I was very intrigued with this paper I found in one of the threads https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702909/ because it offers something it seems like a lot of hernia specialists could learn how to do and sutures that might not cause reaction. I mean it would be great if more people could get trained be willing to do mesh. Could we talk about this a little bit? Again sorry if I’m repeating some other discussion. Happy for a link if that is the case.

I recently had the Desarda repair done with Dr. Tomas in Ft. Myers Florida. Only 5 weeks out, but so-far-so good. I was in the same situation as you – wanted no-mesh, but could not find a surgeon using my insurance. Dr. Tomas is a cash-only doctor, but surgery prices are listed on his web-site and truly all-inclusive (except for travel). I have a fairly high deductible, so it was not much more just to pay out of pocket. Overall, I had a very good experience (other than the pain for the first week).