[Good intentions]

Thanks for posting. Can I ask a few questions? One of the major problems in hernia repair is the vast array of possibilities. Different types of hernia, different types of repair even within a category like laparoscopic, different types of mesh, and different types of people.

How long has it been since the surgery? What type of hernia did you have? Are you an active person, like an athlete, or more moderately active, like just coming and going to work every day? What type of mesh did you get? (Dr. Liang’s web site implies that he is a “mesh-first” surgeon). What type of surgery did you get? Open, laparoscopic, robotic?

No offense intended, but the majority of the discussions on the forum are about the odds of success, in the short-term and in the long-term, and the methods and materials used. Without some details there’s no way to differentiate Dr. Laing from any hernia repair surgeon. They all have some wins behind them.

Keep posting as you recover. The real world stories are important.

[Good intentions]

I had wondered about cold water swimming also. For men though I think that there are different issues involved, with the retraction of the testicles and general pulling back of all externalities. I didn’t find any good places to swim, but I did try cold showers directed at the area. But it all warms back up pretty quickly. Not the same.

The type of pain probably matters also. Pain close to the skin versus pain deeper, like at the pubic bone.

Have you had surgery?

[Good intentions]

That is quite a story Mark H, thanks for posting it. I have found that you can only put three web links in a post otherwise the forum software just throws all of your work away and goes back to the main page if you add four or more.

I went through the details and am a bit confused. Did you have both surgeries on the same day? You wrote that September 27 was treatment day and reported a lipoma removed. But then on September 30 you wrote that you had to go “for” surgery. Did you mean that you had a follow-up appointment? It might just be a linguistic issue, like the reversed date code usage.

“Couple of days later I had tracked down the bus company but couldn’t do anything more as I was due to go for surgery.”

Here is a summary, I think, assuming that everything was done on the 27th.

September 26 – first visit to Gibbeum Hospital, extensive diagnostic work performed
September 27 – both sides repaired surgically
September 30 – first follow-up (American term)
October 2 – final follow-up

Long flights from England at beginning and end.

So, it’s been 17 days since surgery. How do you feel now?

And, besides the lipoma, did you learn any more details about what Dr. Kang did? Did he just find two enlarged internal rings and tighten them up? Did he find other weakness that needed work?

Good luck for the long-term. Try to stay in touch with the forum if you have time.

[Good intentions]

I just noticed that in the PerFix case described above that the mesh was removed, “and replaced”. Incredible. The refusal to believe that the mesh alone is the problem is amazing to see. The patient still had pain with the new mesh. I wonder what the plug was replaced with.

“…
For 2 years after the surgery, the plaintiff had chronic pain in the area. In 2017, he underwent exploratory surgery to determine if it was a recurrent hernia or nerve entrapment causing the pain. During this procedure, the surgeon found that the Bard mesh implant had curled up into a ball, causing major scarring on the internal tissue. The mesh was removed and replaced, but the plaintiff continued to have pain.
…”

[Good intentions]

Here is a link to that other thread I had going. Just use “litigation” in the search box if the link is broken. It should be the first or second result.

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/big-picture-litigation-perfix-plug/

Big picture – Litigation – Perfix plug

[Good intentions]

When you talk about him or reply to his posts you feed his ego. He might have come to the forum for real problems in the beginning but now he’s just here for entertainment and attention. Each new persona is like a new fishing line in the water. Each response is a bite. I am reasonably certain that there one or two new ones are on the forum now. The same statements and same questions are asked, but replacing normal words with strange ones.

They make software tools to find these types of things. A certain famous writer has just been called out for using a ghost writer and passing the work off as their own. We all have limited vocabularies and use words in certain patterns. So, despite the annoyance of the impersonator, I’ve actually become more aware of some new things.
.
.
.
The typical new persona is strangely well-informed despite being new to the hernia world, and has “heard/read bad things about mesh/tissue repairs”. Which is normal, of course, but normal details are usually missing in their story.

I think that a large warning at the top of the new forum page will help. Trolls have been a part of the internet since forums were created. The new VPN software, as someone noted earlier, just makes it very easy to bypass security measures.

[Good intentions]

P.S. Dr. Towfigh or her website manager should be able to reopen the original Kody’s account and show the original posts. For what it’s worth I thought that he said he was 21 not 22.

And, to be frank, there’s no guarantee that the new KodyH is the original Kody. He gave the information necessary to create a new Kody facsimile in his first posts. Just one of those things that makes you wonder. Chuck might have taken notes.
Besides the fact that Chuck is prolific on Reddit where there might be a Kody. Don’t go over there, it’s not pretty. I made one short visit a while back.

The path to the decision to go to see Dr. Kang is interesting. The immediate recovery, not so much. It’s been discussed many times that it’s the long-term that really matters. Full recovery from any surgery takes month or years.

[Good intentions]

Time will tell. MarkK sounds a lot like the original Chuck. He asked the same questions and made the same vague statements, like Chuck and his personas do. See threads below.

As far as getting offended, I don’t see why a person would. Nobody really knows who anybody is on the internet. No reason to be offended. He’s getting responses to his questions and misstatements. And he starts a new thread when he wants to get some new people involved. It’s all working for him, fake or not.

For the record though, I would not share an email address or phone number with anybody on the internet. If any “chatting” is done, create a new email account that you can throw away if things get weird. Don’t share any personal details. Really, there’s no reason to have a personal “chat”, the open forum is the place to talk.

He just sounds like Chuck. Who knows. Maybe he’s getting tired of creating new personas and will behave for a while.

“…
Would enjoy chatting when you get back to the States. Where are you from?
…”

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/kodyh-kang-repair/#post-39692

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/opinons-re-shouldice-v-kang-repair/

KodyH Kang Repair

[Good intentions]

I wonder if there is some sort of AI based filtering software that is available. “Chuck” eventually shows through in the phrases and bad information. MarkK seems to be one. He was probably damaged before he ever got a hernia. It’s sad to see.

I suggest that there be warning posts in the new forum platform that let people know that there is this “virus” out there, trolling the site persistently. Tell people not to share any personal information with this person. There should also be a simple blocking function so that people don’t have to see any content, posts or messages, from people that they think are trolls. The blocking function is common across many forum software platforms.

[Good intentions]

MarkK is repeating Chuck’s words, in Chuck’s style.

[Good intentions]

“. I was hoping Kody would report back to us as there are very few testimonials on here for any kind of repair. ”

Yes, it really is a shame that Chuck’s fake personalities and his/their constant badgering have driven so many earnest and honest people from the forum. He has kind of ruined things for everyone recently, including himself. Hopefully he’ll see the diminishing returns, assuming that he’s not trying to be destructive, and change his ways.

[Good intentions]

I’ve noticed that several forum members have disappeared after one of Chuck’s personas starts talking to them. I’ve wondered if he was messaging them and caused it to happen. Kind of ironic if “Chuck” is really looking for information. He ends up driving the people away that might have a new view.

[Good intentions]

Yes, definitely strange that Kody’s posts seem to be gone, as well as his account. Coincident with your appearance. One gets removed, another arrives. Maybe he wasn’t real after all. Just another one of “Chuck”‘s messes.

Carry on with whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish.

[Good intentions]

I couldn’t find a link to the full text from the BJS. But I did just find that it had already been published in Hernia, in June. Still a pay-per-view for the full article.

I wonder if they chose the GLACIER acronym as an acknowledgement of the slow pace of progress in the field.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10029-023-02818-8

Original Article
Published: 13 June 2023
An international survey of 1014 hernia surgeons: outcome of GLACIER (global practice of inguinal hernia repair) study
K. D. L Nanayakkara, N. G. Viswanath, M. Wilson, K. Mahawar, S. Baig, J. Rosenberg, M. Rosen, A. J. Sheen, E. Goodman, A. Prabhu & B. Madhok
Hernia volume 27, pages1235–1243 (2023)

[Good intentions]

Another month has passed and still not a peep from any of the societies, groups, collaborations, or individual members about the flawed and incomplete “Guidelines”. Incredibly unprofessional from an organization, the EHS, that has tried to assume the mantle of the ultimate global authority on groin hernia management. They are leaving all of their members and associated societies in the dark about what the specific deficiencies are in the ten chapters that are being “updated”.

This could end up being a good thing though. Independent surgeons should be questioning the veracity of the whole “Guidelines” enterprise. If it is not good enough to follow through on, then is it worth anything at all. What is it? It has not been updated on the two year basis that was promised. They have identified ten chapters that need work. They promised an update, specifically, on LinkedIn, almost a year ago. Yet, nothing at all has happened.

Still, esteemed professionals like Dr. Chen refer to the Guidelines in their presentations and publications. It’s a travesty. The law firms should be looking at the people behind the recommendations for the materials that are being referred to in the lawsuits. The device suppliers support the societies with funds, the societies create the recommendations to use their devices, the device makers make more money. It’s all out in the open, documented.

[Good intentions]

Hernias don’t “travel”.

You said that you had a hernia repair scheduled for the 26th of September. Adam.

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/mesh-linked-to-causing-auto-immune-diseases/

Adam
Participant
After doing some reading on Google I’ve seen mesh being linked to auto immune diseases? Has anyone here had experience with that or heard of it before? It’s worrying me with my bilateral inguinal surgery coming up in 5 days on the 26th

Mesh linked to causing auto immune diseases?

[Good intentions]

Here’s an opinion by a past member. Maybe you’ve already seen it.

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/summary-of-research-forum-experts-watchful-jf-nfg-gi-mike-m-bryant/

Summary of research-forum experts? Watchful-JF -NFG- GI- Mike M- Bryant

[Good intentions]

What did your surgeon say when you described the problem to him or her?

Having stitches is kind of odd for today’s surgery methods. Most use absorbable sutures for the fascia and muscle, under the outer skin layer, and glue on the surface. Could you describe the stitches? How many and where were they placed? Might be a clue.

[Good intentions]

Watchful, that’s not Lichtenstein. That’s plug and patch. Different procedure.

[Good intentions]

I posted on a similar topic a while ago. Linked below.

My main advice would be to educate yourself about what is involved in removal, know what was done during the implantation (neurectomy, lipoma dissection, etc.), and choose a surgeon who will leave you with good odds of a successful recovery.

Secondly, don’t expect to be immediately “well”. The original implantation caused damage, the foreign body reaction causes damage, and the removal causes damage. On top of the original hernia damage. It will take a long time to heal.

I think that I’ve only seen one person on the forum that had a bad mesh removal. They have posted several times, recommending that people avoid any type of surgery. Very “anti-removal”. That person obviously regretted the decision to have their mesh removed. Can’t remember the name or the posts.

Then there is Peter C. He had mesh removed but, from what I gather from his posts, it was removed as a secondary part of surgery for a different problem. It wasn’t clear why the mesh was implanted in the first place.

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/mesh-removal-satisfaction-survey/

Mesh removal satisfaction survey