[Kablooey]

Alephy,

When I discovered that I had a hernia and was researching my options and learned that Polyproplyene Mesh is not entirely inert as it is often claimed and degrades through oxidation regardless of the “skill” of the surgeon it seemed like a no-brainer to me as a 43 year old who potentially may be around for a few more years to choose a non-mesh approach. I was very fortunate that my “Top Tier” health insurance plan in the US offered thru my employer had a rather high deductible requiring me to pay nearly the same amount as flying abroad and paying for the procedure out of my own pocket. When considering this and the fact that if I were to go with laparoscopic/mesh which was recommended by a top NYC surgeon and had a problem… It would be so much more expensive finding a surgeon to fix it and the consequences could be so devastating: permanent erectile dysfunction? I couldn’t imagine having something in me that may eventually fail and cause complications in a few years or possibly 30 years down the line. Where as the worst case scenario with the non-mesh option would be to have it done again free of charge. Yes, it would be wonderful if every hospital across America offered these procedures but we should be so grateful that there are already more than a handful who can and the wealth of information that is available thru this forum! -Best Regards

[Kablooey]

I am not regularly on the forum but I check in from time to time! I had my hernia repaired last summer by Dr Kang. Did you have any specific questions? In terms of experience it is my understanding that he has personally performed approximately 10K non-mesh repairs since 2013 under local anesthesia! When I was at Gibbeum Hospital last July he performed 20 hernia repairs just that day on patients from all over the world. As mentioned there are a few experienced surgeons in the US who also perform a “tailored approach” non-mesh hernia repair. It’s important to understand that it’s not a matter of mesh or non-mesh. There are non-mesh techniques that are also performed as a “one-size-fits-all” approach much in the same way laparoscopic is prescribed when nothing could be further from the truth. -Best Regards

[Kablooey]

[USER=”2029″]Good intentions[/USER] Yes, I will be more than happy to share my entire experience traveling to South Korea to have my hernia repaired by one of the most experienced hernia surgeons in the world with this community. I am grateful for this group that helped me make this decision in the first place! I will share my experience shortly!

[Kablooey]

Jin,

I’ am happy to hear about your successful recovery. I am two weeks post-op femoral hernia repair with Dr. Kang and so far so good! I’’ll try to share my experience with this group shortly.

From my research the rate of recurrence with Dr. Kang’s technique is less than .5% He’ has performed over 12k hernia surgeries! But as he advises all his patients you should listen to your own body while recovering to determine what’ is right for you. I was walking and exploring Seoul, South Korea on my second day after surgery! I highly recommend Gibbeum Hospital!

Kinds Regards,

[Kablooey]

I’m relatively new to this forum. I’ve been reading thru the many posts for the last 2 months after a diagnosis of a indirect inguinal hernia thru ultrasound.

If your capable of waiting 5 weeks it would make sense to me to see Dr Brown considering that he’s close by and all of the amazing post-op testimonials on this forum.

However, in my non-expert opinion based on your previous symptoms of extreme constipation and testicular swelling you may want to have an emergency back-up plan just in case something happens: incarceration…

I’m currently on my 6th day of recovery from non-mesh hernia repair from what turned out to be a femoral hernia and removal of a inguinal lipoma by Dr. Kang at Gibbeum Hospital in Seoul, South Korea!

I can empathize with what your going thru completely! I just recently had to make the choice in going to Korea for surgery in early July or in late August with my wife when we were originally planning to go prior to discovering my hernia. It was late June and I just wanted to put this hernia past me and I feared having to go to the emergency room and having a mesh repair performed by a general surgeon with very little experience!

Kind Regards,