[Mark]

Since the original post by Good intentions is regarding “recurrence and repair”, I am posting this statement from Dr William H Brown, who performed my hernia surgery, and is one of the many reasons I chose to go with him;

Most Surgeons argue for the use of mesh because of the lower recurrence rate. But their argument is flawed. If you look at the numbers, the chance for a recurrent hernia after a mesh repair is 3%. The chance for a recurrent hernia after a non-mesh repair is about 4%. But to achieve this 1% lower recurrence rate the patient runs about a 15% chance of chronic pain.

The argument for a hand-sewn repair (i.e., no mesh), is that there is no foreign body placed in the body. It is common for people to develop scar tissue around the mesh. This fibrosis causes the mesh to become stiff and hard. Then when you bend and twist, and the mesh does not bend and twist with you, the sheer stresses causes pain. Sometimes one of the nerves or spermatic cord gets stuck to the mesh, and severe pain can result. Then exercise becomes impossible because of pain, and ejaculation causes a severe burning sensation in the spermatic cord and testicle. Chronic pain after mesh hernia repairs affects 15% of patients. A significant number of those patients with pain have to have the mesh removed with another operation. Even after removing the mesh, the patient is often only about 80% better.

[Mark]

I did not write the comment that Pinto has responded to and I have no medical background. I did, however, have no-mesh inguinal hernia surgery in 2020, which was not performed at Shouldice Hospital. I researched the topic, talked to friends that had mesh hernia surgery, read comments from patients that had mesh surgery that went wrong, viewed photos of mesh-repair surgery, and read about the many lawsuits involving the use of mesh. Then I consulted with the local mesh surgeon who I was referred to by my provider, and with a very experienced no-mesh sports hernia surgeon (of which there are very few) and concluded that the no-mesh surgeon was much more qualified. He also recommended pre/post-op herbal therapy, which I was very impressed with. The surgery went smooth, there was little pain and I resumed athletic activity within a week. 2 1/2 years later, I have had zero issues involving this surgery and the scar has disappeared.