MarkT

Sounds like you are healing normally.

If you had a ‘typical’ inguinal hernia and uneventful surgery, then it should be virtually impossible to damage the repair via normal daily activities like walking, household chores, etc.

If you are two weeks out without any problems, then you would likely not have any restriction on activity at this point…[Read more]

You still need to check on that before travelling.

Quite often, standard travel and emergency medical insurance is meant cover unforeseen situations and emergencies…but you have a pre-existing condition (the hernia), are seeking elective (non-emergency) surgery. That represents an entirely different risk to the insurer vs. someone just going…[Read more]

Hi Peter,

I’m glad to hear that you have been speaking with people like Drs. Yunis, Meyers, etc. It is really disheartening to hear how ‘crazy’ Dr. Brown’s plan was when others critique it…but that dynamic could actually help to identify a good course of action for you.

I don’t know how feasible this would be…but what about assembling a…[Read more]

I pulled a copy of the paper. It is a relatively brief editorial opinion, rather than a formal study.

Worth noting the author (Joseph E. Fischer) was at Harvard since 1970 and passed away just last year. He was quite a prolific researcher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_E._Fischer

He notes that ‘fads’ exist in surgery and that some…[Read more]

Be sure to get solid travel/health insurance too, where the purpose of your travel is approved up front by the insurer (to avoid a claim possibly being denied after the fact).

The chance of serious complication might be very low…but getting stuck in a foreign country, with no insurance, and requiring an extended hospital stay and/or additional…[Read more]

Why don’t you start following the advice that hernia experts are giving you instead of making these ridiculous, dishonest posts?

You will be better off as a result…as will be the readers of this forum.

Hi Dr. Kang,

I am happy to provide info when I find it…of course, I am not a surgeon and do not understand all of the details, so your response is very valuable for learning more 🙂

Your comments also reinforce the idea that the skill and experience of the surgeon may be the most important variables for patients to consider, especially with…[Read more]

A tissue repair for femoral hernias was developed at Shouldice and it is described in this paper:

Shouldice, E. B. (2003). The Shouldice repair for groin hernias. Surgical Clinics of North America 83(5), 1163-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6109(03)00121-X

I pulled a copy of the article, since the abstract does not give much info. This paper…[Read more]

You should hear back rather quickly if you email them, probably before the end of the following day.

I think you are overseas? They have an int’l toll-free # as well. They might ask you to create an account on the website and submit their medical questionnaire to get detailed info.

Shouldice method is used to repair femoral hernias and the Shouldice Hospital has done many thousands of them. They note on their site that mesh may be used for these repairs though, depending upon the nature of the defect, tissue quality, etc.

AFAIK, ultrasound is generally fine for detecting regular hernias and is the common first option…but MRI has been shown to be superior for detecting hidden/occult hernias.

I think the usual order of imaging would be ultrasound, then CT if ultrasound is inconclusive, then MRI…in part because of cost, speed, and technical expertise to perform…[Read more]

Hi Peter – in previous post, you mentioned the possibility of additional surgery to restore at least some function, but that you were afraid to consider it (which is quite understandable).

Did you ever explore that further and find out what (if anything) could be possible? Has any other surgeon suggested a course of action?

The broader conclusion of lap > open seems somewhat misleading…

Table 1 in the study Dr. Towfigh posted shows subgroup comparisons between specific techniques (TAP and TEPP laparoscopic repairs vs. Shouldice, Lichtenstein, and Stoppa open repairs).

Of the studies that compared TAPP/TEPP with Shouldice, no outcome variable was found to…[Read more]

As Mike M mentioned (and has been widely discussed elsewhere) BMI charts are not appropriate for use with all population.

Shouldice does not adhere to the chart as gospel, so no one should be scared off from going there if they don’t fit neatly into one of the categories. Shouldice will indeed ask people who are overweight/obese to lose weight,…[Read more]

You’ll have to thank Mike M for that last reply 😉

As for me, I did indeed go to Shouldice Hospital…two inguinal repairs…one side was 30yrs ago, the other 18yrs ago. Both repairs were problem-free, with no chronic pain or any limitations on physical activity since then.

Memory is hazy, but one of them was trouble-free in terms of not…[Read more]

If it is returning to almost flat, and you have no other change in symptoms (pain, or anything else mentioned above), then it seems unlikely that there is any incarceration or cause for concern…maybe just some swelling?

That is just my non-professional opinion though, so I would suggest checking in with your doc if you think anything has…[Read more]

If your hernia is able to be reduced, then it is (by definition) not incarcerated. It doesn’t have to be reducible on its own when lying down…if it can be manually pushed back in (gently!), it is still considered reducible.

Often, it will reduce passively by lying down…sometimes people can reduce it themselves with gentle…[Read more]

@emuboy2000 – I appreciate you taking the time to respond and expand upon your decision. I had not seen your previous posts, so this has been helpful. BTW, I was not doubting that you actually lived near Shouldice, in case that was not clear…I mean that I perceived the decision to go to Korea as dubious, given that you live near…[Read more]

@emuboy2000

Personally, I think that is crazy to fly to Korea and take on unnecessary risk and expense if you truly live ‘across the street’ from Shouldice, but to each their own.

The main reasons I could see someone choosing Dr. Kang over Shouldice is the inability to choose the surgeon at Shouldice, or because the patient is not Canadian and…[Read more]

@mikem – I’ve had two repairs for inguinal hernias done at Shouldice Hospital (right side ~30yrs ago, left side ~18yrs ago). I don’t have the surgical notes, but assume the cremaster was cut or reduced, since that is standard practise there. My cremaster reflex functions fine and from what I can tell, both repairs have been flawless…no post-op…[Read more]