Momof4
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Happy to have this forum that provides help from fellow patients, as well as hernia experts. Thank you for the well thought out reply with lots of good question recommendations. My husband usually goes to appointments with me and we write out a brief history and questions to ask the doctor. It also helps to have two sets of ears! Dr. Bittner and Dr. Belyansky have always patiently answered our questions. I’ve never really asked about who is actually doing all of the surgery. So far, we have completely put our trust in Dr. Belyansky and feel he will make decisions that are best for me. Not sure if this is naive! When I went to Dr. Chen, no surgery plan was made because he said we have to try 3 months of conservative treatments, which I am at the end of after 6 months (lots of down time between coordinating appts-very frustrating). He said we would talk afterwards, which I haven’t followed up with yet. I guess I’m waiting to see what is recommended on Wednesday. The doctors have been in contact with one another and I am very appreciative of their time. I still haven’t ruled out more travel, maybe back to Dr. Chen or, perhaps, to see Dr. Towfigh for her expert opinion. I know she is one of the best at reading imaging and diagnosing problems and also experienced with robotic mesh removal. I know she has said ,more than once, that no one should be living (if you can call it that) with this type of pain for a year or more. To me it’s unacceptable!! Once again, thank you for taking time to offer help to others who are suffering. I will keep you updated in hopes that it will help someone else.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Beenthere,
Thanks for the interest and question. I know you have offered lots of good advice to many on this forum. The last surgery I had was September of last year and was abdominal wall reconstruction. It was my fifth surgery since my hernia problems started. Since the AWR, I have developed severe groin pain and pain that has spread across my abdomen and pulling at my belly button. I traveled to CA from VA to see Dr. Chen and he wanted me to try various conservative treatments – lidocaine patches, muscle relaxers, epidural injection, nerve blocks (tried three different ones), PT, medications. I haven’t gotten relief from these treatments and live in pain everyday. I have an appt next at VCU to discuss next options. Robotic mesh removal was mentioned at my last appt but I’m not sure that is what will be recommended next. I cannot live like I am and am looking for relief. I had a smaller piece of mesh, from a femoral hernia, removed earlier and had a subsequent tissue repair, which failed. The operative report from AWR said I had direct and indirect inguinal hernias on one side and femoral, direct and indirect inguinal hernias on the other. I also had muscle atrophy from previous lap triple neurectomy . I know you have done lots of research and any advice you can offer about my complicated case is appreciated! -
Feeling post surgical anxiety
Sorry to hear that you are feeling so anxious. You are right, it is not a good idea to read post
surgical stories online. The people who have problems tend to be the ones who post the most. It sounds like you just need to give your body time to heal since you did have a pretty big procedure. Also, people with pre-op pain take longer to get relief from hernia surgery. What your doctor said about three weeks to feel a little better and 8 weeks to feel right sounds similar to what my doctor told me. I also think that if something doesn’t seem right it is ok to ask questions, even if you call and speak to a nurse or PA and they can ask the doctor. We tend to expect too much of ourselves and want to rush back into our regular activities, but it takes a while to heal and we have to listen to the cues our bodies give us! Walking short distances frequently really helped me. Also, when I had abdominal wall reconstruction, wearing an abdominal binder really helped. I hope you continue to improve and am glad you found good support from patients, with similar situations, on this forum. Hang in there!! -
top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Thank you for the reply. I agree that Drs. Belyansky and Bittner are very talented with hernia repair. I am still wondering about robotic mesh removal, as they may not have as much experience as the three of you. Also, in your opinion is robotic mesh removal an option for AWR mesh that was put in open utilizing flaps or does it have to be removed open? Sorry for so many questions! Just trying to understand options available.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
I had an epidural injection and got no relief, not even the first ten minutes which the doctor said would be an indication of whether it may help long term. I followed all instructions and waited a week to see if it helped. Unfortunately, no relief. So I am at the end of the “conservative treatments” list given to me by Dr. Chen. At my last appt, Dr. Bittner mentioned robotic mesh removal as an option to explore. I know you use the robot in difficult mesh removal surgery. Is it an option for mesh that was put in during open AWR with flaps? In a recent post you recommended yourself, Dr. Chen or Dr. Ramshaw for robotic mesh removal. Do theses doctors on the East coast, Dr. Bittner and Dr. Belyansky, have the same experience and skills, or just the three of you? Thank you for your help. Your opinion is respected and appreciated!
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Hernia forum
Thanks for the reply. I still cannot see dates or number of replies or views, even in landscape. It was easier to follow the way it was originally. Either way, I am glad this forum exists. There is so much valuable information for those of us suffering from hernias and related problems! Thank you
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Hernia forum
The look of the forum has changed again. It doesn’t show dates that the topics were started and dates of replies. It is a little more difficult to read this way. Was wondering if it was intentional or if someone is messing things up again.
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advice on abdominal wall reconstruction
I am always sorry to hear of someone suffering from multiple hernias and repairs like myself. The last surgery I had, one year ago, was abdominal wall reconstruction. I’m sure everyone recovers differently and it is dependent on the type of surgery you have, whether it is open, lap or robotic. I had open repair with an incision from hip to hip. I was in the hospital for 5 nights (ridiculous that insurance says day surgery for AWR). I had one drain removed before I left and had 2 drains in when I left the hospital. We had traveled out of town for the surgery, so we stayed across the street for another week to have the last two drains removed before going home, which is 5 hours away. My recovery was pretty slow and difficult, but my surgeon had told me it would be and it would take about 6 weeks before I even felt decent. He was right!! I did start walking in the hospital the day after and did lots of walking, in short distances, after leaving, as well. The nurses joked that they had never seen someone walk so many laps around the hall and that I was wearing a path! Haha. As Dr. Towfigh said, it is really important to avoid constipation. I had some trouble after surgery due to pain medicine. It is a good idea to take medicine to help with that issue and drink lots of water and move around often. Wearing an abdominal binder also helped with the discomfort, which may not be as much of an issue with lap repair. Preparing for surgery as much as you can is definitely a good idea- core strengthening and losing weight will surely help in recovery. I hope all goes well with your surgery and you can get back to being pain free. I am still striving for the same thing myself! Thanks to Dr. Towfigh for all of the great advice on this forum.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
It has been 3 months since my appointment with Dr. Chen and I have been working with Dr. Bittner at VCU, as suggested by Dr. Chen, to help coordinate some interventional radiology injections. I have had ilioinguinal nerve block, TAP block and CT guided suprapubic block (I got the feeling this isn’t done very often!) I havent gotten any relief except a little relief from burning on the right side with ilioinguinal block. If nothing else, I guess these blocks will prove to be diagnostic. Still in lots of pain. I am going to go back to Dr. Bittner to find out next step, but I believe I am supposed to try epidural blocks next. Do any of the doctors here think that epidural blocks would help if none of the nerve blocks in the groin and abdomen helped? Is there a way to find out if there is a problem with the mesh and it isn’t a nerve problem? I have pain from my belly button to my pubis and out to both hip bones and Severe bilateral groin pain. Thank you for your help and any advice is appreciated.
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Mutiple Surgeries in a close proximity of time.
Sorry to hear of all the surgery and pain you have had to endure. I am a 52 year old female. My situation is similar to yours in that I have had 7 surgeries in 3 1/2 years, 4 in the last 2 years. My case is a little different because all surgeries were trying to deal with groin pain and hernias. I first had a laparoscopy looking for source of groin/pelvic pain. I then had a hysterectomy (pretty sure I didn’t need it)! Next femoral hernia repair, triple neurectomy, mesh removal and open tissue repair on left, bilateral open hernia repair and then abdominal wall reconstruction in September 2015. The initial recovery from AWR was very painful, but the doctor told me it would be difficult because of the nature of the surgery. After the initial recovery period of about three months I started having worse groin pain and my whole abdomen hurts. I still have to wear an abdominal binder 10 months after surgery or it feels terrible. I never thought I would feel worse after surgery than before, the pain was bad before! I started walking the day after surgery and have built up my distance. Walking helps and the excercise is good therapy. I also do core and leg strengthening PT exercises. Not sure if any of this helps me feel better, but helps me get in shape. Some days I say it feels like my guts are falling out ( best way I can describe it). It is a nasty pain and often times makes me nauseous. I have traveled from VA to CA seeking help. I am trying some lidocaine patches, some different medications and having some interventional radiology injections next week. So far nothing is really helping, but I will persevere. I am afraid that the mesh is the problem. I recently have a new pulling pain at my belly button. I have burning pain on the right that feels like it’s on fire. By the end of the day I usually have swelling too. Not sure how nerve problems could cause swelling!! Maybe Dr. Towfigh could give some insight as to how you know if the mesh is the problem – contracting, inflammation or even just reaction to the mesh, not necessarily infection. There have also been a couple of times when I have been in lots of pain and the area has felt hot. Not sure if that means anything. Sorry to be long winded, but hope that maybe you can relate to some of the things I am feeling. I hope that you can find answers. I will not give up until I can find something that truly helps. Right now I feel like I am ruling things out instead of getting to the source of my problem.
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Looking for a Hernia Specialist near North Alabama
The pain that you describe and illustrate is very much like the pain I was suffering with when I started this medical journey almost 4 years ago. I had the same pain radiating to my thigh and labia and around my back. Pain was made worse with standing, bending over, laying on left side and even emptying my bladder. I had all the same negative tests and saw many doctors too. It turned out I had a femoral hernia and had it repaired, but not by one of the experts mentioned on here. I have had problems ever since and 4 subsequent surgeries and am still having pain issues. I have even flown from Virginia to LA to see Dr. David Chen. In my opinion, you should seek out an expert in hernia repair and pain. It is so worth it to get it repaired right the first time. I hope you can get this resolved quickly! I wish you the best.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Dr. Towfigh, I would like to hear if you have had any patients that have had success with epidural injection treatments. I know you see lots of chronic pain hernia patients, like Dr. Chen, and also recommend conservative treatments first. So far, the lidocaine patches and muscle relaxers haven’t given any relief. I recall that you have mentioned Botox injections on this forum as well. Is that something I should mention to the interventional pain Doctor? I appreciate your feedback!
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
One of the things tha Dr. Chen recommended I try is epidural spine injections from an interventional pain specialist. I went to see Dr. Ben Foo in Annapolis, MD. He has given epidural injections for groin pain that is radiating from the spine. My pain is from hernia repairs and mesh implantation, so he isn’t convinced the injections will work for my type of pain, which originates from my groin, not by back. Have any of you had patients benefit from this type of treatment? Dr. Foo is willing to try but doesn’t want to give me false hope. Thanks for your input.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
My appointment with Dr. Chen was definitely worth the trip to CA. His knowledge and expertise in the subject of groin pain after hernia surgery were incredible! He spent an hour with me and explained what he thinks is going on, in terms that I could understand. He gave many suggestions for things to try, none of which were surgery for now. I have had so many procedures and he thinks that I will continue to improve over the next couple of months (8 months out since my most recent surgery). I am trying Lidocaine patches, muscle relaxers and seeking interventional pain management for epidural injections, along with some other treatments. I am going to try everything Dr. Chen suggested and we will talk in three months. I am so appreciative of the time he took to become familiar with my case through email and conversation with Dr. Belyansky. He is an incredible resource for anyone suffering with groin pain.
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Help!
What a small world, I live in Chesapeake, VA, as well. I have posted on this forum a lot because of problems that started after my original femoral hernia repair. In my experience, there are plenty of general surgeons in our area that repair hernias, but no “hernia experts”. I highly recommend a surgeon that specializes in hernia repair and potential problems that may occur. I have travelled to Annapolis, MD for my care, after my original surgery in VA Beach. I now know that there is a hernia specialist at VCU in Richmond, Dr. James Bittner. It may be worth contacting his office as a starting point. I hope that things go well for you. Sorry that you have seen 14 doctors and still don’t have a diagnosis. I have been told that I had negative CT Scans for hernias, when in fact I had multiple hernias found during surgery. Dr. Towfigh states that 3 out of 4 CT scans for hernia are misread. I hope this helps.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Thank you! I am doing my best to remain hopeful. I will update after my appt.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Thank you so much for your opinions and offers of help! I have been a patient of Dr. Igor Belyansky, in Maryland, for the past two years. I have had multiple hernia surgeries, the first being done by a general surgeon in Virginia Beach, for a femoral hernia. After having problems, I went to see Dr. Heniford and he referred me to Dr. Belyansky. After mesh removal and multiple repairs and complications that followed, he suggested seeing Dr. Chen. He has continued to be helpful and has spoken to Dr. Chen about my case. I have an appt next week and have planned the trip out west. After talking to Dr. Chen’s office, I understand that he sometimes makes a diagnosis and recommendations for a procedure closer to home. It is good to know that I have options closer to home. I truly appreciate your advice. I have also posted about some of my problems under the “muscle atrophy” topic.
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
I am wondering if any of these doctors on the East coast are considered experts in mesh/hernia pain problems or only hernia repair. I live in Virginia and have been referred to CA for these problems. I am scheduled to see Dr. David Chen, which I am glad to be able to do, but curious why no one on the East coast was recommended. I didn’t know if the expertise is different. I am grateful for all of the expert advice available on this forum.
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Muscle atrophy
I went to the spine specialist two weeks ago and he reviewed my MRI and said that my spine is not contributing to my groin pain. There are only incidental findings for someone my age. He also said the hip may cause groin pain and that spine would not cause bilateral groin pain. My hips are fine, as well. I guess, at least, I checked off that box. I called your office and Dr. David Chen’s office to ask about insurance coverage. Since I will be coming from Virginia, it is going to be an expensive trip, but my health is worth it. I was disappointed that your cost is not covered by insurance. Dr. Chen takes my insurance, so I will be going to see him soon. Dr. Belyansky is helping me coordinate this. He spoke very highly of both of you and feels like this will be the best chance for help with my problem. Thank you for your time on this forum.
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New to the forum need some advice.
Dr. Goldstein,
I like the reasonable, sound advice you give on this forum. I have had lots of unfortunate circumstances that put me in that 5%, but certainly never intend to “scare” anyone out of having hernia surgery. I guess on a forum like this the ones who have had problems speak the loudest. My intention is not to influence anyone negatively, but to try to find help for myself and others who may be suffering needlessly. Thank you for your input on many questions. We are grateful for the “hernia experts” out there.