Hernia Repair Experiences

insert_8

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The doctor says I have an "Inguinal Hernia" and surgery in the near future is the only effective way to go. I don't doubt that diagnosis - I can see what's happening down there, and it's rather painful.

For other guys who have had this procedure - I'd appreciate hearing your comments on the experience. Write anything you feel is worth mentioning. The preparation - surgery itself - recovery and recuperation. Was it effective? Unexpected side effects? How long until you were back to normal?

Thanks for your comments!
 
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insert_8

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No big deal at all your out a day

A recent check up says all is good.

our friend was hiking day five post op, running day 10, and in Arches hiking day 15.
My sweetie is 68, our friend 72 or so.

Back at work & normal life in less than a week.

Thanks for the encouraging responses!

I had surgery today (Saturday). My diagnosis was at 5:00 PM on Monday. At 10:00 AM on Tuesday, the hospital was on the phone asking if I could have surgery on Saturday, in a time slot that opened up. The rest of Tuesday was a whirl of appointments with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, labs, and covid tests. From Tuesday through Friday my condition varied, but trending toward increased pain and discomfort.

I was a few minutes early for my 8:00 AM appointment, got ready, then waited an hour and a half. Went to the operating room at 10:00 AM, and was discharged about 1:15 PM. (The surgeon told me on Tues there was a 50/50 chance I'd be home by noon.)

The surgery was a classic (not laprascopic) incision under general anesthesia and a mesh patch was placed.

Now I'm sitting here with a bag of frozen vegetables on my groin, serving as an ice pack. I'm waiting for some synthetic heroin to take full effect so I can get back to sleep.

I was in definite pain when I woke up this morning and I hurt a bit more now, but it's a different kind of pain and, of course, I expect things to improve over the next day or so.

Friend credits being in shape to start as his secret.
I am 69. While I am active and not obese, I'm not exactly "in shape". During one of the screening interviews the nurse asked about my exercise routine. I said that, weather permitting, I tried to walk 2 - 3 miles, two or three times a week . . . but most of my exercise came from beating around the bush, dodging questions, and jumping to conclusions. She broke out into laughter and said that very few people at the hospital had told any jokes for the last few months. I think the virus situation has all the medical folks in the region a little bit on-edge.
 

davis0444

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I've had inguinal hernias repaired on both sides, several years apart. The surgery was outpatient both times. Woke up from surgery groggy and grouchy--my body doesn't like anesthesia. Pain was pretty minimal and easily controlled with meds. Was in bed the rest of the day of surgery, more because of the anesthesia hangover than the surgery. Was up and about the next day with little discomfort, but took it easy. Was back at work the second day with no issues.
Hope it all goes well for you.
 

Jason

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I had my inguinal hernia op exactly a week ago. No problems. A few observations:

UK NHS has deleted the hernia waiting list because of the coronavirus backlog and will only operate if a medical emergency arises. I went private. Total cost with the bits and pieces about £3,000. There’s probably a newspaper story here in the NHS reducing its waiting list by taking people off the list.

I was at the hospital about 7.30am, and went to the theatre about 9.30. The surgery was open with a mesh put in and therefore a general anaesthetic. I was told not to shave in advance. Apparently they are concerned about self-inflicted nicks and possible infection.

A general anaesthetic was a new experience for me. It was no big deal. When I came round I found an oxygen mask somewhat disconcerting, though this came off almost at once. I had no ill effects at all. I was on my feet in about an hour and perfectly steady. I had some discomfort but nothing I could really call pain.

As I live on my own the routine is an overnight stay. What I hadn’t expected is that I was ravenously hungry all day and indeed subsequently. The private hospital meals were good and plentiful. I was discharged 7am the following morning, taxi home.

In the last week I’ve had some discomfort but no pain. I was sent home with co-codamol, but I’ve taken hardly any. I was walking (including stairs) from the start. My scar is 8cm and very tidy. Stitches are the dissolvable sort. There’s quite a lot of bruising but already signs that it is going. I’m getting quite tired. Today a week on from the op I’ve done maybe three mikes of local walking. I might have another stroll out later. I’m being good and not driving but actually there’s no reason I shouldn’t. I’m doing some work (though a lot has been shovelled over to a colleague). I’m being very careful not to pick anything up.

As this is lpsg I might as well mention that bruising tracks down to cock and balls. I’m wearing the tightest undies I have to hold everything in place. I don’t know how long pubic hair takes to regrow but I want it back! For that matter I have a large patch shaved on my thigh which I understand was used to attach an earth lead, as the surgeon used some electrical equipment. How long do leg hairs take to grow? I would look odd in shorts.

Basically I’m thrilled to have this done, and I can put up with a bit of discomfort. And it really is just discomfort.
 

RamblingCock

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(I know this was started a year ago, and I'm sure the OP's surgery is long over, but am posting some thoughts for anyone who might be facing their first hernia surgery.)

I've had three inguinal hernias and three umbilical. My experience was pretty good on all three, but a couple of warnings:

- Make sure they put you out. There may be some tugging and the local anesthesia isn't sufficient to avoid some discomfort.
- Don't overdo it for the first couple of weeks. Don't try to be a hero and push yourself. I tried that once and will never do it again. I ended up in the ER with pulled stitches and an infection. Lil Rambler was on open display with multiple nurses, doctors and - at one point - a group of students coming in. A buddy of mine pushed too hard and ended up with a permanent problem. Be a baby if you need to, don't push the recovery.
- Make sure you find out if there were any complications. My last one turned out to have been a larger repair than expected and I was worried that a week later I was still using a cane. The doctor said "that's not surprising given what we had to do." Um, huh? Make sure you know if there were any surprises.
- Take the pain pills. Nobody ever got brownie points for enduring pain.
- The assistant won't shave you completely. Shave the other side for aesthetics. Having half a bush is distracting.
 

Scarletbegonia

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My sweetie had this done in September. Internal mesh, dual hernias. One recent (july, iirc), one several years old.
outpatient.
I dropped him off at 9:30 am, got a few ingredients for dinner, had it made by the time I picked him up.
He was little out of it from narcotics, but never took the script he filled.
He may have been a bit groggy the next morning, as he fell and broke his leg in two places.
Obviously, this messed with his recovery, especially the lifting limits. So, unintentionally non compliant.
A recent check up says all is good. Extra swelling that won’t be checked until the six month mark, as swelling is expected.

OTOH, our friend was hiking day five post op, running day 10, and in Arches hiking day 15.
My sweetie is 68, our friend 72 or so.
Friend credits being in shape to start as his secret.
 

socalfreak

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I had mesh implanted to deal with an umbilical hernia over a decade ago.
Post of was no big deal.
Didn't need pain meds for it.
Watched TV from the couch for a day.
Back at work & normal life in less than a week.
And, the mesh hasn't been an issue.
 
D

deleted1025121

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I had an inguinal hernia repair done in 2004. I was only 33yo and it was miserable. I was literally off my feet for like 3 days. And the next two weeks I was in such pain it was terrible. I had the mesh put it and about 6 months later I developed gastro issues. They though maybe infection but wasn't sure. Since that time I have been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease that they believe might have been triggered by the surgery, introduction of bacteria or all the complications from the mesh that was used at that time. Still to this day it gets numb down in this area.

Fast forward to this past week. I lifted something too heavy and I felt a strain down there in the exact same place. Now I fear I have busted something. Its in that same area and I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow to see if I might have another rupture. So I'm scared to death.

Hopefully your procedure and aftermath went well and still no complications. My surgery changed my life forever with the development of Crohn's. I should have joined that class action lawsuit against the mesh, but I really had no idea about it back then. I certainly hope technology has improved since 15 years ago.
 

snowman 1234

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Have had three inguinal hernia repairs . First one I was off work 6 weeks , five of them in a lot of pain . It broke open a year later, back to the local hospital to try again . More successful so far , but off work another six weeks . As luck would have it , the other side developed a hernia a few years later . I was talking to a sales rep , he told me he had other clients who had gone to Shouldice Hospital - good , fast recovery . I made my way to Toronto mid December , saw the doctors and was booked for early April the next year . I was instructed to be at a specific weight - meant I had 4 months to drop 20 pounds . When I went to my room , the guy across the hall said he had had a double hernia repair - 2 surgeries in 2 days . He was walking like nothing had happened . I could not believe it . My surgery was done with local freezing and some valium . Next day we were required to go to the cafeteria for breakfast , then show up for exercise class at 10:00 , and to keep mobile during the day . Two days later I was discharged , train back home . I was back at work full time 2 days later
 

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Any scarring from the surgery? How much do they shave for the surgery?
It's been a few years, but I think they shaved my pubes completely on the side that was being repaired each time. Minimal scarring. The first surgery left me with maybe a 3/4"-1" long scar that has healed completely. The second one was a few years later and I think laparoscopic surgery was more advanced. That one left two small puncture type scars, which have also faded completely.
 

LargeUnit

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I had a hernia mesh surgery 3 days ago and I am still in pain every time that I move. And my balls have swollen to the size of a grapefruit! Hoping that things improve over the next few days.

This is more like the experience. I had 2 small ones repaired 2 years ago and anyone that says you’ll be done in a day or two is wrong.
You will be sore as F*ck and just moving will hurt for several days. It was about a solid month before I was moving freely but still didn’t lift much.
Take it easy and be patient - but don’t think it’s just a day or two.
 

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Good luck for Friday. Hope yours is as straightforward as mine was. For me it’s now nine months on. The scar isn’t really visible. A lot is beneath pubic hair, and anyway it is is really just a faint line going with the crease of the body. It’s quite possible not to notice it.
Thanks!! I'll share how it goes when it's done
 

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Mine was 20 years ago. It went fine. I still have to watch about lifting but it has not re occurred... Even though I thought it had several times. When I woke up they had shaved me... I have no idea how "Richard" behaved...
 

Jason

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Mine was 20 years ago. It went fine. I still have to watch about lifting but it has not re occurred... Even though I thought it had several times. When I woke up they had shaved me... I have no idea how "Richard" behaved...

I’ve been very careful about not lifting things. I suspect I could have done a lot more than I did in the early weeks, and probably could do lots more now. However I don’t want either the same hernia to go again or one on the other side, where there is presumably a comparable weakness.

Yes being shaved was part of the process and re-growth took a while. A patch shaved on my thigh (for attaching an earth cable because they used electric tools to “stitch” me up) took ages to regrow and looked really weird.
 

Long Arm of the Law

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Happy to share a very good experience I had getting double inguinal surgery last summer. About six months prior, I noticed an imbalance where the left side of the pelvic area stuck out a bit further than the right. Figured it was a hernia and from what I read, if you take care of it right away it's no problem. I went in for the exam and was surprised when my doctor said you actually have TWO hernias, one on each side. She then told me that I probably had both of them since birth and one of them just enlarged enough so that it was noticeable.

Ok, fast forwarding to the good part now. First off, they did the surgery using the da Vinci surgical robot, which was really amazing. They did the entire surgery with only three tiny dot-sized incisions on my lower stomach area that I can't even see anymore after a year. Zero stitches--nada. They just glued the skin on the three spots where they went in with the robot and I behaved myself for 10 days and didn't pick at anything. I ended up with essentially zero scars, so that's amazing right there.

I was very surprised to learn that I had two rather large fatty lipomas around the spermatic cords on either side, so when they did the hernia repair they sucked out those two lipomas at the same time. I'm an athletic guy and was in good shape but I was SHOCKED to discover that when they sucked out those two lipomas, it made my lower pelvic region noticeably slimmer and---wait for it---the surprise I never imagined--my BPEL increased by 3/8" of an inch as a result of the removal of that fat there that I didn't really even know I had. So here I am in in my 40's and my dick truly, permanently gained another 3/8" in length as a result of the hernia surgery!