The dreaded hernia

The only thing that puzzles me is you guys who are having surgery haven't shared how this came about. I mean, how bad were your symptoms? Did you visit a doctor and he recommended immediate surgery or did some of you decide to go private?

 

I've been searching through Google and there's so much info on hernias I get dizzy. Here are a few random phrases I've paraphrased, some of which I can identify with:

(1)"Doc said it's way too early to have surgery but I may need it someday."
(That's what my doctor told me, in fact.)

(2)"I was also given the option of waiting for the hernias to get worse before I had them taken care of, but then I was told about the off chance of getting a distended intestine."
(Kind of worrying to say the least)

(3)"The doc said, when do you want to go in? (He did say I could ignore it, but my intestines might get twisted, turn black, die off..."

Have you ever noticed how the more you read medical data on the internet, the more some of the posts scare the living shit out of you?

 

When a doctor discovered my hernia, I was totally unaware that I had one. In the six or so weeks between then and the surgery, my symptoms become noticeable; sometimes mildly painful but usually just uncomfortable. Once a day or so, I'd notice a bulge in my lower-stomach/upper-pubic region off to the right side. When it bothered me, I'd lie on my back and actually press the guts back into where they were supposed to be. (I don't mean to freak you out but you may as well know the truth...) They'd pop back in and stay there for a day or two. Like I said, the hernia never really hurt very much but by the date of the surgery it had gotten uncomfortable enough so that I was happy to be getting it over with.

From the outset, the doctor had made it clear that, while it's possible that I'd had the surgery for a long time, he wanted me to have the surgery soon rather than run the risk that I'd need it on an emergency basis.

Hope that information is useful to you. Again, my experience wasn't too bad.

PS: What do you mean by "to go private"?

 

Hi Carrera

Pick the correct web-sites...those run by university medical depts etc. For general health questions there are some US and UK ones which are well-known. Take notice of what doctors say not patients.

That being said, I'm not a doctor, but as a patient I can assure you that the hernia is regarded as the simplest of all operations and the biggest danger is infection. It's very common so chances are your doctor will be an expert and has seen lots of patients with hernias.

If you want to get on the wrong side of consultant when you see him, ask him if he does general operations or specialises in hernias only and what % of his operations are successful.

Again the main danger is infection in particular with non-keyhole surgery and in not giving the hernia suffivcient rest - ie climbing hills/stairs, lifting weights, running for bus.

 

Carrera , I asked about your hernia and told him your symptoms. He said anytime
your hernia gives you symptoms it's a good time to get it fixed. Whether it's slight or major.
I'm five days into it, I can feel it a little and might ride some flats this weekend. By next week I should be ready to go with no wt restrictions. This
oper was easier than I even imagined. He told me the minor herinas were even easier to fix and to have you come on in and see him and he'd fix you up.I didn't tell him where you lived.I live in Seattle .Go for it ! Good luck
993 C2S

 

Thanks. Be sure to take it easy for a time. The last thing you want to do is compromise your recovery by rushing back into sports. Treat yourself to a few days off and ease back very slowly - even cycling can be strenuous.
Did you pay for your op? The thing I may have to be careful of is that private clinics are always more likely to recommend surgery - if not they'd be out of business. I guess if I went to any private clinic in the U.K. they'd offer immediate surgery but it would possibly cost me 4000 or more.
Over here we have an NHS which is free but doctors may be more inclined to put surgery on hold. Whether my own GP has done this for solid reasons or whether he's trying to save himself more hassle I simply don't know. He (and others) have told me surgery isn't always effective for specific types of hernia. Maybe you could share what kind of hernia you youself had. Was it inguinal? Did they knock you out for the op?
One more question. Didn't my doctor get it wrong to advise situps. I just read that you should actually avoid abdominal stress.
I think I'm going to just get a second opinion on my condition and I'd be more inclined to try the keyhole procedure if I get the green light to go ahead.

 

One of the major problems with any operation is infection. Hospitals aren't nearly as clean as they want you to believe.

 

Tell me about it. I once had a cyst on my back. Didn't know I had it till someone pointed it out and I didn't bother over it. One day it got infected so they gave me penicillin. On penicillin it thrived and grew to the size of a small apple. Finally I winded up in hospital and they said I could either go under or be brave and have a local. But they warned the op would hurt under a local although I could go straight home after. So I had a local.
This Scottish nurse gave me some 8 injections into my back - 3 of which had me cussing in pain. She then lanced the cyst and I felt everything. Can't describe how much it hurt but I couldn't let myself appear a wus in front of a pile of nurses.
The scar healed up in time but I'm phobic about surgery. If it sounds to you all like I'm kind of scared about having surgery, you're correct. If I really feel I should just get the surgery done with I'll go for it but I wish there was another option.

 

Carrera
The name of the procedure or surgery was "LAPAROSCPIC INGUINAL REPAIR".
Three little cuts about 1 centimeter long, below your belly button.They do knock you out.The pain is next to nothing when you wake up.Your Right about taking it easy the first week or so.Doc said if I pushed hard too fast my recovery time would be a week longer. I might sneak out for a soft pedal on some flats. He(Doc) said I couldn't hurt anything by riding and or lifting, but to be as good a new give it a rest the first week.
My medical insurance covered the surgery bill. If I had to pay 4000 $ us, I wouldn't be in any hurry to get it fixed I either. I'd buy a new Bike first and suck up the pain as long as I could. And for that your Doctor,I'd get a new Doctor if he said situps are good for a herina instead of fixing it ?
Good Luck
993 Carrera S

 

You may be wise to just give yourself a well-earned break from the bike. This will consolidate the healing. 10 days off will probably do you good and allow you to get over the stresses of surgery. Then you can work back into it.
Yes, the type of surgey you had was the easier type. It's a simple operation. In the old days they used to leave you with more of a scar.
Myself I went out riding and climbing today and I have had no problems on the bike. Even standing I'm O.K. I think, though, that the knowledge I have a hernia has affected me psychologically. What I need to do is get more information and follow medical advice. It may be my hernia is such a mild variant that surgery has simply been dismissed. Or it may be my doctor has other reasons for not packing me off to surgery. He was the same medic who examined my cyst but, on that occasion, he sent me right off to hospital the same day.
Thanks a bunch for taking the trouble to ask for me. It's greatly appreciated. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you'll be riding good as new in the next few days.

 

I've had hernias on both sides of my groin. One popped up after a bout of sneezing and the other when lifting something after the first one was fixed up. Seems it doesn't take a whole lot to create groin hernias.
Both hernias were operated on and some sort of gauze was inserted for the muscle to grow through and strengthen the whole area. Up and moving around the next days with no real problems.
I put up with the pain and discomfort from the first one for months as I'm a contractor and couldn't take the time from work but its not worth it. The operation is not so difficult and its an easy fix although it seems scary. Had a vasectomy while I was under the knife.

cheers

 

What were your symptoms prior to the op? Mine were the occasional rush of pain that went through the right testicle. It could happen all of a sudden and then go off after 5 minutes and would usually affect me when tired or a little run down through work.
I haven't had the symptom for a while as I'm training less intensely but it plays on my mind somewhat.

 

It started off with a sneeze which produced a very unpleasant feeling in the groin and a little bump which was rather painful to touch. Lying down in bed it could easily pe massaged back into place so I ignored it.
In the months that I ignored the problem the hole enlarged and more guts would be forced through the hole. Got bad enough for a sausage of gut to be extending down towards the scrotum area. It could all be easily pushed back in so I was wearing a truss most of the time to hold it in but thats when I decided enough was enough.
Never had your pain though, more of a poping feeling in the groin as the guts would push through the little hole in the muscle and with a bit of massaging, retract back again.
Aparently its very common in males and the hole(s) is a left over from puberty and is where your testicles drop from.

My specialist didn't seem to think that the muscle area could strengthen or repair itself by excersise etc even if I had seen him straight away. Have you seen a doctor about yours?
You can have a big problem if enough gut pushes through and the muscle closes up on it effectively strangling it as that bit can die off...
When I had my first op there was an old guy in hospital who had a stomach hernia which he'd done nothing about for years. It was so bad all his guts had pushed through the muscle and was just under the skin. They couldn't operate on him and he basically lived in the hospital waiting to die.

See you Doc. If its only a tiny hole then its dead easy to fix up, just an overnight in hospital, small incision where they stuff some gauze ito the hole for the muscle to grow through, but once the hole increases in size then it becomes a whole lot harder to reinforce the gap. My first hernia was a sizable hole due to my neglect but it patched up ok with no scaring at all. Both my ops where overnighters and I was up and about the next day.

Don't leave it too long before you see a doctor.

cheers
malcom

 

Ouch!! I'm 10 years on post hurnia surgery. I got mine when I was 19. I had recently started having kidney stones so I confused the pain with another stone for a while. (I get a pain in my side when I'm dehydrated after the kidney stone surgey so I got a bonus!). Anyway, mine never poppped through. It was the sort that slowly worked itself open as I worked in a warehouse doing heavy lifting. The worst part was having that massive cut into such a large mucle. I was a horrible patient post-op. I would parallel the surgery to having your wisdom teeth removed.


c

 

What sort of hernia was that?
Was the surgery performed under a local or general anaeshetic? ypou make it sound like a local

 

I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. I had the groin type. I had an incision from near my waist-line down until about 1 inche above my dugan. I would out completely for the surgery but I'm a light weight when it comes to anasthetic. Seriously though, getting up out of bed, in and out of a car was the WORST part. Now I'm certain having a portion of your digestive system fly through the hole in the muscle wall must hurt bad too

c

 

My symptoms are nothing like as serious. Years ago I was doing cheat barbell curls and just felt a pull in the testicle as I swung the weight. Then I found it would happen every now and again but only on curls. I could do all other exercises O.K. Only recently it began to affect me on squats. I'd get the bar on my shoulders and then feel a pain in the testicle. Once I tried to force my way through (stupidly) and could feel an actual pain right through the testicle area below (like a muscle pull) as I squatted. I decided that to continue would be extremely dangerous so I stopped the exercise that day. The whole problem also coincided with back pain.
The problem I have seems to be some kind of testicular strain and there's no visible lump in the groin. I wonder if my doctor is correct in his diagnosis, though. He asked me to cough and then said I had a slight hernia but, whatever it is, I've had it for years.
I'll have keyhole if I have to choose surgery.

 

My symptoms are nothing like as serious. Years ago I was doing cheat barbell curls and just felt a pull in the testicle as I swung the weight. Then I found it would happen every now and again but only on curls. I could do all other exercises O.K. Only recently it began to affect me on squats. I'd get the bar on my shoulders and then feel a pain in the testicle. Once I tried to force my way through (stupidly) and could feel an actual pain right through the testicle area below (like a muscle pull) as I squatted. I decided that to continue would be extremely dangerous so I stopped the exercise that day. The whole problem also coincided with back pain.
The problem I have seems to be some kind of testicular strain and there's no visible lump in the groin. I wonder if my doctor is correct in his diagnosis, though. He asked me to cough and then said I had a slight hernia but, whatever it is, I've had it for years.
I'll have keyhole if I have to choose surgery.

 

My symptoms are nothing like as serious. Years ago I was doing cheat barbell curls and just felt a pull in the testicle as I swung the weight. Then I found it would happen every now and again but only on curls. I could do all other exercises O.K. Only recently it began to affect me on squats. I'd get the bar on my shoulders and then feel a pain in the testicle. Once I tried to force my way through (stupidly) and could feel an actual pain right through the testicle area below (like a muscle pull) as I squatted. I decided that to continue would be extremely dangerous so I stopped the exercise that day. The whole problem also coincided with back pain.
The problem I have seems to be some kind of testicular strain and there's no visible lump in the groin. I wonder if my doctor is correct in his diagnosis, though. He asked me to cough and then said I had a slight hernia but, whatever it is, I've had it for years.
I'll have keyhole if I have to choose surgery.

 

Progress report:

I totally stopped weight training as I figured it would help my hernia. I found it has worked well. I'm doing more cycling and find this doesn't bother my hernia - not even climbing.
I also have a suspicion that maybe my doctor could have misdiagnosed me. The pain was always more testicular than anything else so I may have simply strained the testicle area lifting weights (if that's possible). I was also having symptoms of getting up in the night to urinate (8 times or more) and this has stopped now I've rested.
I figure I'll leave weights off for some time, focus on the bike and then slowly resume weights in the future (but going lighter than I did).
I think I'm enjoying a change of routine, going out on the bike instead of being in the gym and the hernia seems far better.