Inguinal hernia surgery

[vicente solano]

Anyone there had to undergo this surgery? How did you fare? What was the epidural anesthesia like?Did it hurt? The post-op? The recovery?
I´m quite frightened....again.

 

[REWahoo]

Anyone there had to undergo this surgery? How did you fare? What was the epidural anesthesia like?Did it hurt? The post-op? The recovery?
I´m quite frightened....again.

I've had the experience. I was 24 at the time and it was a piece of cake. I was wearing a g-suit and flying again within 3 weeks.

 

[Automatika]

I had a double hernia about two years ago, back at work in about 4 days and nearly normal after 6 weeks. The drugs helped...

The anesthesia was strange... out like a light, back in like a light... no hangover of any kind.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I had this done in my early 20's too. Too much weightlifting. I remember the night before surgery I had every resident in the hospital stick their fingers in that area all hours of the night so I didn't get much sleep. I had it done the old fashioned way, so my scars are about 3 - 3 1/2" on each side. Now I hear the incisions are very small using a scope. I wasn't allowed to drive a car for two weeks and I worked over 20 miles away, so public transportation during recovery was not fun. I couldn't stand up straight for over a week too and I didn't have a cane and could've used one at the time.

 

[rescueme]

I had Inguinal hernia surgery (not the hiatal hernia, which I understand is not as painful) about 10-12 years ago via scope.

As far as surgery, I remember nothing from the time; the drugs worked well ..

While I'm sure everybody's post-op experience is different I did have a lot of pain which required me to walk with a small pillow pushing in at the surgery site to try to relieve the pain (beyond the drugs), while walking bent over like an old man.

I remember sleeping upright in a lounge chair for at least three nights.

I do remember that I was back to wo*k in a week.

Since that time I've had no further problems. If I put my finger in the groin area of the surgery, I can still feel the "canvas patch" but no reoccurrence nor shifting to worry about.

It's one of those things that are a pain while you're going through it, but within a few weeks, you will (assuming you have the same results as me) just forget about it.

Good luck...

 

[Alan]

5 years back in England, at age 80, my Dad had surgery for a quite large inguinal hernia. It included putting in place a "net" to prevent re-occurrence.

It was done with an epidural and although he was incredibly worried about it all, there were no problems. He said he was asked by the nurse what type of music he likes (he chose 50's popular) and then chatted with the nurse and listened to the music throughout the entire procedure. He was a real character so I can just imagine what the poor nurse had to put up with his jokes.

You'll be just fine Vicente, just relax and let it all hang out (for the Doc to put back in of course)


PS
I used the past tense as my Dad has since passed - at age 84 - nothing to with hernias

 

[Eyerishgold]

I just had double hernia surgery on 9-23, which was a Thursday. I was back at w*rk on Monday with only mild pain. Now, after a week and a day, I'm almost 100%. It only hurts when I sneeze hard or bend in certain ways but the pain is minimal. The drugs definitely helped for the first few days but today I took only 2 ibuprofen in the morning as a precaution but I've been fine all day.

I was a little nervous about the anesthesia but I was only under for around an hour. I was in the recovery room for about 90 minutes after the surgery then was moved to a secondary recovery room where my wife could visit me for another 30-45 minutes. After that, I was home and resting.

So, all in all, I'm glad I got the hernias fixed. I expect to be 100% in the next week or so.

 

[samclem]

Yep, I had an inguinal hernia fixed when I was 22. It was done the old fashioned way (not laproscopically) and under general anesthesia. I needed to get it fixed before I could pass a flight physical. Just some tenderness afterward, but nothing I'd call pain. Never any problems since then, and it's been 26 years.

One unusual thing pre-op. In an appointment prior to the surgery, the surgeon did a normal exam to see what was going on. When he was done, I sat on the examining table while he explained what he was going to do in the operation. I had absolutely no fear or conscious apprehension about the surgery, it seemed like a piece of cake. Anyway, right in the middle of his description I got really lightheaded and apparently looked like I was going to pass out, so he had me lie down. The whole thing passed and I was fine in less than a minute. At no time was I fretting about the surgery.

There's a lot of stuff going on in our heads that we're not aware of. Sometimes all that behind-the-scenes processing comes to the surface . . ..

 

[Orchidflower]

Glad this went well for you...good going!

 

[vicente solano]

All your posts are very useful. But what scares me s*******s is the local anesthesia prior to the epidural procedure proper-That nasty looking jab that you get for starters!!
My only info comes from women at childbirth and all of them admitted to having been too scared about giving birth to have paid any mind to the epidural. And with good reason, I´sd say!

 

[bbbamI]

All your posts are very useful. But what scares me s*******s is the local anesthesia prior to the epidural procedure proper-That nasty looking jab that you get for starters!!
My only info comes from women at childbirth and all of them admitted to having been too scared about giving birth to have paid any mind to the epidural. And with good reason, I´sd say!

Vicente...DH had hernia surgery several years ago. He did not feel comfortable with the idea of an epidural and told them he wanted general anesthesia...they did what he wanted.

Everything went very well...

 

[rescueme]

All your posts are very useful. But what scares me s*******s is the local anesthesia prior to the epidural procedure proper-That nasty looking jab that you get for starters!!

I didn't get an epi when I had mine done. They just added the "good stuff" to my IV line (started with just saline during the prep, to my hand/arm).

I walked to the operating room on my own (with the IV pole), laid on the table, and in about 30-seconds I was out. Don't remember a thing...

Unlike others who had no/few effects after the surgery, I was not as fortunate. My opinion (FWIW) is don't worry about the surgery and just hope for the best for the post-op stages. That's what seems to come out as a variation in these discussions...

 

[vicente solano]

Vicente...DH had hernia surgery several years ago. He did not feel comfortable with the idea of an epidural and told them he wanted general anesthesia...they did what he wanted.

Everything went very well...

BBB: I knew I could count on your sympathy I approached the issue with the anesthesist who wasn´t very "approachable", saying that the epidural was SOP, mentioning legal responsbilities/liabilities etc etc. She had the worst bedside manners I´ve ever seen. Arrogant, cold and smug. When I told her i was a lawyer and that I understood her cautions, she more or less said that then I should know better than insist on the general anesthesia. En of discussion.

 

[bbbamI]

BBB: I knew I could count on your sympathy I approached the issue with the anesthesist who wasn´t very "approachable", saying that the epidural was SOP, mentioning legal responsbilities/liabilities etc etc. She had the worst bedside manners I´ve ever seen. Arrogant, cold and smug. When I told her i was a lawyer and that I understood her cautions, she more or less said that then I should know better than insist on the general anesthesia. En of discussion.

Mmmm...well can you not go to someone else? If, not...perhaps I should come to Spain and have a little talk with her...

 

[vicente solano]

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Unlike others who had no/few effects after the surgery, I was not as fortunate. My opinion (FWIW) is don't worry about the surgery and just hope for the best for the post-op stages. That's what seems to come out as a variation in these discussions...

Rescueme:
That´s what the surgeon told me: If I always vomit hours after an operation with genral anesthesia, in this case I could have a lot more pain.

 

[vicente solano]

Mmmm...well can you not go to someone else? If, not...perhaps I should come to Spain and have a little talk with her...

If you do come, don´t forget to pack the Magnum 357. With all the legal paperwork solved beforehand.

 

[bbbamI]

If you do come, don´t forget to pack the Magnum 357. With all the legal paperwork solved beforehand.

......mmm...probably won't need that. She and I might not speak the same language, but she'd get my drift with just the tone of my voice and the look in my eyes...

I know you're afraid...it's only natural. But most times the fear of the unknown is much worse than the actual procedure. You will be just fine...I promise.