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Post-surgery hernias, Anyone else experience this?

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Posted 2/3/2008 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi All:  Things have gone wonderfully for me over the past year.  The surgery and healing went well.  The PSA has been undetectable etc.

But now -- I've got this inguinal hernia going on -- on both sides of my gut.  I was feeling perfect a month ago but now I'm aching like I was the first week after surgery.

My family doc checked me out, confirmed the hernia and said I should see a surgeon if it's aggravating me enough.

I did a bit of Googling and saw that a lot of post-op prostatectomy patients tend to develop these hernias.

Have any of you dealt with this?  Are there exercises you know of that could help me deal with the hernia(s) and avoid another surgery?  Or would exercising create more problems?  Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom

Posted 2/3/2008 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
Interestingly enough, Inguinal hernias are a form of birth defect. you've had them since birth - it's where your testes descended through your abdominal wall into your scrotum shortly before birth. Those openings are supposed to close up. If they don't, they hang around until the day your intestine bulges through. I learned all this cause our son had them - both sides. The doc said he had 85 year old patients coming in with these birth defects. From what I've learned...Swimom can correct me...the surgery stretches the abdominal wall and these holes open up a little bit. There really is nothing that you can do other than wear a truss which simply pushes the intestine back through the hole. I've had friends who had the surgery and it really was no big deal. They do laproscopic and it is not much pain...gee, where have i heard that before? my father had this and lived with it for a while but they just tend to get worse. If the intestine twists, you;re in real trouble. You've got some time, probably, but it might mean an emergency surgery down the line if something happens.
Just what you needed after all this. Sorry....this is the kind of stuff that can drive you nuts.
Paul
Posted 2/3/2008 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Paul:  Thanks for the reply.  My family doc described the testicle drop like you did. 

I'm the only male from the maternal side of my family who did not have a hernia.  My grandfather, uncles cousins and nephews had them but I thought I'd evaded the bullet.

Any opinions out there in terms of fixing these hernias would be appreciated.  I've heard about the screen/mesh thing, but I've heard there are problems associated with that procedure.

Posted 2/3/2008 5:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Tom,

I had hernias on both sides because I had undescended testicles when I was a kid. The did surgery and repaired both sides. I had to wear a truss when I played sports and it was an embarassing thing in the locker room.

Get it fixed. If a gut twists through you will be in trouble. Not fun but it beats the alternative...

Jim
Posted 2/3/2008 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
Pianoman - my husband had a pre-existing hernia going into prostate surgery and our surgeon advised we could get it fixed 8 wks following da Vinci.

Got a truss and made it a few more months before the pain was so unbearable walking was difficult. The hernia surgeon we chose suggested an open because he had to do a "reverse" patch due to scarring from prostate surgery. (Mesh went on top instead of behind, leaving a little "pooch." Doc assured us that patch wasn't going anywhere.) It was a breeze, really, (easy for me to say) by comparison. No stitches, just glue - rode home sitting up and alert, very little pain to speak of, and then no exertion until the next appointment for an all clear.

There were some issues with mesh patches, along with recalls, but I believe that is past. We were pretty adamant about a lap procedure, but 2 different docs said open was the way to go for ease of access and in a lump sum the amount of incision was the same, just all in one area.
Posted 2/3/2008 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the input GreenAcres. Sounds like I'm in your hubby's boat. I'll be setting up an appointment next week with a highly-regarded general surgeon here in Vegas. I'll keep ya posted.

This business of aging sucks....sometimes I feel like a car with about 300 thousand miles on it.
Best to ya and keep on smilin'!
Tom
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