Post hernia surgery complications

SarahBeth

SarahBeth

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So my friends if you or your loved ones have experienced this let me know what the doctor did to fix it.
My husband had a inguinal hernia mesh repair done almost a year ago. He says he occasionally is a little tender but he gets stabbing pains. I've been next to him and seen him stop dead in his tracks doubling over with a stabbing pain in the surgical area. He went to the dr and he said it's either a scar tissue issue or a nerve issue. So he referred him to a pain clinic.
He went yesterday. He said this pain dr wants to sedate him and give him a shot in the surgical area. His description was vague and he had no idea what kind of sedation they wanted to do. Ok so yeah I now have 49 questions. While there are surgeries done all the time sedation does have it's risks though rare so what is the purpose of sedation when this isn't a surgical procedure. It also sounded like he was describing a shot that was an anti inflammatory as well as something for the nerve. If that nerve is being pinched by scar tissue or the mesh how is this shot not just a temporary help or an actual fix. I'd hate for him to go through all this and have this happen again in a few months and have a bill for something that wasn't what he needed to fix the problem. So yes I put in a call to the dr office and am waiting for them to call back.
 
Well they called back really quick. So I'll give you the gist. The sedation is a painkiller that very strong with a sedative that allows the patient to be relaxed yet conscious. They use an ultrasound to guide them to where they need to give the shot that is a nerve blocker and anti-inflammatory. I still question that if the ultrasound can show where to give the shot why can't it show them whether the nerve pinched requires a different procedure. After all if that nerve is being squished between the scar tissue and the mesh a nerve block isn't a permanent fix. Ultrasound technology has become very advanced as evidenced in some of the inutero pictures of babies I've seen. I'm going to do some more investigating.
 
My husband also had hernia surgery (I was 6 months pregnant with our first child! ...and the idiot nurses left me alone with him to "dress him" and he was completely unconcious. I finally screamed for help and they were like "oh, we didn't know you were pregnant"...great, thanks for thinking I was just fat.)
anyways..back to YOUR husband's story lol... I think it's normal. My husband had pain for about a year or so off and on, and as time goes on, he has less and less instances where he says "huh, my hernia spot hurts again"... that was about 9 years ago. :) Hopefully the therapy that your husband is getting with the shot will help.
praying for you and him!
 
Hi SarahBeth......here's my two cents......I had hernia surgery 2 years ago to the day almost. After 2 years, the area still feels pain, pulling and at times feels like it is going to pop again. Having said that, I also think that my mesh needs repairing. I also have a friend who told me that the area where he had his surgery still feels pain now and then and this is 3 years after the fact. So, I do think that pain after a hernia operation is normal. Always good to get a second opinion, like Poirot says. Yikes, I've been needing to get in to see a doctor anyways, cause I think I have one on the other side. It feels just like the lead up to when I had my first one.
 
So sorry to hear about your husband's problem. I would like to offer my opinion if I may.
Unfortunately, this type of situation is one of the Most difficult to handle as far as questioning the doctor goes, because there may be more than one answer.

The injection should reduce the pain since it is a focal application. The anti-inflammatory is used to reduce the inflammation in the nerve and surrounding tissues, and this may be sufficient to effect a long term reduction in his pain by reducing the focal edema and allowing movement in the area without trapping the nerve in the restricted tissue.

This procedure is probably the least invasive choice that would still be effective. It should also give the doc a chance to see what is happening at the surgical site.

Addressing scar tissue is a catch 22. If they go in to release adhesions, more scar tissue develops from the new surgery. Unless there is a significant risk from adhesions, such as bowel obstruction, the docs prefer to use less invasive methods.

If you are concerned about the procedure that was done for the repair, you may consider talking to the referring physician if he is hubby's regular doc and you all are comfortable talking to him. If you like the doc who did the surgery, you can request an appointment for another face to face discussion about it. You may also choose to have a second opinion from another surgeon.

The Most important thing is to keep asking questions until you are satisfied with the information you receive, no matter how many people you have to ask. It is perfectly ok to ask to speak to the doctor directly; second hand information relayed through someone else may not ease your mind.

Also, be careful not to scare yourselves with info from the net. Every person's case is different, and there is no need to add more worries to what you all have already.

Good luck with everything. Please keep us updated as to progress.
 
Get a second opinion, and find out what kind of mesh was used. There is some sort of class action suit right now that has something to do with surgical mesh. I've been seeing commercials, but not really paying attention to them as they do not pertain to me or anyone I know.
 
Katt I believe the class action law suit was on a transvaginal mesh that ended up with a high failure rate. I put in a call to the orthopedic clinic that we go to for a recommendation as to where to take my husband. They saved my daughters ankles from surgery that a local doctor wanted to do and his diagnosis was incorrect. We were referred to them by her teacher who shattered his foot in 20 places and saw the states leading orthopedic surgeon. So I respect any recommendation they can give us.
 
Well I think we need to go to another consultation before we decide and we found out that we are going to go through a major life change as well. My hubby's current position at work is ending at the end of June. There's a very slim possibility that he may be placed in another position. Whether that happens or not we live in a small town and need to relocate. We put our house on the market on Thursday and are going to look at an offer tonight (it's supposed to be a good offer). So we could be moving in as little as a month. Then again if the offer doesn't work out who knows how long it will take to sale the house. One thing we do have in our favor is a really good realtor. So I am trying not to be a nervous wreck since I feel like we have been through much harder times than these. So big changes are ahead.
 
Wishing all the best, Sara Beth. You are truly lucky to get a good offer so quickly, with housing market sales the way they have been.
 
Good luck with everything Sara Beth. Sometimes changes in life come all at once.
 
Best of Luck to all of you. Change can be scary but embrace it full on and don't sweat the small stuff.
 
Hang in there SarahBeth. It sounds like the next few months are gonna be crazy hectic. Enjoy whatever down time you get. And, as others have said, don't sweat the small stuff.
 
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