Anyone have hernia surgery?

[Muse]

A friend of mine (who lives 120 miles away) is going to have hernia surgery in 3 days (Tuesday, Feb. 14). He's never had surgery, is 48, and kind of freaked out. He's scared (his words). Someone told him he'd be miserable, basically. He asked his primary care physician if he would be in a lot of pain and the guy just said "I don't know." He asked his surgeon to prescribe him the top pain killer, I have no idea what the outcome of that will be. He lives alone with his two good sized dogs, out in the sticks in Lake County. He knows a lot of people but evidently he's loath to develop the kind of relationships where he can ask for help, and he's leaning on me to drive up and visit him for maybe a day or two, whatever, walk his dogs, maybe do a few chores, bring him a gallon of milk, that kind of thing. I told him I couldn't promise anything. I'm thinking I might.

My sister tells me she thinks he might be unnecessarily fretting over this, and the recovery might not be too tough. His doctor gave him a handout and he tells me he's really mad at himself for even reading it (it made him concerned, something he doesn't like). He's not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10 lb. for at least two weeks, etc. It told him that 17 out of 1000 hernia surgeries have less than satisfactory results, he's worried. I told him that his following instructions and giving the repair every chance to heal optimally had everything to do with his chances of a complete recovery. He says he didn't know this, and he thanked me.

I told him that he might request Percodan (I heard that this is industrial strength pain reliever, but I've never had the stuff, I've had nothing stronger than Vicodin).

There's another thing: he has some kind of benign tumor close to his spine on his back and they are going to fix that at the same time. He's thinking, "shit, I won't be comfortable on my back or my belly, I'm fucked." He's put off doing anything about these things for at least a couple of years because he didn't have insurance. He's managed to line up insurance, Medicaid, I suppose.

Is there anything I can tell him that will help? Of course, I'm curious to know what he's apt to go through. I may drive up and see him a couple of days after his operation (and sleep on his couch), I can't drive up until Thursday because have a commitment on Wednesday. I haven't checked out my car, really, I think it's OK, I don't use it much, I suppose it's up to it, but I'm not certain.

 

[TechAZ]

This is one of the most common surgeries done. He will be in some pain for a week and the 10lb lifting restriction is just to be safe so he doesn't tear open his graft. They are cutting into his abdominal wall so any bending or flexing of the muscle will hurt.

It's not a big deal really, I'm actually kind of surprised that a 48 year old man is worried about this to be honest. Sounds like there are some kind of mental issues going on.

 

[ViperXX]

I had a hernia repaired years ago. The worse part is waking up from the surgery (in pain and confused). The pain is the worst the first couple of days but it's bearable. I found the best position to lay while healing was on my sides.

I had mine done the old way. The doctor made a large incision and then he repaired it with me cut open. The new way is a couple of small incisions and the doctor does it with these tools that go into the incisions and he does the repair with the help of a camera.

Goodluck!

 

[Engineer]

Had two hernias repaired a few years ago. Painful for a few days but they had installed a medical drip that dripped a local at the point of contact of the surgery (dripped for 5 days). That helped a great deal but I did feel it when it ran out 5 days later, lol. Took about 2 weeks to be pain free. Hardest part was getting out of bed or up/down on the toilet, lol!

 

[NFS4]

I had the surgery when I was one year old. I still have the scar (although faint) about 7" below my belly button. Being that I was so young, I don't remember a thing.

 

[disappoint]

I had a hernia repaired years ago. The worse part is waking up from the surgery (in pain and confused). The pain is the worst the first couple of days but it's bearable. I found the best position to lay while healing was on my sides.

I had mine done the old way. The doctor made a large incision and then he repaired it with me cut open. The new way is a couple of small incisions and the doctor does it with these tools that go into the incisions and he does the repair with the help of a camera.

Goodluck!

Laparoscopically

 

[disappoint]

This is one of the most common surgeries done. He will be in some pain for a week and the 10lb lifting restriction is just to be safe so he doesn't tear open his graft. They are cutting into his abdominal wall so any bending or flexing of the muscle will hurt.

It's not a big deal really, I'm actually kind of surprised that a 48 year old man is worried about this to be honest. Sounds like there are some kind of mental issues going on.

I think the medical term for that is wuss.

 

[RKS]

My dad had a couple a long time ago. My youngest son had his at six months. Seeing your kid with a oxygen mask and being put under general anesthetic is rough.

 

[MadScientist]

I had left and right side inguinal hernias repaired at the same time laparoscopically (mesh and staples) 2 years ago.

The surgeon told me before the operation that I was going to be sore and would not like him. He was right. He also asked if I had a recliner. Luckily I do because, like Engineer said, it was painful getting in and out of bed. I slept on the recliner for a week. Took Vicodin for a few days and then only Tylenol.

Expect about 3-4 days of being really sore and pain free after 2-3 weeks.

 

[Slew Foot]

Sounds like he's having two completely different surgeries, one by a general surgeon for the hernia and one by a neuro/ortho for his spine. That actually makes things really complicated for pain control. I can get good pain relief for 24 hours for hernias by doing an abdominal plane block, but if hes going to have surgery on his back its kinda pointless. That and I dont think medicaid pays for regional anesthesia so good luck convincing someone to do a block for him. After a couple days hell be feeling a lot better, truthfully, he does sound like a wuss.

 

[woodie1]

"Anyone have hernia surgery?"

Oh, yes. Never had so much pain in my life. This was back in the day when they made a 5"-6" slit in your belly to do the repair.

 

[Rage187]

Umbilical, had it fixed a couple years ago. Hurt like a bitch the first couple days.

 

[Emrys]

I had a right side inguinal hernia repaired with mesh about 5 years ago. They gave me large ibuprofen tablets and anti-nausea medication to used after the surgery. Unfortunately the anti-nausea medicine made me nauseous which wasn't pleasant. I don't remember the rest of it being that bad after I switched medicine, but I wasn't very active for a few days.

 

[Muse]

This is one of the most common surgeries done. He will be in some pain for a week and the 10lb lifting restriction is just to be safe so he doesn't tear open his graft. They are cutting into his abdominal wall so any bending or flexing of the muscle will hurt.

It's not a big deal really, I'm actually kind of surprised that a 48 year old man is worried about this to be honest. Sounds like there are some kind of mental issues going on.

Oh, he does have issues. He's very smart and talented, but has an edge and that is part of it. His family is quite disfunctional and he gets virtually no emotional support from them. He has a fair number of friends, but he lives pretty far from them right now. He's had very little personal experience with doctors and such, and I've told him that at his age he should rethink his attitudes concerning this. I'll call and tell him that he's likely making too much of this and that he shouldn't expect to go through hell next week. Thanks for the input.

 

[Muse]

I had a hernia repaired years ago. The worse part is waking up from the surgery (in pain and confused). The pain is the worst the first couple of days but it's bearable. I found the best position to lay while healing was on my sides.

I had mine done the old way. The doctor made a large incision and then he repaired it with me cut open. The new way is a couple of small incisions and the doctor does it with these tools that go into the incisions and he does the repair with the help of a camera.

Goodluck!

I did some internet searching this evening and I think what you describe as the new way is what they call laproscopic hernia surgery. They say that this is often done now but by no means always. It's more expensive, for one thing, also there is more potential for problems post-surgery, a variety of problems. Now, this guy is on some kind of welfare, probably Medicaid and they may be reluctant to do a laproscopic procedure, and I don't know if it's even feasible for his condition. I know very little of the details, almost none. I don't know if he knows and in any case, he gets very testy if I ask too many questions. He loves to talk but he hates questions, at least some times.

I figure he'll probably have open surgery. I'm wondering if they are going to apply a mesh. That seems to be a very commonly used technique in hernia surgery these days. Maybe they told him that. When I talk to him, I'll ask him.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Tell him having a baby has a greater probability of complications than hernia surgery and then ask him if you can haz his stuff.

 

[Muse]

Tell him having a baby has a greater probability of complications than hernia surgery and then ask him if you can haz his stuff.

You mean if he dies? Don't want to go there. Anyway, I don't covet his stuff. For instance, I do not want to take care of his dogs if he dies. He has some property, but I suppose that would be his Mom's if he dies.

 

[SandEagle]

no, but i heard its a pain in the ass

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Not to make light of the situation but, he needs to put it in perspective. Has he never known anyone who required surgery that meant a hospital stay or longer than a few days recovery? EVERYONE has concerns at one time or another over health issues. Bottom line, if he's getting too nervous regarding surgery, have him go to the children's ward at the hospital for a visit and then tell him to suck it up.

 

[TechAZ]

I did some internet searching this evening and I think what you describe as the new way is what they call laproscopic hernia surgery. They say that this is often done now but by no means always. It's more expensive, for one thing, also there is more potential for problems post-surgery, a variety of problems. Now, this guy is on some kind of welfare, probably Medicaid and they may be reluctant to do a laproscopic procedure, and I don't know if it's even feasible for his condition. I know very little of the details, almost none. I don't know if he knows and in any case, he gets very testy if I ask too many questions. He loves to talk but he hates questions, at least some times.

I figure he'll probably have open surgery. I'm wondering if they are going to apply a mesh. That seems to be a very commonly used technique in hernia surgery these days. Maybe they told him that. When I talk to him, I'll ask him.

I can't say that I know the stats offhand, but I think going the laparoscopic route is more common than the general route. Quicker healing times, less pain, virtually no scars. 3 very small incisions. Seriously, this is not something that someone should be worried about.

 

[Muse]

Not to make light of the situation but, he needs to put it in perspective. Has he never known anyone who required surgery that meant a hospital stay or longer than a few days recovery? EVERYONE has concerns at one time or another over health issues. Bottom line, if he's getting too nervous regarding surgery, have him go to the children's ward at the hospital for a visit and then tell him to suck it up.

He'll be alright but I figure if there's something I can tell him that would help, I'd like to do that. I think he's probably overly apprehensive, he's unknowing, doesn't have much information. For instance, he said that he didn't know that his chances for a full recovery without subsequent complications depended considerably on his following instructions and not overexerting himself during his recovery. He's smart, but he's got a strong contrarian streak. It's served him well in a lot of ways (doesn't do a lot of the stupid things that he sees others doing), but he's cut off from a lot. For instance, he refuses to get a cell phone (If you visit him, he insists you turn off and put away your cell phone), his computer is in his closet, he refuses to be "online." He'll hide from things, immerse himself in his own concerns, if and when he wants to, and it's virtually his credo. Thus, he's in denial sometimes. However, he'll go to the library and use their computer, check out his facebook page, make updates, check up on stuff. He'll read newspapers, although he doesn't subscribe. He's something of a riddle, TBH. I think there's a bit of the actor in him too, he'll cop an attitude to get a reaction out of you. He can be a hand full, however he's got a lot of energy and he's a very proud guy. He'll be OK, but like I say, if I can tell him something that will help him through this, that's what I want to do. He's pretty nervous right now.

 

[Muse]

I can't say that I know the stats offhand, but I think going the laparoscopic route is more common than the general route. Quicker healing times, less pain, virtually no scars. 3 very small incisions. Seriously, this is not something that someone should be worried about.

He didn't say anything the other day when I last talked to him that hinted that they had told him they were doing it laproscopically. He didn't want to go into detail about what they told him, he was a jumble of mixed and powerful emotions and conflicted. He's not prone to be philosophical and introspective in a situation like this, he's often self indulgent and hard to reason with. He's a welfare case, basically here, so I don't know if they'll go to the expense of a laproscopic procedure. All I know about that is the several sites I visited last night online. I hope they at least use some mesh. That should reduce the recovery difficulties and increase his chances of not having further hernia related problems. I have no idea of the nature of his hernia, just nothing. He didn't characterize it for me, never showed me anything, never described his difficulties other than to say he was unable to do a lot of the things he used to and that he suffered from pain. Like I said, he's very proud and he dislikes dealing with much less talking about negative things in his life. It's who he is. He's an artist, a musician, a blue collar guy.

 

[TheVrolok]

I can't say that I know the stats offhand, but I think going the laparoscopic route is more common than the general route. Quicker healing times, less pain, virtually no scars. 3 very small incisions. Seriously, this is not something that someone should be worried about.

Laparoscopic repair is frequently done for multiple/bilateral hernia repairs; but for single hernias, the vast majority of general surgeons I've spoken to still prefer an open approach.

For your friend, it really depends on his situation. The type/size of hernia, his general health, his body habitus, his personal tolerances, whether the surgeon plans on using mesh or not, etc.

As far as recovery goes, for an uncomplicated case in a generally healthy person it should be no big deal. A few days of pain/discomfort, then no problems. It is absolutely essential to recover properly, though. No lifting means no lifting. He does not want to rush recovery and ruin the repair. Recurrent repairs become more difficult. In terms of pain management, I'm sure his surgeon will be comfortable giving him narcotics. Standard prescription from the surgeons I know is generally 20 Percocet 5/325 (even 10/650s for some people). Should be plenty to take the edge off for a few days.

That said, there can always be risks complications. "There is no such thing as routine surgery." This past week I saw a 51 year old man drop dead (likely PE) on post op day 1 after a ventral hernia repair. All precautions were taken, surgery was standard with no complications. However, this guy was about 400-450 lbs and not in the greatest shape.

Statistically, likely, your friend will be just fine.

 

[Rage187]

I've been put under a half dozen times. It rocks.

The best couple hours of sleep you can get. I totally get how MJ got addicted to it. If I was loaded, I would be put under each night.

So smooooooth. The dr asks you to count backwards and you never make it to 1. Good stuff.

 

[MadScientist]

It will be out-patient surgery if they do it laproscopically. It will most likely be the mesh and titanium staples procedure.

His surgeon should have thoroughly explained the surgical technique he is going to use to your friend, and what to expect after the surgery.