Another Hernia Thread
 

Hi guys and gals. I'v been coming here reading for a little while and decided I'd join.

I know this is a heck of a first post! I'm having double hernia surgery Monday the 7th and have been extremely nervous about it. I've never had any type of surgery before other than oral (wisdom teeth).

I have read about others here that have had it done it it has been comforting to read about others expierences.

Hopefully after this is done I can come here and discuss cars! Thanks!

Brian

I'd like to give a BIG thanks to Targa911S for the time and advice. I would also appreciate any other feedback, what not to do from any others. Thanks!

Welcome and good luck on the surgery!

Did you get the hernia from laughing as you read all the crazy shlt on PP?? :D

Pic's????

What type of hernia?
I had a double inguinal hernia repaired a few years ago.
It was painful. Take the meds they give you until you don't need them anymore.
Metamucil is your friend and so are stool softeners.
Keep your feet up for a few days, lots of rest. Very short walks to keep mobile.
Good luck with it!

I have had 2 hernia surgeries. The pain meds they gave me were worthless. Vodka was the only thing that took the pain away. The meds make you stupid, but don't relieve the pain. Good luck.

we talk about cars here?

Good luck Brian!

I've actually enjoyed reading some of the post on this site! I probably got them from doing the type of work I do although according to my online research some of us are born with them, 27% males will experience one eventually which is crazy.

Yeah, its a double inguinal hernia. Thanks for the advice. I'm not looking forward to it has to be done. I just hope I'm able to walk good enough to do some estimates in a week or so after its done. Thanks!

I'm planning on looking for a Porsche after this is said and done. David, thanks again for answering all those questions for me. For any of you who have already gone through this, you know how stressful it can be.

I had a single inguinal done, laprascopic, with mesh.

Was almost no pain at all during any of it. Took a Vicodin or two the first day, but could have gone without. I was on my feet the next day.

The only regret I had is I didn't think of the "while you're in there" stuff. Apparently a vasec could have easily been done at the same time.

Their doing mine with the open (non-lap) mesh technique both right and left side. I know I'm going to be sore I just hope its not unbearable.

Well guys, I just got home from surgery. I just wanted to thank everybody for thier input and support.

Enjoy the local anesthetic that the surgeon (presumably) injected around the incision while it lasts and take it easy after that (you may not have much choice in the latter). Good to have it over with!!

Do the drugs!
Sooner than later.
Hope it went well.

Thanks guys. It seemed to go well. I have 2 incisions, one on both sides. I didn't get GA, they did it under local and MAC sedation so I recovered pretty quickly.

Its hard to get up and down though, thank goodness for my wife. I will take the pills. I don't want to hurt any worse than I have to.

Looking forward to getting pass this so I can focus on car shopping!

Brian

I'd suggest plenty of yogurt to replenish the beneficial bacterium which breaks down the materials in the G.I. This gets killed off by antibiotics.

If nothing else it'll be easy to eat. The off-brands and/or greek yogurts seem to work better.

Work on perfecting your roll on/roll off technique for getting on & off the bed.

Well, Brian is off the sleep for now. Tomorrow is when the rubber meets the road. After the first one I knew to get up the next morning and chase the Vicodin down with Jack.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sBL--z_e9C...ck+daniels.jpg

No sleep here, just the ocassional dose in between percocets.

Milt, I don't think I could handle any Jack right now, LOL!

How about this morning. ;) :D

Yeah ... hey how ya doin'

Thanks for asking guys! Still not ready for Jack yet Milt! I seem to be doing fine. Pain has been manageable with the pills, so far.

My wife is helping me get off and on the couch as needed, this is when I feel the most pain. I'm trying to take it easy but still get up and walk every so often. I'm taking Targa911s advice and am using a stick while walking for stability.

I'm just really glad the surgery part is over, now focusing on healing!

Sounds just about right in my experience. Maybe it was that rectal surgery where the Jack came in handy. ;)

You can use the stick to get up and down from the sofa/chair/bed too if your wife is not around. Sounds like you are right where you should be. Keep us informed.

I had the left side done in January 1992. Went to the hospital, in surgery at 7 AM. Woke up at 11AM with the WORST hangover I've ever felt! General anesthesia. My dad took me home, and he said that I looked like "death warmed over". I slept three hours on the couch, and then woke up and felt fine. Later that night, my high-school friend Matt called and asked if I wanted to go to a hot house party that was going on; 30 minutes later I was sitting in his Mustang! It never hurt.

One week later I peeled to bandage back to see what the stitches looked like....and discovered that my stomach was stapled back together! Urk! Oh well, it worked and you can barely see the scar. They wanted to do the other side, but since it didn't hurt [the only reason I had the left side done was that American airlines wouldn't hire me for their Eagle division with the hernia.], I left it alone.

They've got the surgery down pat, but they need to find better chemicals to knock you out- I felt like CRAP when I woke up!

N

Yeah, Normy thats why I opted for IV Sedation (MAC) and local. I didn't want to deal with that on top of this!

Everythings appears to be fine other than the Milk Of Mag. hasn't kicked in yet. The nurse told me to take ONLY 1 dose a day. I'm hoping it kicks in today or tomorrow...

They had me on a mobile bed, and put an IV in my arm; a moment later the nurse inserted a hypodermic needle into a fitting on the IV, and then she asked me to talk backwards from 10; I was puzzled; Why do you want me to do this....then I went to sleep. I think I made it to 6...

I told them that I wanted them to tell me what they were doing. They probably hear this all the time, they never do it. I really wanted to see the whole process, and the doctor told me that it wasn't possible to do the surgery with a local anesthetic. I really wanted to see my intestines!

Am I a "gear head" or what?

N!

IMHO the "Cadillac" anesthetic for hernia repair is an epidural injection (or w/ catheter placement if timing is a concern) performed in a side-lying position. Lots of upside, little risk when done well. Being thin or close to ideal weight helps but not mandatory. It takes a little time and planning but a VERY nice sole anesthetic for inguinal (or umbilical if need be) hernia repair. Lots of folks decline epidural injection because their back has been declared sacred by some half-informed thespian. Hate that...especially when it could save everyone a lot of trouble.

I just wanted to update everyone. I'm feeling almost normal again. I'm only a little over 2 weeks out but the healing process hasn't been as bad as I feared. I'm still taking it easy for the next 6 weeks.

Considering about 3 out of 10 of us males will have to deal with a hernia at some point in time, my advice is if you have one (or two like I did) research find an experienced surgeon and get it taken care of ASAP. Don't wait until its a medical emergency.

And lastly, don't read up to much on it. This was a mistake I made prior to surgery. I stressed a lot more than I should have. The majority of information online is negative. Considering that theres around 900,000 hernia repairs in the US annually and hundreds of negative reviews shows that the majority of outcomes are positive but just not posted. An experienced surgeon can do this surgery with his/her eyes closed.

Thanks again to everyone who was there for me through my little ordeal! I really appreciate it!

Now I can start focusing more on Porsche and BMW!

Over and out!