I'm ruptured! What now?

August 20, 2009 8:24 AM

What should I ask my doctor about my hernia operation?

I know you are not my doctor.

I had a laparoscopic hernia operation to repair bilateral inguinal hernias June 11.

I have not been a good patient since then. I lifted my baby girl (20 lb or 10 kg) two weeks after the operation. I got checked, and was told I was okay, but might have strained my spermatic cord. My doctor told me this might have been what made me come in in the first place.

Here's my problem: Two weeks ago, I was feeling pretty good, and did some PT with my guard unit. A lot of abs and so forth. After that, my junk did not feel good. I worry that I might have blown all the progress I made healing up from the operation, or worse.

My question: What can I ask the doctor to do to see if I'm okay or not? Last visit, they said I could get an ultrasound. Will this tell them if I've blown it or not? If I've blown it, then what?

posted by atchafalaya to health & fitness (5 comments total)

I've blown out a bilateral laproscopic hernia repair with mesh, it was pretty obvious when I did it, I could feel the hernia sticking out again and when i did the valsalva manuever it protruded any more. No ultrasound was used to diagnose my blow out, just palpation.
posted by zentrification at 8:39 AM on August 20, 2009

Just be honest with your surgeon or doctor about what you have been doing. Honesty is the best policy.
posted by FergieBelle at 9:47 AM on August 20, 2009

Zentrification, could you get it repaired again?
posted by atchafalaya at 9:58 AM on August 20, 2009

oh of course, i had a second repair a few months after i confirmed i blew it out, they went in laproscopically but had to switch to an open repair to put mesh on the other side of my abdominal wall, the recovery was more painful the second time, but since then i've done much heavy squatting and lifting without any pain after the recovery period.
posted by zentrification at 10:10 AM on August 20, 2009

My mother had an inguinal hernia repaired in '07, and is going in for a second repair tomorrow.

She didn't take time to properly recover and went to physical therapy (for a separate issue) and other activities too soon. Be honest with your doctors and be prepared for another repair, after which you need to be extremely diligent about aftercare.
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:28 AM on August 20, 2009