Pain in old Inguinal Hernia repair.

Digestive health
1

Hi everybody.

I had a right Inguinal Hernia repair done in September 2009 with open incision and mesh.

It was a success, and after three months recovery i went back to work and had no problems.

However, in February 2014, when lifting something heavy onto my shoulder at work, i pulled, or strained, and damaged something in the repair area.

Ever since, i have had a bit of pain and discomfort there, with a deep kind of ache, and also some sharp pains near the surface against what i suppose is the pubic bone. I had two ultrasound scans....the first one showed some dilation, but the one i had at the end of last year didn't show up anything, and the radiographer said the repair was fine.

However the problem persists, so i'll have to go back to my GP.

Has anyone else ever had a similar problem, and what was the outcome? Does it settle down through time? or is surgery required again?

Cheers.....Callum.

2

Hi Callum an ultrasound is a bit of a waste of time as it won't show the mesh at all only if the hernia had come back or like you said fluid, I have had problems with mine since the day I had it done so had cut scans, ultra sounds and Mri scans, it was only when I met a new doctor this month he sent me for a mri with a buscopan contract die which is injected into the leg that they found my problems as this mri and dye shows everything up including possible pulled muscles so try get your gp to refer you for that.

3

Thanks for that Adam. I'll bear that in mind and see what my GP says.

4

Just a wee update on my problem.

I seen a very experienced GP at my local Group Prcatice this week. After an examination, he told me i had a well healed hernia (well two actually after my recent op for an inguinal hernia on the other side). He said it was most likely a pulled muscle problem, with maybe some nerve ending pain as well. He also said no surgeon would go back in there and risk damaging a good repair. Even, he said, if they could actually pinpoint where exactly the problem was! 

He reckoned no scan, MRI, or otherwise, would tell us any more.

So, basically, it's a case of grin and bear it, and hope the discomfort subsides eventually. 

I'll just have to see how it goes in the next while.

Callum.

5

Hi Callum 2 years on a pulled muscle won't still be causing you pain, where in the Uk are you as I would recommend Sunil Anwar based in Huddersfield. Might be worth seeing a sports Physio too

6

Hi Adam, i'm in the Western Isles of Scotland, so a bit far from Huddersfield i'm afraid.

7

Hi Adam,

What does Sunil Anwar specialise in? Did he help your problem? And, yes, maybe a sports physio might be worth thinking about.

8

Hi Callum sorry for late reply, he specialises in gastro intestinal surgery and hernia repair, he's on with solving it now seeing him again in 2 weeks to discuss what he's found from some European surgery board as to best action plan, so he's very proactive

9

Hi Adam.

I hope he manages to solve your problem.

I take it that the MRI scan with the buscopan contrast dye is good for showing up tears and tissue damge in the body? They must get more detail than an ordinary MRI?

10

Hi yes it shows up everything in fine detail, I got a copy of my scan on cd and you can see each individual muscle fibre as the scans that in depth, def worth having if your at all worried