inguinal hernia

[God's oddment]

How's your recovery going Stustod?
Hope you're nearly mended or better still, mended.
One of the things you didn't blog was the constipation - be warned anyone, the last thing you want is problems passing anything but it's a side effect of the Ibuprofen you dose up on. I won't dwell too much on this but on the fifth day I passed something with the density of a canonball. Horror and relief in equal measure.
Don't know what advice I could give to avoid this; my diet was all the sensible stuff and I came off the painkillers (Ibuprofen and Paracetemol as directed) as quickly as I could - looks like it's just a right of passage! I did read that you could start on the milk of magnesia straight after the op but I don't think that's from a medical source.
I'm in my third week of recovering and its tough not to overdo it although plenty of movement is encouraged. I still have a niggling ache at the incision site which comes and goes.
Tip; buy a long handled shower brush, now don't know why I haven't all my life.

Maybe see you in a fell race sometime this year Stustod, and we can compare scars - all being well.

[stustod]

How's your recovery going Stustod?
Hope you're nearly mended or better still, mended.
One of the things you didn't blog was the constipation - be warned anyone, the last thing you want is problems passing anything but it's a side effect of the Ibuprofen you dose up on. I won't dwell too much on this but on the fifth day I passed something with the density of a canonball. Horror and relief in equal measure.
Don't know what advice I could give to avoid this; my diet was all the sensible stuff and I came off the painkillers (Ibuprofen and Paracetemol as directed) as quickly as I could - looks like it's just a right of passage! I did read that you could start on the milk of magnesia straight after the op but I don't think that's from a medical source.
I'm in my third week of recovering and its tough not to overdo it although plenty of movement is encouraged. I still have a niggling ache at the incision site which comes and goes.
Tip; buy a long handled shower brush, now don't know why I haven't all my life.

Maybe see you in a fell race sometime this year Stustod, and we can compare scars - all being well.

haha I never went for 3 days and then it took me another 3 days to get into position :-))
Im pleased things are going well for you - its been 8 weeks now for me now and I did the Nine standards fell race yesterday.
Good luck on the recovery. Look forward to seeing you on the start line soon :-)

[No vice]

8 weeks to racing? I feel better now. I've had weird pains in my gut pull me up on races and runs for the last couple of years. The worst was 18 months ago at the White Peak Marathon. I went out too fast and when I had to stop at 18 miles due to my stomach feeling like one solid lump crashing round in my pelvis... I put it down to a general title of 'blowing up'.
So nearly 2 weeks ago I went along to a club speed session and set off for the warm up with "This isn't good, starting with a stitch". Soon realised it wasn't the right place for one and crashed out half way through.
A week later it still ached. I googled.
Figured I was adding 2 and 2 to get 5, but decided a visit to the docs was in order. I criticise relatives for putting off going to the docs, so I didn't want to appear a hypocrite.
Anyway, the Doc reckons my 2&2 got 4.
I thought it was the right hand side of my groin, but she reckons there's signs in the left too. Got to say, after a weekend analysing the aches, I have to agree. She said she was going to refer me and I'd get a letter in a week or 2 to arrange for an ultrasound to confirm.
That was Friday. Todays Tuesday. I've just confirmed the ultrasound appointment - next Monday
Impressed with the speed, I'm just hoping everything doesn't grind to a halt afterwards?
What's peoples experience with how quick surgery is arranged? (NHS)
Never had an op and not looking forward to post op discomfort. But I'm not great at waiting and just want to get this over and done with ASAP

[RaceTheSweeper]

Investigative appointments are getting quicker. MrRTS went for an appointment at the fracture clinic on a tuesday and was referred for an MRI. He got a call that afternoon to go 5 days later on a Sunday :-). Don't worry too much as the post op pain relief for inguinal hernia is pretty good. Don't be a hero though and refuse to take pain relief home as really there is no need for sever pain post op if it's managed well.
Good luck and get well soon :-)

[No vice]

No way I'll be a hero. Medication was invented for a reason. Got a cupboard full of paracetamol, ibuprofen, codeine and diclofenac.... although from what I've read, the little 'uns bottle of lactulose may end up being my best friend

[JonG]

I've had both sides done seperately (inguinal hernias, general anaesthetic) and had to wait about a month for the latest one which was a few years ago. Couldn't move much for a week after, then it got better quickly, walking in the lakes after 2 weeks, jogging after 3 weeks.
Took my Dads advice and ate very high fibre diet like prunes on weetabix after the op, definitely helped everything pass more smoothly!

[Yosemite Sam]

Gents - the wife is a surgeon, she does hernia repairs (though she prefers transplants). I'll ask her to share some definitive answers upon her return from "the office".
cheers
Yos

[Mossdog]

Having started this thread I've been a bit embarrassed to update, but it's a story of the perils of self-diagnosis - so here goes.

To cut a long story short (sorry no surgery puns intended) when I eventually went to my GP, she diagnosed severely swollen lymph nodes in my right inguinal crease. Caused (I think) by a swollen big toe which I had contracted several weeks earlier (sheep pooh and peat entering my inov-8s??), did nothing about because 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' right? (wrong!) and I had mistakenly (and stupidly) thought I'd beaten after it 'went away'. Two courses of very heavy antibiotics sorted it eventually. You live (sometimes) and learn. Apologies for all those who had the real thing and I wish you well.

[God's oddment]

8 weeks to racing? I feel better now. I've had weird pains in my gut pull me up on races and runs for the last couple of years. The worst was 18 months ago at the White Peak Marathon. I went out too fast and when I had to stop at 18 miles due to my stomach feeling like one solid lump crashing round in my pelvis... I put it down to a general title of 'blowing up'.
So nearly 2 weeks ago I went along to a club speed session and set off for the warm up with "This isn't good, starting with a stitch". Soon realised it wasn't the right place for one and crashed out half way through.
A week later it still ached. I googled.
Figured I was adding 2 and 2 to get 5, but decided a visit to the docs was in order. I criticise relatives for putting off going to the docs, so I didn't want to appear a hypocrite.
Anyway, the Doc reckons my 2&2 got 4.
I thought it was the right hand side of my groin, but she reckons there's signs in the left too. Got to say, after a weekend analysing the aches, I have to agree. She said she was going to refer me and I'd get a letter in a week or 2 to arrange for an ultrasound to confirm.
That was Friday. Todays Tuesday. I've just confirmed the ultrasound appointment - next Monday
Impressed with the speed, I'm just hoping everything doesn't grind to a halt afterwards?
What's peoples experience with how quick surgery is arranged? (NHS)
Never had an op and not looking forward to post op discomfort. But I'm not great at waiting and just want to get this over and done with ASAP

How'd it go NoVice:thumbup:

[No vice]

How'd it go NoVice:thumbup:

Comedy of errors?
The scan went OK. Couldn't find anything in the area where the main initial pain was, but in the second area found a 'defect where omentum* was seen to flow" (*belly fat) So the Doc referred me to Hospital to see a surgeon.
I got the appointment, sat infront of a surgeon and 2 interns who looked at my notes and said "Oh, you've had a scan.. Where's the results?" They couldn't do anything without a scan. So she said she'd see me in a month and in the meantime organise an urgent scan.
The urgent scan. It took two weeks for the letter to arrive. Got home at teatime to find I'd an appointment the next day at 9:30!
Phoned my boss and OK'd it
Turned up and then had a snotty senior radiologist (?) who was most put out that he was being asked to carry out a scan when I'd already had one done. He kept asking me "Why am I being asked to do this scan?" I kept schtum, but felt like saying "piss poor hospital administration?"
Anyway, this guy couldn't find anything.
Seeing as I've now had 2 scans that say different things I wanted to make sure the surgeon had both scans.... thats fun
GPs secretary says Surgeon has to request them
Surgeons secretary says Surgeon has to request them
So I say, can you ask the surgeon to request them.
"No, if the surgeon wanted them, he'd have requested them"
"But the surgeon was looking through the notes and asking where they were"
"You'll have to mention it at your appointment"
?? so I have to have another appointment, another month down the line??
That bits solved (hopefully) as I got back onto my GP and they've printed it out for me. That way at my next appointment, when they say their scan didn't find anything I can hand it over and say "it doesn't heal by itself and this was available in February!"
Anyway final bit for now....
Remember that bit where I was told "We'll see you in a month"?
That was 22/2
I finally got a letter for my next appointment. I received it 26/3
Told me my appointments 29/4
.
Since this started I've run an average of once a week, generally 1-2 miles. My boys are outpacing me....
I've done 1 parkrun, gently - and paid for it
Last week the car was out of action, so I cycled to work. Last year I could do it 4 times a week, 30 mile round trip. This time 1 day, 1 week. I walked part of the return. I got home and crashed.
Effects are with me 2 days later.
.
REALLY need to get this sorted!