Hernia - what to expect immediately post-OP

[Brad Davis]

Rip,

I know you said no more hernia threads, but I think this one's different enough from the 20-some that I read here. I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with a small inguinal hernia on the right side and had a laparoscopic bilateral mesh operation yesterday. (As a side item, the sports med MD didn't find anything even though he poked me about 3x harder than the general surgeon did. The surgeon said he could barely feel it and then they did an ultrasound to confirm.)

I know you said you were training 11 days out and training normally shortly after that. What were the first few days post-OP like? I'd say my pain is holding at a steady 4 on a 1-to-10 scale and is really horrible for a few seconds if I move suddenly, cough, sneeze, etc. Does this sound about like what you experienced and heard other describe?

Here's a delicate question: how does one go about taking that first dump post-OP? Just do it? I swear I'm afraid to eat anything at this point. Man, I am a wuss. My wife's had three kids by natural childbirth and I'm in bad shape from this?!

Another question: Can you feel the mesh tugging or stinging nowadays? I'm wondering what this is going to be like long term.

[Mark Rippetoe]

My first few days of post-op pain are about as you described. The thing was largely pain free after two weeks, but I could feel little adjustments in what I assumed were adhesions breaking for several months after the surgery.

Ok, here's the deal on the dump. You should have prepared for this pre-op, diet-wise. They should have told you this. But, take heart: the mesh is largely incorporated into the peritoneal wall in three or four days and so there is really no way to destroy the effects of the surgery at this point. If your stools have become flinty there are preparations available for sticking up your ass to de-flintify them.

[Brad Davis]

Thank you very much. I have a follow-up question.

I'm 9 days out now and things are going OK except for maybe one thing that I'd like to hear your take on. I have a triangular area on my lower left abdomen--starts at mid-line at the top of my you-know, goes up about 3" or 4", and then to the left to my thigh--that's numb. If I stand or sit in the same position, sometimes, it feels like it's been rubbed with liniment. After a little while, it's almost intolerable and I have to either walk around or lay down for a little while. I also noticed that I have no sensation whatsoever about whether or not I need to do #1. I just know because I haven't gone in a while.

Any idea if these issues are permanent? I posted the question over at CF, but nobody's chimed in yet, so I assume none of those guys have heard of this.

Oh yeah, forgot to post about the dump, in case someone else has this problem someday.

Milk-o-mag and leaning forward on a folded-up towel took care of that. Turned out to be no problem. I'm pretty sure the stool softener they gave me doesn't do anything. (Neither did the percosets except KO me a couple of times and I quit taking them.)

Now if I can figure out something to do about coughing and sneezing, I'll be in good shape. My current approach is to not do either, LOL. I sneezed suddenly on Day 6 and that was very seriously no fun.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sorry this has taken so long to respond to, but this nerve thing could be a problem. I will assume you have already followed up on this with your surgeon. Let me know what happened.

[Brad Davis]

No problem. I called the surgeon. He said it was relatively common, hopefully temporary, nerve damage. He said it might take months to go away. Today is Day 18 and I can tell that it's a little better. I can sit and stand in the same position a lot longer without the numbness turning into burning. Also, I don't know when it happened, but I can now feel when I need to do #1, so that cleared up.

My 4 week follow-up is two Tuesdays from now. If I learn anything interesting, I'll report back then. Overall, I feel very close to 100% for non-sports applications at this point.

Thanks for such a terrific forum and I hope you had a good Independence Day!
DBD

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'd like to hear a qualified opinion on whether nerve damage is a rather common occurrence in hernia repair.

[Dennisi01]

My opinion is definitely not qualified, but my grandfather had a hernia operation(also involving the mesh) 7 years ago or so and also had numbness issues(among other issues) that never went away. Glad to hear yours appears to be on the mend. Good luck!

[Brad Davis]

"relatively common" not "rather common" were his words when I called.

I forgot to mention that I asked him about this pre-op and I think he said that about 5% of people have nerve damage and that it usually goes away. I have read online of what to do if it doesn't go away, so that obviously happens too, but I don't remember if I saw a stat.

[gman]

Rip,
Not nerve damage per se, but when you cut through a superficial nerve during surgery, this can cause temporary numbness, and will resolve over time as the nerve heals.

[eric zwicky]

brad, mark,

i had a hernia repair (mesh) about eight years ago, and i am still numb in an area about 3 square inches right where they installed the mesh. it's no big deal, just feels weird to have the skin surface be numb, but it's not in a place where numbness is a disadvantage.

the numbness was much more extensive the first few months, then gradually receded to the point where it is now.

as to the issue of residual or recurring pain, i still fell twinges of pain from time to time, after heavy deadlifts. i used to worry about it, but it always goes away. i think it is going to be a permanenet side-effect of having a foreign, non-organic object installed in my body. the mesh cannot swell or shrink as tissue does, so there will be occasional stretching.

one more thng... for months, i couldn't jog without wearing a jock-strap. i don't wear underwear, and when i jogged, the swinging of my package would cause lots of pain. this too eventually went away.

good luck from a fellow virginian!

-eric