"My more than 3 year ordeal with this horrible stuff started after hernia surgery. Read very carefully about the types (open verses laproscopic)"

Scary!

That, of course, is my worst fear: to get the hernias repaired, and make matters worse. But hernias are potentially dangerous, and I feel I have no choice in the matter. I just wish I could get a dynamic ultrasound without having to think about going to Denver's "Invision" (one place that does such ultrasounds) to get a clearer picture of what's going on before surgery.

I'm finding this stuff difficult to figure out. Surgeons are salesmen, and the lap guys claims their system is the best, and the open guys do the same for their method. I'm leaning towards open, but the key thing seems to get a surgeon who mostly repairs hernias. It took a guy that does nothing else to even be capable of poking me and concluding (in about 5 seconds) that in fact I have hernias (two).

What's going on with you now?

Here's a link from a place that claims they can help fix that:

http://hernia.tripod.com/popinfo.html

Then there's the Dellon Institute, about which I know nothing but the name.

Best,

Spy

northerspy@ verizon.net

=====================
North Penn

http://hernia.tripod.com/popinfo.html

Many patients are referred to the North Penn Hernia Institute with chronic and/or severe pain after hernia surgery, a condition we call "Post Herniorrhaphy Pain Syndrome". Approximately 3-5% of all surgery patients develop some degree of chronic or persistent pain in the region of any surgical incision, and this can be especially bothersome after Hernia repair. Post-operative pain after hernia surgery can occur from a variety of causes and often only with the examination by a surgeon or HERNIA SPECIALIST can identify the exact cause. There are many causes for persistent pain including (but not limited to):
Nerve damage (direct) or entrapment in scar tissue
Post-operative benign nerve tumors (Neuromas)
Scar Tissue itself or tissue damage
Misplaced Mesh (if used)
Contracted, scarified and hardened mesh plugs ("Meshomas")
Infection (usually noted early post-op.)
Recurrent (or Persistent) Hernia.
Constriction of the Spermatic Cord (especially at the internal inguinal ring)
Periostitis from improperly placed suture material
Pain from Unrelated Causes, associated with neither the prior inguinal hernia nor its operative repair (i.e., Non-hernia musculoskeletal, Intra-abdominal, Intra-pelvic, Neurologic, Genito-urinary, Infectious or Vascular origin etc.)
The exact cause of any individual patient's pain cannot be determined of course, nor can specific treatment be recommended without an examination. Many Patients are referred to us from other surgeons and pain management physicians with persistent post operative pain following hernia surgery. We often recommend conservative measures, especially in cases where the pain is not to severe. These treatment methods include:
Physical Therapy Activity
Local Injection
Anti-inflammatory Pain Medication
Often in cases where the above treatment options have been unsuccessfully utilized, and only in severe, debilitating or persistent cases of pain, lasting more than 1 year, repeat operation is offered in hopes of improving the status of the patients. We attempt to identify the cause at surgery, and correct the

problem based on the findings. At this time we also reconstruct the inguinal canal to our specifications for post operative hernia repair. But no accurate diagnosis can be made without an examination and/or surgical re-exploration.

Repeat surgery, regardless of the cause of the pain or its intensity, is not always completely successful in alleviating the pain entirely. Reasonable expectations achieved by such repeat operation in patients referred to us with severe or debilitating post-operative "POST-HERNIORRHAPHY PAIN SYNDROME" are as follows:
50- Only are completely or nearly completely Pain-Free (Patients no longer disabled, and require no regular pain medication)
20-25%- Some Residual Pain (Moderate to Severe) but patients may be somewhat improved (Patient may be normally functioning, however some medication still necessary)
15020%- No Change noted after Repeat Surgery (Patients feel about the same as before surgery..continues to use analgesics medication)
5-10%- Pain may be worse (may require long term narcotic use, and may be more debilitated).
The recovery period after this operation is longer than that following a routine hernia reapir, and may require 4-6 weeks of recuperation or longer.

In some cases, while the pain may or may not have been relieved, an area of numbness or loss of sensation of the skin, both in the region of the surgery, and potentially extending towards the genitalia and towards the leg, may occur after such repeat surgery for post operative pain. This numbness may be permanent or temporary, mild or profound.