Hernia Repair
It has been four weeks since I had my operation to repair an inguinal hernia. I thought I would write down my experience just in case I ever feel like coughing or sneezing again. As there is a 27% lifetime risk for guys, I though this would be of general interest.
I had a horrible tickly cough in January 2012, and after a night of incessant coughing I realised I had broken something. I knew it at an unconscious level - it took me half a day for the realisation to dawn, and then I went vaguely grey and felt mildly nauseous and had the vapours for a few minutes.
I was in denial for about six months. It wasn't hurting or becoming worse, but I knew there were severe quotas on elective hernia repairs in many NHS Trusts, and I felt I ought to test the NHS before I had another coughing fit and a much worse situation - wikipedia is not a friend when it comes to graphic descriptions of how inguinal hernias can progress. I researched mechanical remedies - the truss - and discovered that unless you are prepared to go around wearing something spring-loaded they are largely ineffective, and can increase the risk of "incarceration" - cutting the blood supply to a portion of the intestine.
Almost nothing was explained to me - neither my GP or the surgeon who did the initial assessment. The significant risk of severe and long-lasting pain was not mentioned, not until I was sitting in a gown and cap in the day surgery unit at Southmead.
The operation takes about 45 minutes under general anaesthetic. The staff were good. I was ready to leave about 6 hours after I went in. They put a transparent dressing over a 3.5 cm incision, which was brilliant, because I could check for infection without messing about with the dressing.
The first few days were very unpleasant. It was very uncomfortable to sit on the toilet, so I was taking every laxative known to humankind, and these combined with the codeine phosphate painkillers to produce agonising colic pains. I had to stop taking the painkillers - they caused more pain than they prevented. I was able to walk around and do stuff, and lie in bed and do stuff, but sitting wasn't an option. I drove the van (it's an automatic = good) a week after the op to go shopping, but that really hurt. After two weeks I drove Fabienne to the airport (a 2 hour round trip) and that really hurt. I spent the third week feeling incredibly tired and a bit scatty - couldn't focus, distracted, on edge.
The third week was difficult. The pain had stopped improving. It felt like a large boil or absess - a fierce, raw, burning pain, accompanied by piercing pains like I'd been stabbed with a hot knitting needle. There was no daily improvement.
The last (fourth) week has been a little better - I can sit and type this. It is still uncomfortable, but it feels like it might improve in time, and I feel less tired and unfocussed.
So, despite the in-out speed of the surgery, this has not been an easy experience. Those of you who have seen the mess that remains of my left leg will know I am no stranger to pain or discomfort. Much of the difficulty has been not knowing when the pain would subside, or whether I would be stuck with it for months or years.
I had a horrible tickly cough in January 2012, and after a night of incessant coughing I realised I had broken something. I knew it at an unconscious level - it took me half a day for the realisation to dawn, and then I went vaguely grey and felt mildly nauseous and had the vapours for a few minutes.
I was in denial for about six months. It wasn't hurting or becoming worse, but I knew there were severe quotas on elective hernia repairs in many NHS Trusts, and I felt I ought to test the NHS before I had another coughing fit and a much worse situation - wikipedia is not a friend when it comes to graphic descriptions of how inguinal hernias can progress. I researched mechanical remedies - the truss - and discovered that unless you are prepared to go around wearing something spring-loaded they are largely ineffective, and can increase the risk of "incarceration" - cutting the blood supply to a portion of the intestine.
Almost nothing was explained to me - neither my GP or the surgeon who did the initial assessment. The significant risk of severe and long-lasting pain was not mentioned, not until I was sitting in a gown and cap in the day surgery unit at Southmead.
The operation takes about 45 minutes under general anaesthetic. The staff were good. I was ready to leave about 6 hours after I went in. They put a transparent dressing over a 3.5 cm incision, which was brilliant, because I could check for infection without messing about with the dressing.
The first few days were very unpleasant. It was very uncomfortable to sit on the toilet, so I was taking every laxative known to humankind, and these combined with the codeine phosphate painkillers to produce agonising colic pains. I had to stop taking the painkillers - they caused more pain than they prevented. I was able to walk around and do stuff, and lie in bed and do stuff, but sitting wasn't an option. I drove the van (it's an automatic = good) a week after the op to go shopping, but that really hurt. After two weeks I drove Fabienne to the airport (a 2 hour round trip) and that really hurt. I spent the third week feeling incredibly tired and a bit scatty - couldn't focus, distracted, on edge.
The third week was difficult. The pain had stopped improving. It felt like a large boil or absess - a fierce, raw, burning pain, accompanied by piercing pains like I'd been stabbed with a hot knitting needle. There was no daily improvement.
The last (fourth) week has been a little better - I can sit and type this. It is still uncomfortable, but it feels like it might improve in time, and I feel less tired and unfocussed.
So, despite the in-out speed of the surgery, this has not been an easy experience. Those of you who have seen the mess that remains of my left leg will know I am no stranger to pain or discomfort. Much of the difficulty has been not knowing when the pain would subside, or whether I would be stuck with it for months or years.