My Hernia Operation Pt1

With just a week to go before my hernia op, I thought I'd start with what will be a series of posts documenting my recovery.  I am having the operation at The Circle clinic, Nottingham, a private facility that takes NHS patients, and is a far cry from the antiquated City Hospital I was originally referred to by my former GP last year, an experience that freaked me out (I have a fear of hospitals) and the surgeon wasn't bothered about treating me as the hernia wasn't, and still isn't causing me any grief 99% of the time.

After swapping GP's I decided to get sorted this year, and The Circle has restored my faith in the NHS as this place looks more like an ultra modern shopping centre, with efficient, informed staff, that, although annoyed that I am going to have to take time out from work,gym classes etc, I am in a place that makes me confident I'll get a good job done.

Below is a pic of how my hernia currently looks

For those of you who are unsure what a hernia is, here is some info from the NHS website;

A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall.

Your muscles are usually strong and tight enough to keep your intestines and organs in place, but sometimes they are not, which causes a hernia.

What is an inguinal hernia?

An inguinal (pronounced "ingwanal") hernia is the most common type of hernia. The hernia can appear as a swelling in your groin or as an enlarged scrotum (the pouch containing the testicles), which may be painful. The swelling will often appear when you are lifting something and disappear when you lie down.

There are two types of inguinal hernia:

• An indirect inguinal hernia is the most common type of hernia, which can occur at any age and is more likely to cause pain in the scrotum.
• A direct inguinal hernia is more common in older men and rare in children.

What causes an inguinal hernia?

An inguinal hernia usually occurs when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel, such as the intestine, pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh.

It pushes through a weak spot in the surrounding muscle wall (the abdominal wall) into the inguinal canal. The inguinal canal is a channel through which blood vessels to the testicles pass in men and through which the round ligament passes in women.

What happens during surgery?

There are two ways that an inguinal hernia repair can be performed:

• open surgery – where one cut is made to allow the surgeon to push the lump back into the abdomen
• keyhole surgery – a less invasive but more difficult technique where several smaller cuts are made, allowing the surgeon to use various instruments

So there you have it, I go into surgery next Thursday, April 4, I will keep the posts coming as time allows, and include pictures of how the healing progresses and the finished result.

MB