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| About
Hernia Specialists: f.a.q's |
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| Q. How does someone get a hernia? |
| A. Hernias occur due to a combination
of congenital and acquired circumstances. It is safe to say that if
an individual’s abdominal wall is completely intact anatomically
then it would be very difficult to develop a hernia. However in those
individuals who have a weakness of their abdominal wall or where their
muscles are not overlapping in quite the correct manner, then over
a period of time they might be susceptible to developing a hernia. |
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| Q. Is it true that only men develop hernias? |
| A. The ratio of male to female regarding
inguinal hernias is 10:1 |
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| Q. Can hernias be repaired as outpatients? |
| A. In dealing specifically with inguinal,
femoral and primary ventral hernias a vast majority of these can be
dealt with
as outpatients. Complicated incisional hernias may require some hospitalization. |
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| Q. I keep hearing about the hernia repair done with a laparoscope. Is this a better repair? |
| A. The laparoscopic repair is a good repair. It rivals the tension free repair in terms of recurrence rates and complications. The general perception is that the patient who has a laparoscopic repair will always recover faster compared to a tension free repair. This is simply not the case. I have found that approximately 50% of patients done a laparoscopically enjoy a faster recovery in terms of returning to work and activities. The other 50% mirror patients done with a tension free repairs. So a recommendation regarding what procedure you have done takes into account the types of work and activities you do and your body habitus. Another consideration is financial. The laparoscopic repair is a more expensive repair when you take all of the expenses including surgeon fees, hospital and anesthesia fees into consideration. Consequently if you are one of those patients who has a health savings account with a high deductible or a catastrophic insurance policy with a high deductible you may not want the laparoscopic procedure. |
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| Q. How long will I be out of work? |
| A. In a reasonably healthy patient
who is having a primary inguinal hernia repaired, that patient can
expect to return to office
work within a few days, usually one week at the most if there is
significant lifting involved at work one should allow two weeks. |
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| Q. When will I be able to get back to athletic
activities such as golf or jogging? |
| B. For athletic activities, excluding
contact sports, generally allow about two weeks. The general rule is
after approximately one week when one is very comfortable walking around
you can try the activity that you are interested in. If it is very
uncomfortable, stop and try it again a few days later. The important
thing is to proceed with that particular activity only if you are
very comfortable. |
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| Q. When can I have sex? |
| A. Usually within a few days. But I always stress not
to exceed the weight limitations that we have discussed. What ever
you
are doing make sure you are comfortable. |
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| Q. How much weight can I lift and when? |
| A. For the first week do not lift more
than 20 pounds. After that you can ease into more weight but remember:
what ever
you are lifting make sure you are comfortable doing so. For large ventral
hernias, recurrent hernias or incisional hernias we are more conservative
with our recommendations for lifting and one might expect to have a
20 pound lifting restriction for four weeks. |
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| Q. When can I drive? |
| A. Everybody is different regarding
when they are able to safely drive. Generally after three or four days
if you are able
to sit behind the wheel and step on the brake without any discomfort,
turn the steering wheel vigorously left and right and are able to look
over your shoulder for those cars in your blind spot, you are
ready to give it a try. Take a drive around the block with your spouse
or
friend and make sure you feel comfortable. It is your responsibility
to make sure that you are safe behind the wheel. |
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| Q. When can I take a shower? |
| A. Keep the wound dry for 48 hours. Usually you will
be sent home with a waterproof dressing and that is intact should be
able
to get into the shower in the next day. Do not submerse the wound one
week. |
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