Gutpatch Learns The Truth
How do you know you have a hernia? My distrust of the medical establishment had put me in a position that at the age of 55 I had not had a physical exam in over 35 years. Getting laid off from my tech manufacturing career had me in a new part-time job of being a bicycle tour guide. So, at the age of 55 I got a full physical exam since I needed it for a California Commercial Drivers License. Everything was pronounced fine and even the finger in the patooty hernia exam was negative and I never gave hernias another thought until five years later.
Now at age 61, four friends and I were heading across the country from the west coast to ride a 215 mile seven day mountain bike trip going from Telluride, CO to Moab, UT. We are going to be staying in huts stocked with food and water that also have bunks. So, the weight we carry on the bikes will be much reduced but this is still a big physical effort for seven days straight through mountainous backcountry. We arrive in Grand Junction, CO a few days ahead of time to get acclimated and do a little mountain biking for three days before embarking on the hut to hut trip. I'm taking a shower and notice a funny looking pouch next to my pubic bone on the left side. I'm thinking "what the heck is this?" and don't really know what to do. I had not experienced any sustained pain and could only imagine all kinds of deadly medical conditions ready to slay me. My motel roommate immediately brought up Alien. Why do I drink? Hmm...
Fortunately for me, one of the women on the trip is a nurse and I showed her "the pouch". She exclaimed, "oh, you have a hernia, but, it is not going to get you out of this trip - haha!". Oh really - I am so not laughing. Imagine the grumble bear now. But, on one level I am relieved it is not something unknown that requires cancer screening or something.
So, I did the trip and never felt a thing. When I got back, my GP (general practitioner) looked at it and referred me to a surgeon. And, at least for me, in the year 2015, no more finger in your butt to confirm a hernia. Thank God for that!
The truth was that thinking back, I could remember a couple episodes of big gut pain that only subsided after laying down - which was probably what it took for the intestine to go back inside. That means I cannot ignore this and should seriously consider getting the patch job done.
I also decided to do a little weight workout of curls and shoulder presses isolating the muscles to avoid any use of the core. About 20 minutes afterward I felt sick to my stomach. Now, some people like my wife thought that was a stupid experiment. But, I needed another confirmation that surgery was needed. In the next post, I'll discuss picking a surgeon and learning more about the procedure and what it means to get a patch.
Read the next part of my adventure with a hernia by clicking HERE!
Please comment below and I will answer all questions. This blog will only become useful if people comment and add their experience and ask the questions which other people share but are afraid to ask. Plus, everyone's experience is different. How did you find out you needed surgery? Were you scared? How did you deal with it? Was it relief to know? Or, was the info a complete surprise?
Gutpatch Hernia Repair Series
Weights? That was probably not the best experiment. It is interesting that you did not experience pain prior to seeing the "pouch" that day. Learning that surgery was needed to repair an injury for me, was both a relief and a scary proposition. I felt relief because it meant there was a repair that would return me to the way I was before, yet, scary because the unknown aspects of being "under the knife" sent my inner child running away, figuratively speaking. I dealt with it by continuing to focus on the positive outcome that would be expected if all went textbook. I researched, looked at gory pictures of the procedure and prepped for a long post op experience. I also trusted my surgeon and felt that I had chosen the greater of two that I had considered. In my case, hamstring re-attachment surgery, I chose a younger doctor, who I felt was closer to his learning of the most up to date procedures. Great story Sojka's Call. I am looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteLifting weights was probably not one of the smarter things I have ever done as a test to gather more data. But, it did confirm in a fairly convincing fashion the need for surgery. Having only had some oral surgery at age 15, never having broken a bone or otherwise spent a night in a hospital since I was 17, this was new territory for me. So, I needed to be really convinced of the need for surgery and after the reaction of my guts I was a believer.There were less dramatic ways to find out for myself and I could have just trusted the professionals, but, that has not been my way up until now. I don't advocate that anyone else do what I did - I am just a bonehead and wanted people to understand the irrational things we do when faced with situations we have not dealt with before.
ReplyDeleteYour very last statement conjured up another post idea for me. So true, when I think about how I acted for 3 weeks before my surgery. You are not a bonehead alone!
DeleteI like the photos you have added. It really drives home how dangerous it is to go without fixing the hernia. I imagine intestinal material could get strangled because of the bend where it pokes through. Really an awful thought. Thank goodness you had it fixed!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this wonderful and amazing post. Please share symptoms and Causes of Hernia as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that link! Very good info.
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