Hernia Surgery Part II

This is part II of the day I actually got my gutpatch inserted. If you missed part I you can read it here.

Here I am at out-patient admittance dressed in my prescribed loose fitting sweatpants, baggy button up shirt and jacket.  My wife is dropping me off and helping make sure the payment agreement all makes sense. Basically, the hospital made me a deal that if I pay my deductible the day of surgery, they will only charge me that much no matter what.

Hopefully this includes the nurse anesthetist and all the other stuff that gets tacked on. It's only been 5 weeks since surgery and you can never be sure for a few months how it will all work out.

So, they tell me right away that the surgeon is running late because of some emergency that morning.  I ask about coming back in a couple hours and they don't want to let me go. Vee Dont Vant To Let You Go.  OK - I'll stay.  

Most important takeaways:

1. If the nurse getting the IV into your arm misses twice you can ask for a different nurse. I should have done this before she missed five times and I told her she was making me feel sick, didn't want to look like a heroin addict, and could not take her missing again. She cheerfully got another nurse who got it on #2. 
2. Take care of things that require clear thinking before they get the IV in you because there are drugs to "help you relax".  
3. It's not that hard to get up and go to the bathroom carrying your IV bag.
   
   Plus the bathroom has a place to hang it. If you have to go, then do it before surgery. 
4. Falling asleep in pre-op is good. It makes you forget the surgeon is running two hours late and you are laying around waiting to be cut.  
5. The surgery room was not like a technology manufacturing cleanroom.  If you have worked in cleanrooms like in a fab operation then a hospital cleanroom does not seem that clean.  Operating cleanrooms would probably be class10K in my old tech world though would probably test out around 1-2K with a particle counter is my guess based on many years in that world. Other people will probably just think it is a very clean room.  I was a bit taken aback myself.
6. A local anesthetic and drugs to put you in lala land really means you are out cold but not so far that the anesthetist has to shove a breathing tube down your nose or throat. My recommendation is go with the local and lala land drugs. A friend had a tooth chipped by the breathing apparatus down his throat. His dentist said it "happens all the time" because operating personnel don't care so much about your teeth.  
7. You will say and do stupid stuff when you come out of anesthesia. Don't worry about it. As we said in Part I about KYST and GYST, add NGF at this point.  Really, in your delirium if you start high fiving the nurses and the surgeon, telling the operating room nurse she has a cute outfit on really meaning it, and begging for chocolate cake it is OK.  They have probably seen and heard worse than that.  
8. The loose fitting clothing is super important NOW.  It is hard to move and having clothing that is easy to get into now is less painful. Slip-on shoes are a nice touch as well.  
9. Even though stuff hurts at this point, it is nothing like its going to hurt in a few hours or tomorrow morning.  

Try to sleep after you eat something.  You will probably be hungry from the overnight fast.  I did not get a headache from no caffeine because there was most likely two gallons of ibuprofen in me at that point.  I ate and then fell asleep on the couch.  

Next installment is about waking and getting up the first time and you can read it now 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
1. This Sucks! Step 1
2.  You Have A - I Have A - Hernia?! Step 2
3. Oh Man! Getting Surgery Scheduled - Step 3
4. Let's Have a Hernia Repair Operation - Step 4 Part 1
5. Hernia Surgery Part II

6. Post Hernia Surgery

Oh Man! Getting Surgery Scheduled - Step 3

Gutpatch Sees the Surgeon

When writing this post the first time, I tried to be humorous and witty and light-hearted. After reading the draft and realizing it was anything but those things, I left it on the shelf a few days. While getting mad at a file cabinet and trying to undo my stitches and thinking back about this time (yea - random actions and thoughts coalescing at a weird moment) , I realized there was just nothing humorous going on at this point. I was scared and in the unknown.

Yea, I had consulted with a couple doctor friends long-distance, my local nurse friend and others who had the operation. But, at this point, I'm thinking have I jumped too fast? Should I get a 2nd opinion? What am I doing? Here is what was going on at this point. Sound familiar to anyone?   

There is a protocol most of us have to follow in order to keep the insurance company happy. First you have to go to your general practitioner (GP) and then they refer you to a surgeon.

The office where my GP (who is a nurse practitioner) works could not get me in for about a week and a half. I did a little studying up on inguinal hernias since I was fairly certain that would be the diagnosis. After a drop your drawers exam, he confirmed that indeed that was what I had. He had assisted one of the local surgeons (Dr H) many times and he said that guy was a very confident surgeon. He also mentioned there was a new, younger woman who recently moved to town that was highly skilled.

One of my river rafting friends has been a nurse for 30+ years and recommend Dr H without me even asking. Another friend had used Dr H the year before. And, I found out Dr H had been doing something like 50 -70 hernia operations a year for several years. So, I made an appointment with Dr H. A couple weeks later on a Thursday I see Dr H who confirms the hernia diagnosis with a physical exam, says x-rays and/or ultrasound are not needed, and asks when I want to do this. I'm thinking these things always take forever to get scheduled and say the sooner the better. He asks. "How about Monday at noon?".  OK, I stammer out, and off he goes to the next patient. I get a booklet of dos and don'ts for before the surgery, and a pre-op test request I need to have done at the hospital: EKG and blood work for various things, and some kind of questionnaire to fill out and submit when checking in to outpatient. They send me over to the hospital which is next door and I spend 15 minutes getting the blood drawn and the EKG done.  

One of my main concerns was anesthesia because I had a step-mom and step-dad and father-in-law all develop dementia or Alzheimer after undergoing a general anesthesia (GA). I wanted a local and not GA if possible. He said bring this up with the anesthesiologist when admitted for the surgery.  He said with the local they numb out the area being operated on and put you into lala land. With GA you are put out completely.  I forget to ask what type of surgery he is going to do - laproscopic or standard though he did confirm the insertion of a mesh material.  

The mesh is used like a tire patch, left in place, and your tissue grows in and around this stuff providing a hopefully permanent fix to a hernia on that side. Hence, my post-op nickname now of Gutpatch.

I also found out post-operation there is another option using a "da Vinci" tool which is a robot-assist device.  One friend had a very good outcome with this going back to work in a couple days and almost fully recovered in a couple weeks.  If, God forbid, my right side ever needs repair I am going to seek out someone who uses this technology.   

I get a call on Friday from the hospital regarding a couple things. First, my blood work and EKG look good. Then they interview me over the phone about medical conditions, current prescriptions, what vitamins do I take, etc. Then I get instructions about not eating or drinking after midnight the day of the operation. Also, someone from the financial side calls to say if I pay the day of the operation I can get a discount. In a daze I agree and then realize when talking to my wife later, I am not really sure what I've agreed to.  

Then of all things I'm talking with a good biking buddy telling him about what is going on and he says, "I would never let Dr H cut me! He messed up some kid by getting him infected and went back in and that didn't work and then they had to take him to another hospital 60 miles south, blah, blah, blah.  Oh, and by the way, I shouldn't tell you this now, so forget what I just told you. Besides, it is all third hand."  

Well, Holy Jesus, Yikes, Oh My God and now I am physically sick to my stomach scared.  And, thinking back to the conversation with my GP was he saying something in code not wanting to overtly say anything negative about Dr H who does 50 - 70 of these operations per year? "He is a confident surgeon".  He didn't say he was a good or excellent surgeon. He sort of sounded upbeat when talking about the new, young woman surgeon and then sounded serious talking about Dr H as "confident". Oh man, did I miss something here I should have asked more about? Should I delay and get a 2nd opinion? 

I decide to call the hospital and ask for infection rate data. They ask me to leave my name and number and say someone will call back. Indeed, the Infection Coordinator calls back in under an hour and I quiz her. They have had no infections in the last year. There were 90 hernia operations done last year and Dr H did 80% of them. I ask what were the infection rates of previous years and get a run-around answer like either she doesn't have the data or does not want to share it. 

After sharing all this with my wife later in the day, she asks what are you going to do. I've already decided that all this doubt is like the negative self-talk that tries to stop me when kayaking or rowing my cataraft through a Class 3+/4- rapid. And, it feels like the pit in my stomach at the top of a 40+ degree snowy slope before I ski down. The correct course feels like I should do what I do in those circumstances. Put the fears aside, relax into the situation, and freaking go for it! One thing I have learned is that if fear freezes you up, then the worst will probably happen. If you stay loose and reasonably confident yet still careful and not over-confident, things usually and always up-until-now work out alright.  So, I'm going forward with the operation next Monday and just a weekend to fret my way through. 

Click HERE to read the next exciting post about hernia repair!

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

1. This Sucks! Step 1

2.  You Have A - I Have A - Hernia?! Step 2

3. Oh Man! Getting Surgery Scheduled - Step 3

4. Let's Have a Hernia Repair Operation - Step 4 Part 1

5. Hernia Surgery Part II

6. Post Hernia Surgery

You Have A - I Have A - Hernia?! Step 2

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

1. This Sucks! Step 1

2.  You Have A - I Have A - Hernia?! Step 2

3. Oh Man! Getting Surgery Scheduled - Step 3

4. Let's Have a Hernia Repair Operation - Step 4 Part 1

5. Hernia Surgery Part II

6. Post Hernia Surgery

This Sucks! Step 1

Hey, Gutpatch here to talk about Day 2 after hernia surgery and while brushing my teeth I decided to brush my tongue and got the brush a little tiny eensy bit far back and induced a little gag. Did you know that when you gag it makes a muscle down in your gut contract? I didn't either. And, when it contracted it felt like my guts were coming up because they had just been stabbed with a white hot knife.

Welcome to the world of hernia surgery recovery.  How did I get here and where am I going?  We are going to explore the world of people getting surgery who have little experience with it. Hopefully there will be resources that will help you. And, if you just had hernia surgery we will not induce gut laughs. That is another story.

What is an inguinal hernia?  Check out this link to the U.S. Library of Medicine.  Here is their intro paragraph if you are too lazy to click.

Inguinal hernia repair is surgery to repair a hernia in the abdominal wall of your groin. A hernia is tissue that bulges out of a weak spot in the abdominal wall. Your intestines may bulge out through this weakened area. During hernia repair, this bulging tissue is pushed back in. Your abdominal wall is strengthened and supported with sutures (stitches), and sometimes mesh.

This stuff is sickening isn't it? Yea, and it gets far, far worse. This is just the start.  

There is a video that does a good job of explaining and showing more if this has not been enough info.  Check this link.

Are you wondering what the odds are you have a hernia?  This checklist of symptoms will give you an idea of your risk factor and what can be done to reduce your chances.... http://colorectalsurgeons.sydney/

Since this blog is for people who are getting ready or convalescing from surgery,  your comments are extremely important. Please share you experiences because everyone is different.  

Read the next step in this adventure clicking HERE!

Gutpatch Hernia Repair Series
1. This Sucks! Step 1
2.  You Have A - I Have A - Hernia?! Step 2
3. Oh Man! Getting Surgery Scheduled - Step 3
4. Let's Have a Hernia Repair Operation - Step 4 Part 1
5. Hernia Surgery Part II
6. Post Hernia Surgery