Who performs a hernia operation?

Factual Questions
1

The only thread I could find was this one: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=523483&highlight=hernia

(Ring…how did it turn out?)

I’m 99.9% sure I have a hernia. I’m due for a checkup, so I’ll have my GP take a look.

I have an orthopedic surgeon. Do they take care of hernias? I’d rather have someone I know and trust do it. Let’s say I didn’t know an orthopedic surgeon…are there “general” surgeons? The only surgeries I’ve had are a tonsillectomy, deviated septum, and ganglion cyst removal–all three highly specialized.

2

General surgeons, yep.

3

I know a general surgeon. Hernias and gallbladders are his bread and butter.

Ironically, general surgeons are getting rarer and rarer these days as new surgeons fresh out of residency increasingly elect to enter more glamorous specialties. I don’t know what kind of specialist surgeon you’d get for a hernia if you couldn’t find a general surgeon.

An orthopedic surgeon will NOT do a hernia.

4

Aren’t there thoracic surgeons? I thought that orthopedics was more about joints, tendons and muscles.

5

Yeah, and because he removed a ganglion cyst, I figured he could repair a bit of abdominal muscle and tuck away some intestine.

He’s a “personal acquaintance.” I knew him long before he treated my cracked humerus, attended to my shin splints, and removed the cyst, all minor compared to the major surgery he usually does. I just didn’t want to ask and put him on the spot. But he’s a great guy. I could just call his office and say I’m a patient and ask if he does it.

BTW, if it’s not clear, I’m not asking for medical advice. I sincerely want to know who does “non specialized” surgery. I’m getting old and I need to know these things :slight_smile:

6

Then he would be an ideal resource. Just ask him to refer you to a surgeon who can repair your hernia.

7

Heh. I’m having an inguinal hernia repaired next Tuesday, and had my pre-op appointment yesterday afternoon.

My guy is listed as a “general surgeon.”

8

Also, the term “general surgery” is a slight misnomer because they aren’t really surgical generalists. Rather, they focus mainly on abdominal soft-tissue surgeries and trauma.

So, it’s not like they do a little bit of ortho, a bit of ENT, and a bit of everything else.

9

General surgeon is the correct answer. However in recent years I have also seen some urologists who are getting credentialled to do hernias.

10

Well I’m not in terrible pain, but six weeks after the surgery it still hurts enough to make it fairly uncomfortable. The Doc says this isn’t uncommon, but that it’s getting there.

As he was doing the surgery he noticed another one - believe you me it will quite awhile before I get that one fixed.

I had a ventral hernia (up by the belly button) and, as I understand it, they can take longer to heal completely.

11

I had an umbilical hernia (herniated outie bellybutton) repaired by a general/internal surgeon who specialized in laproscopic surgery… three small incisions, no scarring to speak of… healing took a long time… if I recall, I could not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for 8 weeks or so…

12

I had one (or rather a “double”) about 5 years ago. My advice: find someone who specializes in laproscopic hernia operations. My surgeon had done about 5000 of them. I had very little pain, just some discomfort. I didn’t need any prescription pain medication, and I was out going to movies within 3 or 4 days of the surgery.

I found my surgeon on recommendation of my GP. I asked her who was the best in the area and she recommended him.

J.