Holy crap! Have you spoken to your doctor or surgeon about that? Sounds a bit worrisome to me.
This is not unusual when you have anesthesia twice in such a short time. It takes about a YEAR (some doctors say longer) for all the anesthetic to leave your body and the kind of symptoms you are having are very typical for two surgeries in a short time. Try not to have to be “put under” for a very long time if you can!
I have a followup appt with him next week. I plan to mention it then.
Thanks for the info. I had no idea the effects lingered like that. The recovery instructions given to me said I could drive once I stopped using the prescription pain relievers. I wonder if this is a good standard now.
This is embarrassing looking back on it, but I was so worried about the long term effects I gave myself a few logic tests once I felt better. I “assigned” myself a programming task in C++ just to prove I could still do it (I could). I also changed the locations of a few common but seldom used objects to test my memory a few days later. I think I passed, but who knows? Maybe I “hid” something and have forgotten about it. 
Sorry to hear that you may be back where you started. Good luck on the 20th. Just remember to properly hydrate before the surgery!
I’ve had one as well for several years. It doesn’t hurt and I don’t really know when I got it. The only thing about it that bothers me is that it is a flaw in my otherwise perfect physique. 
I have the doctor check it out whenever I get a check up, but so far I haven’t had a reason to fix it. Although I may at some point.
I’ll definitely try to hydrate better this time! Did my pre-op checkup today and let’s just say I could’ve done a better job at chugging water for the past couple of days. Took them two tries to draw blood from me – ugh…
Well, had my operation today. The procedure was done under general anesthetic and I’m guessing the actual procedure was done in about an hour. Instead of laparoscopic surgery, this was done with a single incision that’s about 5 -6” long.
It turns out that the mesh from the first operation “slipped” so my hernia had popped out again. So, I’m back to not lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds for the next month and then seeing what’s allowed after that. I will say that, unlike the last operation, I can see and feel that the repair looks to be successful so far. No excess swelling in the abdominal and scrotal area, so that’s nice. Pain has been easily manageable, but I’ve popped a couple of pain pills today just to help out a bit. I may switch to regular acetaminophen tomorrow, but even that may not be necessary. If I had known that the “regular” inguinal hernia surgery would have gone like this, I probably would have gone this route from the get-go.
Still, I hope I don’t have to have this type of operation - or any other - anytime soon!
I am glad it went well Guy. Did you have any problems peeing afterwards?
My testicle pain has decreased by about 50%, both in terms of discomfort levels and frequency. But I updated my surgeon and he is concerned that I am getting close to my 3-month window after which the pain could become chronic. So I will be meeting an anesthesiologist on Monday to look into the possibility of injecting anesthesia into the compressed nerve area. The idea is that if my brain doesn’t perceive pain, it won’t become chronic.
I’m not terribly keen on having a needle stuck deep into my groin, but I don’t really want a chronic kick in the crotch feeling either…
Hi Orville!
I’m happy to report that there were no issues with peeing at all after the surgery. So far the post-op swelling is minimal, but I’m feeling some discomfort in the area of the incision, but I guess that’s to be expected. Took another pain pill a few minutes ago and put an ice pack on the area, so I’m sure that’ll help things in a little bit.
Sorry to hear that the testicular pain is still an issue for you. I couldn’t help but cringe when you mentioned having a needle being jabbed into your groin area. Even though it might ultimately bring you relief for the pain, it doesn’t sound like a picnic to me. Maybe they can give you a small injection of lidocaine near the injection site to lessen the pain for the main injection? No matter what, I’m hoping you get good results.
Hang in there!
Thanks Guy.
Pun intended? Hanging is actually the problem! 
Totally unintended, but I’ll take credit for it anyway.
Heh - one of the first remarks my wife made after she saw the results of my surgery was “Honey! Your balls are back!”
I’ve gotta say that it’s nice that I’m no longer lugging around an Everlast speed bag between my legs anymore!
Hey Orville!
Meant to check in with you sooner. Did your anesthesiologist give you any relief for your ongoing pain?
Still on the mend here, but doing much better. Got my follow-up visit with the surgeon on Friday.
Take care!
Hey Guy!
The pain is reduced by about 75%, so that is great. But as the 3-month window is closing fast, I have opted to go the injection route. My appointment is on Thursday. The good news is that the anesthesiologist said that she will be injecting a bit upstream, so the needle will be going into my lower abdomen rather than my actual groin. Only a difference of a few inches, but what a difference!
Good luck on Friday!
PS When I asked her whether there was any risk of the needle accidentally puncturing the nerve it was intending to numb, she told me that for this procedure they don’t use the sharp needles that are used for intramuscular injections, but a duller one instead. I am not making this up 
Hope you all are doing well with your hernia recoveries. I was looking around The Dope for hernia recovery stories when I noticed I commented here speculating on my condition last November. Well, exactly 9 months to the day after my post here I got an inguinal mesh repair. About a week out I feel better than I had for the previous year or so, during which I worked a physically demanding job on my feet 10-12 hours a day and had various bathroom related issues and other difficulties and thousands of dollars in medical bills with no diagnosis or relief. So far so good, wish I had been able to have it done sooner. Only downside is financial, but I’m feeling well enough I think I should be able to make a full recovery in all aspects.
Glad your hernia repair went well and that your recovery has been successful. Sadly, I can’t say the same for myself.
Not long after I started my new job, I started noticing some pain in the general area where my prior two inguinal repairs took place, followed by a return of the abdominal swelling that I had before. Now I’m experiencing some additional pains if I walk for extended periods of time or lift moderate amounts of weight.
I went back to my GP about two weeks ago to show him what was going on, and he immediately said “Yep, you’ve got a recurring hernia there!” Great…
I’m going in for a CT scan on Thursday with a follow-up visit with the surgeon who performed the other two surgeries. The surgeon told my GP that my abdominal tissue was thinner than normal and that his concern was that it more more difficult to repair successfully. After he looks at the CT scan to see what it shows, he’s going to possibly refer me two a couple of surgeons in Indianapolis who specialize in “difficult” hernia repairs. In the meantime I’m wearing a hernia support belt which seems to be helping quite a bit.
My main takeaways from this are: 1) if you are diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, get it repaired as soon as possible, 2) get a hernia support belt and start wearing it while you wait for your surgery, and 3) check with your surgeon after surgery to see if they’re okay with you continuing to use the support belt during your recovery period. I didn’t do #1 and my doctors didn’t mention numbers 2 or 3.
Don’t let my experience scare anybody away from having hernia repair surgery. The second repair worked well until it didn’t. My experience isn’t typical at all.
Sorry to hear about your continued troubles. Hopefully your belt continues to help and your upcoming consultations lead to better long term relief.
I agree with your points generally. 1. I put it off because I felt I had to. If it were a matter of just trying to be a “tough guy” versus taking care of it right away, I would have taken care of it ASAP. Without getting too much into my history and psyche, I probably would have been financially ruined and gone to a very dark place. I was very pissed that I had to self-diagnose and was already left with thousands of bills from doctors that diagnosed me with “abdominal pain” and gave me Alleve. So I made a calculated decision to wait, which still might find me close to financially ruined but not quite as hopeless. I know I could have made things worse and risked an incarcerated hernia or worse damage to other things. 2. I bought a belt/truss and tried it here and there while I was working pre-operation. I had the worst pain of the whole ordeal while trying to work with it on. I don’t know how to explain this except that it kept the hernia from pushing out but it was like holding it in just created too much pressure and maybe trapped gas or something. I haven’t had any follow up visits yet (I’m still doing well, the pain and bruising have subsided and are more concentrated), but I will ask the surgeon what he thinks about the belt. The plan so far has been to take about a month off work and should be good to go.
Hang in there and really take it easy during your recovery time. I think that I may have rushed myself a bit during the first couple of weeks after the operations and may have contributed to my setbacks. I’ll try to be smarter and more patient this time around.
Good luck to you!
actualiberalnotoneofthose, I glad to hear that things are going well.
And Guy_Incognito, I don’t know what to say. Does your hospital at least have a loyalty program? After the 10th surgery, get the 11th for half price?
Not a bad idea. I like your way of thinking!
Just a quick update: I met with the surgeon in Indianapolis and he wanted me to get examined by a urologist and also have a colonoscopy before getting surgery scheduled. Urologist visit went well, and I go to get scoped next month. It’s shaping up to be a hell of a finish to the year, let me tell you.
Hope the rest of you that have had surgery are doing well. Once again, don’t let my experience keep anybody from having their hernia repaired. I just like being difficult. 
we should start a support group!
Guy_Incognito, I hope that things go better this time around. It must be very frustrating.
Funny about the colonoscopy. Will this be your first? I am supposed to get mine this year too. Seems that you turn a certain age and the whole world becomes interested in your backside…