Posted by syringachalet on February 21, 2003, at 11:54:44
In reply to Re: Just got dx'd with a hernia, posted by lostsailor on February 21, 2003, at 10:33:05
bookgurl,
Anyone can get a hernia, regardless their sex or age. A hernia, as you probably already know, is a bulging of the intestines through a weaken area of the adbomen wall muscle. It is the pain that usually brings people to medical care.
The greatest risk is that the rope of intestine might strangulate, cutting off the blood flow and tissue damage and tissue death would start. there would also be the issue of infection that would no doubt be occuring ( from fecal matter in the obstructed colon)that would lead to gangrene.
( A horribly painful way to die.)Your right that it can happen to most anyone. Even body builders and weightlifters can and have had hernias. I have also known babys boys that were born with them and it was surgically taken care of before they left the hospital.
In US, it is mostly a day, out-patient surgery. Anytime you go into surgery there are risks. And any surgery on you or someone you love is not a simple/easy surgery.
But I have observed several kinds of hernia surgerys. Most were completed in less than an hour and the patient went home within 24 hours.
All had an incision that was less than 4 inches usually with staples/ steri strips and required only a few days of Darvocet N-100 or Vicodin for pain control. After that extra strength Tyneol(generic acetaminophen 500 mg) was usually enough every 6 hours for the next week. (Taking potent pain meds any longer than absolutely required can cause severe constipation and make you really miserable).Good luck, and let us know when you get your surgery case time.
We will all be pulling for you!
syringachalet
poster:syringachalet
thread:202319
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030215/msgs/202490.html