INGUINAL HERNIA

Articles written by
Mr. Harvey Minasian MS(London) FRCS

ADVICE TO PATIENTS WAITING TO HAVE SURGERY FOR THEIR GROIN RUPTURE (HERNIA)

If you are not going to have surgery to repair your hernia or while you are waiting for a convenient time for you to have surgery, you should minimise the chances of your hernia enlarging &/or causing discomfort by following these instructions if at all possible & if they are relevant to you.

Avoid heavy lifting as this will exert excess pressure on & may enlarge your hernia.

Excessive straining can worsen your hernia. For example, if you are constipated & need to strain to pass motions, take steps to correct this, including eating a high residue diet containing 2 – 3 tablespoonfuls of Natural Bran daily &, if necessary, Lactulose (available from chemists without prescription) 10mls (one tablespoonful) 1 – 3 times daily.

If you smoke cut it down or stop it altogether. Not only does smoking damage your health but also the resulting cough puts pressure on your hernia, stretching it further.

In situations where you cannot avoid straining, coughing or lifting, if at all possible, place a hand over your hernia & press hard to stop it from bulging. You may have been provided with a temporary truss to wear for this purpose.

If your hernia is the type which “reduces” – i.e. ”goes back” fully & it suddenly refuses to do so &/or it becomes continuously painful – get medical help immediately as it may need urgent surgery.

Further information on hernia:

The abdomen is a walled cavity; the pressure inside this can rise to quite substantial levels – especially when lifting heavy objects, coughing, sneezing etc. A hernia results when a weakness develops of this site is called an inguinal hernia. There are 2 major types of inguinal herniae but the treatment is much the same. Once a hernia occurs it usually enlarges with time. At very best it can stay the same but will never cure itself. It is mechanical defect & the only effective treatment is surgery. There have been major advances in the surgical techniques of hernia repairs recently. These involve insertion of synthetic material (Prolene) to plug & strengthen the defect. The advantage of this is that it avoids pulling tissues together – hence tension-free repair. This means that there is far less (or no) discomfort following surgery & that it can be carried out under local anaesthesia rather than general anaesthesia. Light sedation is normally given during surgery & the patient goes home a few hours later. Another major advantage is that the type of repair is very strong, allowing return to work within a week or 2, without any significant danger of the hernia recurring.

Please also see http://www.surreydaysurgery.co.uk.