Both men and women are susceptible to this condition, some may have it from birth and some may develop it over a period of time.
Following are the symptoms of strangulated hernia:
There are various avenues of treatment available and depending on the medical history of the patient the surgeon may recommend what’s needed. If surgery is not suitable for the patient the doctor may recommend a ‘Truss’; a ‘truss’ is a belt that holds the hernia allowing the patient to continue with his daily chores. In other cases the doctor might recommend either open or minimally invasive approaches.
A Laparoscopic hernia repair is similar to other laparoscopic procedures. Where the surgeon makes incisions through which a laparoscope (a laparoscope is a small instrument with a narrow tube which has light source and camera at the end of the tube) is inserted and using the Laparoscope’s video camera the surgeon is able to locate the hernia and through the other incisions that are made the hernia is removed with the help of surgical equipment; after this the incisions are sealed using a surgical glue or staples.
Depending upon the condition of the hernia the doctor might also choose to switch to an open procedure if needed.
The surgery involves small incisions which take very less time to heal and as a result the patient can return back to normal life within no time.
The recovery time for Laparoscopic surgeries is very less and one can return to normal life within days of surgery, but they should avoid heavy lifting. The soreness after the surgery lasts for 48 hours and it can extend up to weeks depending upon the individual.
If the patient is fine and the pain is less, then he is discharged immediately and follow up checkup is held every 7 to 10 days post discharge.
If the pain in the incisional area persists the doctor will advise bed rest for a week.
One might feel nauseated post-surgery, this might be due to anesthesia administered for the purpose of the surgery.
Post-surgery one might feel shoulder pain because of the gas that was pumped in during the surgery, which will go away within 48 hours.
If you have a prior medical condition and you are taking medicines prescribed by a doctor please make sure you inform the surgeon beforehand.
If you have a habit of smoking you will be advised to stop smoking a few weeks prior to the date of the operation as smoking may result in recurrence of hernia or may cause infections resulting in failure of the procedure. Quitting smoking enhances the chances of success.
If one feels nauseated, develops fever, bleeding occurs through the incisions, inability to urinate etc; under these circumstances it is better to get in touch with the doctor who performed the operation.