[Closed] Hernia - tell me what you know ? private or NHS

I was told keyhole offers quicker recovery but open mesh is a better repair. I'm guessing that will end up being the surgeons decision.

Watch out for adhesions during recovery though.

I had me hernia done on the nhs, at a spire private hospital.

was told this is to help clear the backlog.

I had one, repaired by the NHS.
All sorted with minimum fuss, about 2 weeks of discomfort and another 2 before I did any proper exercise.
First year I could feel it if doing certain exercises in the gym, core work mainly.
Now it's nothing bar a small scare. Tiny bit of numbness below the scar, thankfully not close enough to the old chap to worry about.

tell me what you know ?

I know that there are all sorts of different hernias and the seriousness depends on what and where they are. Is you're doctor telling you you'll have to wait two months even though theres serious risk to your health? Or is he just telling you you'll get it treated sooner with your private plan

If it helps you personally / professionally to have some choice as to when you get the surgery and have some control over when you have to take time off for recovery then thats what you're private thing is for. Do you lose your no claims bonus of something if you use your private cover?

was told this is to help clear the backlog.

Strangulated hernias can do that 🙂

I'm guessing that will end up being the surgeons decision.

Its not so much a 'decision' - surgeons will have been trained in particular procedures - what they offer you is restricted to when they trained and what they were trained to do. With any procedure though there's the risk they'll find something unexpected and have to do an open procedure anyway.

Tell you whats fun though - a glaswegian nurse in the pre-op interview using the word 'stabs' in the place of 'incisions'. "Yeah - you'll get two, maybe three stabs"

Im falling apart

Slipped disc

Recovering from the surgery can play havoc with your slipped disc - not wanting to tense your abdomen means you're core isn't doing much work to protect your back

If you've got private healthcare why wait?

I'm about 8 weeks into recovery from a para-umbilical hernia. I don't feel right yet but I'm doing as much as I can within reason. I went private and paid outright to avoid any bullshit and speed the process up. At my consultation the surgeon surgeon said 4-6 weeks and I'd be back to work/play.

Post op consultation and as I described in more detail what I would be doing, and he was suggesting 3 months. The whole thing makes me feel frustrated and weird.

If you've got private healthcare why wait?

Because private surgeons are not always that great.

I don't understand OP though, if the Doc says its urgent, then why hasn't he referred it as urgent?

You don't have to go to the Royal Free, you can use choose and book. Other hospitals may have a shorter waiting list.

To be fair though if you have work provided private health then I would use that. If its private health your paying for, then you need to know if it actually is an urgent hernia or not.

I was told keyhole offers quicker recovery but open mesh is a better repair. I'm guessing that will end up being the surgeons decision.

This.

I went private (through work). I saw the same surgeon, but jumped a four month wait.

Because private surgeons are not always that great.

I saw the same surgeon, but jumped a four month wait.

Because private surgeons are not always that great.

I saw the same surgeon, but jumped a four month wait.

Same surgeon but sometimes different motives.

[quote=ton ]I had me hernia done on the nhs, at a spire private hospital.

Me too. Except I've no idea what the surgeon actually did, because he didn't fix the hernia I presented with (at the post op check I mentioned I still had a lump and he said it would go down after a while...) Second op done on the NHS, a longer wait than for the first op, they did at least fix the right hernia, but left in non-soluble stitching (I presume - was supposed to be soluble, but didn't) which I eventually got removed a few months later after the wound never healed properly.

On balance the NHS surgeon was better because she at least fixed the problem.

I've had procedures on NHS and privately.
Only think to choose between them was nice room and better menu going privately. Care was the same.

My mate's just had his hernia doen on the NHS.. after an 11 month wait. It was only when he went back to the docs because he couldn't really walk that they bumped him up the queue and got it done quickly

I've had two, one on each side, one brought on my an overenthusiastic use of a rope swing, one by natural causes. Both fixed by mesh repair, I now have a bionic groin.

My tip is not to spend the overnight after the operation in a ward opposite a chap who's eaten his first solid meal for six weeks, because his resultant enormous, elephantine farts will make you laugh a lot, because you are still 14 at heart, and laughing really , really hurts after a hernia op.

Same surgeon but sometimes different motives.

I like to think when the surgeon did mine he was cackling gleefully, before going home to have a bath in £50 notes.

[quote=IHN ]My tip is not to spend the overnight after the operation

Is that a thing? Both mine were day trips.

I went halves with my boss on the £2k to have an Inguinal Hernia done at the British Hernia Centre in London.
Four months was the minimum quoted by NHS even via a private place in Reading.
So I rung up the BHC and they were like "yeah, we can do Thursday?" 😆

Hernia above the main twig to the left

*still probably not recommended

(I had a clinic review today for an inguinal hernia - will be an NHS job some time in the next 1-3 months (they had no better idea than that - really)

One option, if it's not causing too many issues, would be to ignore it. Depends on your medical factors like BMI etc but risks of surgery could be greater than risks of leaving alone. How much trouble is it causing you day to day?
Our ccg is actively encouraging us not to refer small minimally symptomatic hernias, following guidance from nhs England [url= https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2013/11/N-SC001.pdf ]Here[/url]
Of course you'll get a different opinion from the British hernia society as they exist to be paid to repair hernias and interestingly sponsored the royal college of surgeons guidelines which are very pro referral.
Sometimes avoidance of the surgeon's blade (or scope) is the sensible option.
Certainly no rush unless lots of pain or rapidly getting bigger.

Thanks for all replies

I've not spoken to doctor again, have a call set up with him tomorrow to discuss.

It's not painful but I know it's there if that makes sense.

I've spoken to my anaesthetist friend and he said, if they don't do keyhole then have it done with a local anaesthetic, again this is something I'll discuss with hospital.

Care is NOT the same private or NHS. Private hospitals have less Docs on out of ours. less of the junior ranks in total and are useless if something goes wrong.

routine ops like hernias are low risk but personally I would be very reluctant to go private because of the risks if something does go wrong

Had my inguinal repaired keyhole in 2008 aged 39. Surgeon advised walking half a mile the day after building up to walking two miles by the end of the week. I did and then cycled 28 miles (at 8yr old pace) at ten days, running again after about three weeks. I felt pretty bloated for about a week and the half mile the day after was how imagine it feels to be 80!
Adhesions are interesting but I never think about it now.

Had my inguinal fixed something like 2001. Went private as work had me on the BUPA scheme. Mesh installed. Total time from diagnosis to repair was about 3 weeks.

Had general anaesthetic and now have a scar which has faded (non-keyhole). I was surprised that no one came to shave me beforehand and after the op only half my pubes we’re gone. They could have done something a bit more artistic!

For about 3-4 months it would ache if I was going lots of exercise but in general it was fine.

The only issue was me. I kept fainting after the op. I was on oxygen for a few hours afterwards.

I had it done privately in April, an inguinal & umbilical ,left & right side.
It's been slow recovery & a pain in the knackers tbh. I still have "discomfort" in the left groin area - a bit like a hernia AND a muscle strain - I was up all night with it & tbh it's doing my head in.
MRI last week and I've now been fobbed off to a muscle specialist.
The guy who did the op says his hernia repair is fine. It bloody wasn't last night! Before the MRI ,he wasn't sure if he'd put disolvable staples in ,or metal staples , so I won't be in a rush to recommend my "Dr Nick".
I gently cycled from day 20,post op. However ,even now ,after 3 hours riding my groin is uncomfortable.
Oh & the small print they send you pre op - the bit that says there may be some swelling and bruising of the testes - that should be in flashing lights at the top of the page. Black & blue. 😯

Black & blue.

Heh

Likewise. I reckon someone got a few punches in post op cos they didn't like my face. Or my nutsack...

Same as AdamW, too, with the one-sided shave - wtf!

Being serious - I lived with mine for many years before it suddenly became a risk and was considered urgent by the GP I saw. I was sent off to A&E with a letter after the GP spoke with a consultant as to the urgency and it still took around 5-6 hours before I was seen and then operated on. Danger of a colostomy bag was what they feared but I guess that's always a risk with the op. Open surgery with a free mesh. Femoral hernia so a tad lower than most. NHS under general anesthetic. Not sure about doing that under a local, though, as suggested above - **** that!

Recovery was slow but I was in no rush, thinking you only get one chance to get it right. I was told 8-10 weeks but it was more like 3 months before I went anywhere near heavy weights (core strengthening in the interim) but the strength returned much quicker than the first few sessions predicted. Despite that, what was originally a post op pain of fiery razor blades being slashed down my left thigh, I've been left with complete numbness in that area. Party trick of sticking in needles without flinching kinda thing.

If it's really urgent - as in strangulated - you'll get to the front of the cue immediately without having to go private, IME.

Not sure about doing that under a local, though, as suggested above - **** that!

Lovely old friend of mine had a hip replacement under local. At her insistence. She considered it to be something too interesting to have happening to you and not witness. Don’t think the surgical staff appreciated the constant line of questioning though 🙂

^ Just wrong. My balls are shrivelling thinking about the tugging and noises that you really shouldn't be exposed to.

front of the cue

Heh

Life's like a game of billiards etc.