British Hernia Centre anyone had any experience of them
Posted , 13 users are following.
Hi Folks,
I am considering having two incisional hernias repaired at the British Hernia Centre (I think they used to be called the London Hernia Centre), in fact I am having a consultation this Wednesday (24/08/2016).
Have any of you guys had any experience of the British Hernia Centre or the London Hernia Centre?
I have concluded that to wait for the NHS to get around to doing it will mean a long wait as it's not life threatening. My GP doesn't really agree with repairing incisional hernias and says that if it was repaired there is a high likelyhood it would runpture again and that I should just not lift anything heavy for the rest of my life.
Also it seems to me that even if I did have it repaired under the NHS I would have low confidence that the surgeon would be someone who specialises in hernia repairs or would use the latest and most appropriate procedure.
So I'm going to see the BHC.
Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks,
Phil.
1 like, 23 replies
melody39324 phil17356
Posted
emmanuel50594 phil17356
Edited
Thanks a lot for your helpful posts Phil. I've got a two inguinal hernias. I've made contact with BHC just to see what they can offer and how much they would charge, but I will likely will end up proceeding with the operation I am due to have on the NHS in the next couple of months.
They'll use a mesh and I'll go under general anaesthetic, not that I am too enthusiastic about the prospect of either!
The consultant I met today said that it wouldn't be he himself doing the operation, but one of a "pool" of surgeons....
phil17356 emmanuel50594
Edited
Hi Emmanuel,
Thanks for your kind response.
I've had double inguinal hernia repairs in the dim and distant past and I don't remember them using mesh at all; I had no follow on problems. Although I do realise that these days they seem to have a tendency to use mesh. I know that there is a specialised/pre-formed mesh for inguinal hernia repair that forms a sort of cup, a bit like a bra cup, but I'd heard they have a tendency to fold up. Not wishing to scare you here; just passing on my thoughts.
I'm left wondering why they now feel the need to use mesh for inguinal hernia repair because I'm pretty sure that in the past they didn't; my first inguinal hernia repair was in the 1970's and I don't think the surgeon used mesh then. Maybe NICE think it's a nice idea these days?
Oddly I watched Victoria Derbyshire (which I rarely do!) this morning as she was focusing on hernia repairs using mesh and subsequent problems - you can pick it up on iPlayer or search for "victoria derbyshire hernia surgery" for the BBC website article.
For an overview of the history of hernia repair and a great discussion of hernias I can thoroughly recommend a US doctor's website; search for "Laker MD" and go to the Hernia section.
Hope that helps.
Regards,
Phil.
phil17356 emmanuel50594
Posted
Hi again Emmanuel,
I forgot to mention; under the NHS constitution you have the right to specify which hospital you go to for treatment and even the surgeon you want to use.
I recently required very major heart surgery. They wanted to send me to Bristol Royal as I live in Gloucestershire; I didn't agree. I did some research and found that the best hospitals in the UK for my particular issue were The Royal Brompton, Papworth Hospital or the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH). I opted for LHCH and, invoking the NHS constitution, told my GP I wanted to go to LHCH and I even specified which surgeon I wanted to do the operation - I went for the best, what did I have to lose? .... he is acknowledged as the best in his field and he was great.
It sounds bolshi I know but it was my right and my GP agreed!
Obviously your selected surgeon needs to accept you as a patient but at least you would know who is putting their hands inside your body and let's not forget, it is your body ...... and remember, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil!
Good luck.
Regards,
Phil.
robert35 phil17356
Posted
Hi Phil. I have large inguinal hernia and am waiting for operation. You say that patients have the right to specify hospital & surgeon. How did you find out where/who was the best? Can you recommend a website or 2? Thanks
katie91 robert35
Posted
I've read this correspondence with great interest (having the prospect of "living with" a recently appeared incisional hernia after an appendicectomy) and was looking forward to Phil's reply to robert35, but it doesn't seem to have come! I hope you can enlighten robert35 - and the rest of us. Many thanks.
Scarlet9 phil17356
Edited
I'm glad you getting a 2nd opinion Phil, going private and to a good specialist surgeon I think you will get the result you want. Many body builders have had these repaired and go straight back to competing. I dealt with someone from the BHC but didn't actually have a good experience as they wasn't confident enough in their skill to do the surgery I wanted so I was referred. I was referred to Germany where they're far more skilled in hernia repair and it's also substantially cheaper to get private surgery there, so much so that including flights, hotels and a 3 night hospital stay I won't even need it's still cheaper.
Surgery cost in GBP in Germany for Dr Lorenz ~ £2,081.34 and a cost of £103 per night in a private room or £77 per night in a shared room. I'm sure seeing these prices you're in disbelief given it's over 3k for a general surgeon (not a specialist) to do the repair in the UK and a good £600 on top for a 1 night stay. The wait list as of last month was about ~4 weeks for a consultation with a surgery on the same day.