Extreme chronic pain after femoral hernia repair, what should I do?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi everybody, this is my first post on a forum, you all seem lovely and really helpful so here goes.. In 2013 (i think) i had a femoral hernia repair done in my right groin and have had nothing but extreme pain and problems since. The incision developed a seroma which had to be drained 4 times before my consultant popped it with a scalpel as it had broken through my incision.
My doctor says that I also have nerve damage after the surgery and I was left having to use a wheelchair for travelling outside of my house. The mesh in my groin feels like it is being forced out of me, like my body is rejecting it. It has felt like that since The surgery and I have been fobbed off so many times.
The pain is indescribable! I was taken off opiate painkillers last year as my system had become addicted to them and they weren't dealing with the pain. I think that it is important that I mention that I suffer with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Hyperalgesia, Tietze Syndrome, Endometriosis and a whole host of other delightful chronically painful conditions; I also have Bipolar and other mental health issues. I have had quite a lot of surgery and basically can feel the pain in all of my scars as if I've just had the operations done.
The more they operate the worse my conditions become. I was taken to A&E on Saturday morning with pain so bad it was making me vomit, the surgeons checked me over and said they cannot operate as it would worsen my condition (I do understand that they have a duty to heal, not harm) and I'll be honest, I am not keen on having more surgery.
I have a beautiful daughter who is a young carer and is my angel, she needs me functioning as best as I can, thinking, conversing with her and encouraging her to thrive! She needs me to be her mother, not her patient.
The pain medication leaves me pretty much off my face and unable to process my thoughts clearly. I was told on Saturday that The opiates are pretty much the only valid option I have along with a trip to the pain management team who have previously refused to put me on their pain management programme because of the depressionthat I suffer due to my conditions. I understand that too though.
I am nearing my wits end, I wasn't told that the hernia surgery could leave me in this state and now I'm stuck with this stuff inside me :'( The mesh isn't my only source of pain but it is a massive contributing factor. There are times when the pain is SO bad that I actually wish I could just die! (I won't, I'm too stubborn and my father's suicide when I was 15 means to me that I would never do that to my daughter)
Is my life going to be either being heavily medicated for the pain and completely unable to function or being in so much pain on a daily basis that I'm physically I'll and unable to enjoy the time that I have left? I am only 37! Has anybody else had this problem and what did you do?
Warmest Regards
Jenni x
0 likes, 5 replies
judith14588 jennifer49576
Posted
Hi Jenni, Oh my, you have really been through a lot. You are right, your daughter needs you most. Why don't you visit a Psychologist? Much of our pain is psychoilogical. I know, I didn't think so either, but guess what. I had two incesional hernia repairs and a ruptured appendix and air lift off a cruise ship. My doctors suggested I see a psychologist. I did and finally I am on my road to recovery. You should, at least, check it out.
Do something special with your daughter today!
jennifer49576 judith14588
Posted
Hi Judith, Thank you for your lovely comment <3k
Apologies for the delay in my replying, I have been back in hospital. I also believe that pain is psychological, some of the, let's call them 'aspects of my personality' are harder to convince when they are triggered.
I am waiting for a referral to the pain management team again and hope that they will consider me stable enough to put into their therapy programme.
I saw my GP yesterday and was informed that my only viable option is to go back on to the Tramadol which I was previously addicted to. I was quite upset I'll be honest. I am a qualified Aromatherapist and holistic therapist, which helps to a certain degree but as I have absolutely no threshold for pain there is only so much that I can do.
I use hypnosis to get me to sleep and have to keep it set on a loop all night otherwise I don't sleep.
It is good to hear that you are recovering, and I really hope that you make a full, painfree recovery <3 It sounds like you've been through the trauma mill too! It also sounds like you have a decent doctor too. Mine is lovely and tries his best to be understanding and compassionate, I feel bad when I have to go see him and there's nothing that he can do to help me.
I am resilient and my love for my daughter gives me strength. Some days are just harder than others as my conditions are like dominoes and once one triggers the rest follow along until I'm bedridden. I Used To Be In The Gym Every Day, was really fit and healthy and my favourite things were climbing trees and dancing with Lucy. I went from that to being in a wheelchair for 2 years. s
Now i can walk around my house with sticks, rails and equipment but still need the wheels to go out. The times I cherish are the ones where I'm snuggled up with Lucy watching our favourite films and singing with her. It makes my heart happy. I know I am blessed <3
judith14588 jennifer49576
Posted
Jenni, I am not a doctor but it is my feel that you have destroyed your nerve system with too many opiates. If you go to the pain management team you will probably see a physical therapist, an osteopath and a psychologist. I did the same at Kaiser Permanente. This is my health care provider in California. The physical therapist gave me the most help. The rest weren't so good. It did prompt me to see a phsychologist. I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on from my airlift, surgery in the Azores and 2 weeks in the hospital in the Azores. Then came an intestinal obstruction and 2 hernia surgeries. It is interesting to learn how all this leads to more pain.
You have to figure out your pain source before it gets any worse. If you keep holding this in, you will just get worse.
You need to work on this for your daughter! Take care!
Tammyshernia jennifer49576
Posted
If you live in the states I have the best dr ever for hernias I just had my surgery in march of this yr I had a paraesophageal hiatal hernia which is when the whole stomach pushes up into the chest the whole stomach and only 5% of the population get it he is the best dr to do hernia you will need a referral but it's worth a try I really believe he can help you the problem is it takes forever to get your surgery done I went in December and never had my surgery till march but I will tell you one thing I would do it again in a heart beat my husband had a hernia down by his groin by a different dr and he is having problems now but we didn't know of this dr at the time
jennifer49576 Tammyshernia
Posted
Hi Tammy,
oh my goodness that sounds horrific! I hope that you are ok! I live In Liverpool in England so I don't think that there's much of a chance that the doctor would help me.
Thank you so much for replying, I appreciate you sharing your time and experiences with me :-) more surgery is not an option for me at the moment with the chronic pain syndrome,
I had a bilateral breast reduction, appendectomy, gallbladder removal, hernia surgery and multiple surgeries to treat endometriosis through my bellybutton, each operation left me in more and more pain with infections and bloodclots. I have a ridiculous amount of adhesions inside and my scars are permanently inflamed and swollen. Now the surgeons refuse to intervene as they know I will be left worse off. It can get rather soul destroying.
I hope that your husband manages to get his hernia sorted out and gets to be painfree. I am thinking that I might distract myself by studying something new.
Jen x