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Open Inguinal Hernia Repair with mesh. Hard swelling under incision.

Posted , 16 users are following.

christophe45781
christophe45781

I had open Inguinal Hernia surgery with mesh done last Thursday. Most of the bruising and swelling has went away besides where the incision was made. It is a hard lump right underneath the incision that sticks out pretty far. My hernia had no lump, so I'm not familiar with what a lump from an inguinal hernia looks like, but I'm assuming it looks like this without the hard feeling. Is this normal nine days after the surgery? I can't talk to the doctor until Monday and it's kind of freaking me out. I have been feeling better day by day, and have been icing it daily, so it just seems weird to have this much swelling right there. 

Thanks.

0 likes, 28 replies

28 Replies

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  • ctrix1
    ctrix1 christophe45781

    Posted

    That's the internal scar. It'll feel like a finger buried inside of you, and it'll get smaller over the years. In about three months most of the scar tissue will have formed, and hopefully it won't constrict a nerve. (like it did with me). I think it takes about 6 mos. for the mesh to be fully grown in with tissue.

    • christophe45781
      christophe45781 ctrix1

      Posted

      How do I know if it's like fluid built up or something? I see people talking about having fluid drained out of them after a surgery. I didn't even really notice it until today (9 days after surgery) because the rest of the area was pretty swollen. It's not painful or anything, just a hard bulge. Thanks for the reply. I don't see the surgeon until Wednesday and don't want to stress on it until then.

  • dai12345
    dai12345 christophe45781

    Posted

    Hi. I didn't have a lump under the scar but a hard area near the scar which has receded a bit. I wonder whether mine is a 'staple' for the mesh. There doesn't appear to be any standard way of doing mesh ops so anything is possible.

  • Phentis
    Phentis christophe45781

    Posted

    I have the same swelling as you describe. The doctor told just to wait a couple of months and I've also noticed that it is reducing over time. That is probably just the internal scar/swelling that needs time to reabsorb.

    • christophe45781
      christophe45781 Phentis

      Posted

      Does it hurt at all? How long ago did you have the surgery? Mines still a little painful but not bad. I'm super active and want to get back into exercising.

    • Phentis
      Phentis christophe45781

      Posted

      It does not hurt now, but I've had my surgery two months ago. I think it is quite early for you to have all pain be gone, so I'd not worry for now and give it more time. As for exercising, don't rush with it.

  • karasl1
    karasl1 christophe45781

    Posted

    HeyChristophe

    It's been awhile since your hernia. Did the hard lump ever return to normal? Your situation sounds exactly like mine as there was no major lump pre surgery . But 10days post op there is a huge hard lump just beneath the incision.

    • christophe45781
      christophe45781 karasl1

      Posted

      It did go back to normal after a few weeks. It’s just the scar tissue underneath. Some people take longer to heal than others. I’ve had no issues with mine since it went back down. 
    • karasl1
      karasl1 christophe45781

      Posted

      Thanks.  Glad it hear you have no issues.  I too am very active and really want to get back to my full workouts.    However, Its been 17 days now and no change in the lump and hardness beneath the incision.  Do you think it may be too early to be scar tissue?  I'm thinking a suture granuloma.     Hope to see the surgeon this week.  

    • christophe45781
      christophe45781 karasl1

      Posted

      I went and saw my surgeon about 12 days after my surgery and he said it was normal. I was running again a few weeks later and then doing most other workouts about a month later. It still hurt for about a month when I jumped (I play a lot of basketball) but that eventually went away. I just slowly started doing more and more. I started on the treadmill going at a pace that wasn’t too uncomfortable and kept speeding it up day by day until I could run at full speed again. I bet you’re okay. It’s a foreign object that your body is trying to get used to. Look at the comments above. Someone said it could take 6 months for the mesh to grow with the tissue around. Your body is trying to accept the mesh. Obviously I don’t know your situation exactly, I just know I stressed on it for like 2-3 weeks until I just bit the bullet and hopped on the treadmill. Try to not think he worst. That’s what I did and obsessed about nothing. Good luck. 
  • Fitdrummer
    Fitdrummer christophe45781

    Posted

    Hey Christophe,

    Glad to hear you are doing well.  Has my bilateral hernia repair on the 8th of March - traditional incision- been walking a lot more. The side that the bulge was larger seems to be more swollen today that a few days ago. I also feel that hardeness where the incision was . Based on reading all the feedback, everything is normal. So my big question to you.... you mentioned running - I’ve been a runner most of my life.

    1. What did you feel in the repaired area after your run?

    2. How many weeks after surgery did you wait before you actually ran ?

    3. How many miles was the first run and did you add more every other day or week?

    Thanks for your feedback 

    • christophe45781
      christophe45781 Fitdrummer

      Posted

      1. The pain was sharp when I first started. I would have to slow down at times. It’s like the same pain you have after the surgery, just not as strong. Probably similar to the pain you’re feeling now with walking. It definitely gets better though. 

      2. I don’t remember exactly how long. I believe I started after two weeks. Maybe 16-17 days after on the treadmill. 

      3. Do you run on the treadmill, outside, or both? If you do run on the treadmill, I started at 5 MPH, and would gradually go up until it was too painful to run. My first run was probably 1.5 miles, and then I was really just staying around 1.5-2 miles the first few weeks and upping the speed. After I was back up to 8 MPH and above, I started longer runs. I also play basketball at the gym though, so I was trying to work that back into my routine too. I didn’t lift at all for a few months though. I was scared to. I started running outside again after about a month. You’ll probably feel pain still then, but it should be bearable. Just listen to your body. You might run longer runs sooner than I did. 

  • Sandy1983
    Sandy1983 christophe45781

    Posted

    Thanks so much this has all very so helpful and has put my mind at rest. I had open inguinal hernia repair surgery 9 days ago and am experiencing the same thing. The swelling had all gone down and I’m left with a hard lump the length of the scar which is much more obtrusive than the lump I had from the hernia. Good to know yours went down after a few weeks - I think I’m just expecting to be able to run before I can walk and just need to give it more time to heal! 
    • viro36298
      viro36298 Sandy1983

      Posted

      Hi sandy I had inguinal hernia surgery 8 days back and in the groin there is hard lump, it is like a stick. And one personal thing is I am not able yo masturbate will this be a problem please let me know?
    • Woglux
      Woglux Sandy1983

      Posted

      hi christoph thanks for your positive information about hernia surgery I have 2,

      lumps near the inclusions I believe this is normal I started walking and I hope for a full recovery 3 to 6 months.

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