Recurring L4/L5 hernia after abdonimal hernia
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Hi all,
My name is Nick and I'm now 35 years old.
In October 2018, I had an abdominal wall repair surgery for multiple bulges around the belly button area.
This surgery was done with mesh, and fortunately so far I had no issues around the belly area.
However, in June 2019 I started getting a bit more stiff and found it harder to put on socks and get into the car.
Some time later, I started getting pain whilst hiking and playing squash, including numbness in the upper right leg.
After GP and physio visits, an MRI scan was made and the conclusion was a minor bulge around L5/S1 and a bigger bulge around L4/L5.
Meanwhile the pain got worse, standing became difficult, and I could only do short walks.
After speaking with a neurosurgeon, the conclusion was that I had to go in for a discectomy to remove the hernia and free the nerve.
The operation was done in October 2019 and after a normal recovery I was able to walk pain-free for about 45 mins and the numbness in my foot and sciatica had almost disappeared.
Unfortunately, after about 3 weeks, I slowly started getting more pain and starting feeling the same as before surgery.
Another MRI scan and X-ray were taken and the conclusion was a recurring hernia of 8mm by 3mm AP, again pressing on the nerve to the right leg.
The surgeon now told me he can do the same surgery again or do a spinal fusion surgery.
Up until yesterday I didn't seem to be able to figure out the cause of the L4/L5 hernia.
But suddenly after some Google searching, I found out that there could be a connection between the mesh being placed and my back problems.
My body might no longer wanting to be able to use my core muscles and compensates this with extra/different pressure on my back.
The physio in the past already concluded I need to strengthen my core and my body has a bit of an imbalance.
The next steps are to go to the physio again, but I also have appointments with 2 different neurosurgeons for a second opinion.
I'd like to know if my own conclusion makes sense and if others have similar experiences.
Given my relatively young age, a height of 191cm and 95kg, I think a fusion is not a good solution. However doing another hernia repair is probably also not going to help unless I get rid of the root cause.
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