I want to know what you would do...

 When I moved from Indianapolis to Atlanta Ga at the end of 2006 I was pretty confident that I would be able to find a compatent doctor here to repair my hernia.  I had my first repair in August of 07 with a large piece of mesh.  My repair was under my ribs and was ok for a while until I noticed a small bulge right above the repair months after it was done.  I went back for my yearly checkup and low and behold, I had gotten another hernia and the surgeon could hardly believe it.  Well... I had that new hernia repaired Aug of 09 and have been in severe pain since.  I have seen the surgeon on several occasions since surgery and each time he comes up with some new idea as to why I am having pain but never does any kind of testing to find out what is wrong.  The last time I spoke to his office his nurse said that he was going to be referring me to a pain clinic.  My family doctor said I did not need a pain clinic but that I needed to get to the cause of the pain and referred me to another surgeon for a second opinion.  This new surgeon is sending me for a ct scan tomorrow.

My question is... if there is something there... as in a reason for the pain... do I have a malpractice case?  I am completely pissed off that the other surgeon didn't even bother to send me for any type of tests.

What do y'all think??  What would you do?

I can completely understand what you are going thru...I have the exact same problem going on...I had my RNY by Dr Huse on Feb 28, 08. I then had 2 hernias repaired and my gall bladder removed in April 2009. I have had issues ever since. Honestly, I have had issues since my RNY surgery....but since my hernia surgery, I have had FIVE ct scans...and no answers....talk about being fed up!!!! Yes, I think you have a case....
They have given me no reason for the pain...in fact just a couple of weeks ago, I was in ER doubled over in pain and almost passed out....NO ANSWERS!!!!

 OMG I am so sorry.  I feel for you because I know what you are going through.  I have pain when I cough, sneeze, laugh, and have a bowel movement.  It is miserable because sometimes I have pain doing absolutely nothing.  A pain clinic isn't the answer for me either, which is what the surgeon down here wanted me to do.  I can't wait to see what the ct scan says.  I will let you know what I find out.  Maybe my pain will lend some answers to you as well. 

Definitely keep me posted on what you find out. I am supposed to go in March for a scope...I am not sure if that will give any answers either...but I completely understand what you mean!! Any little thing causes pain and its not fair, huh??? My Dr is in with Inman, who I see did your original surgery!! I have had tons of issues...including 22 days in the hospital for my initial surgery!!! When do u have your ct scan?

 My scan is tomorrow morning.  The new surgeon thinks that it is either another hernia or adhesions.  He said that it also is possible that the scan won't show what he is looking for in which case we will figure out what to do when we get the report back.  I hate to say that I hope he finds something because at least it will validate my pain.  It is absolutely horrible.  I can't keep taking Advil like I am because it is killing my stomach, but NOTHING kills this pain.  I will let you know as soon as I have an answer.

Leah & Brandi,

It sounds like I'm a few months ahead of you in this hernia stuff. In Oct. 2006, I had a total small bowel ischemia...all of the small bowels lost their blood supply. I was put into a medically induced coma so they could be removed and worked with to get the blodd flowing again. I awoke 9 days later to a wound vac covering my protruding intestines on my left side and a what I thought was huge at the time hernia on the right. Months later, the hernia was 'repaired' with mesh. Durring a 2nd surgery we learned that the mesh ended up getting loose inside me and was all bunched up on one side. I also had infections that took cipro by IV to combat with the over-seeing of the infections disease people. The mesh was removed, adhesions removed, the abdominal wall was pulled together as much as possible, and a piece of bovine muscle was put in the gap between the left and right sides of the abdominal wall. Scar tissue was suppose to grow over that muscle and pull the wall closed. It didn't. I ended up with an even bigger hernia than ever. On Dec. 1, 2009, I had another surgery for the 13" x 11" hernia. The mesh overlaps the abdominal wall by ~7cm all the way around and was sewn into place completely around the entire diamter by attaching it to the abdominal wall itself.

2 months later, my stomach is staying non-pooched anywhere for the first time since Oct. 2006. Pain? Heck yes. Every day. It is better. At first it felt like I had broken ribs. Now, it feels like I'm wearing a tight girdle 24/7. This sensation is from them having to sew the mesh into the muscle. I also get a burning sensation. This is suppose to be from the nerve endings trying to heal. On the bottom side, at the pelvis, the mesh goes below the pelvis line. When I sit, stand, get in the truck, I have a sensation like it is pulling there and it hurts like hell. It doesn't happen all the time so when it does, it about knocks the breath out of me.

I got the idea that I will probably experience some pain the rest of my life because of this. This mesh is also permanent because my abdominal wall will probably never be able to be 100% closed. I am also on a weight lifting restriction of no more than 10 lbs..for the rest of my life. In between the surgeries, I've had ALOT of side effects that confused and worried many specialists..at St. Vincent, IU, and the Mayo Clinic. I have had a whole battery of tests..and many of them multiple times. Wonder of wonders..now that the intestines are back inside my body, most of these have all but gone away. My bowel movements have gotten more normal, my stomach quit distending, and I no longer look like I'm 8 months pregnant.

I don't consider the pain I have now as something at the fault of the surgeons. It's just part of the beast. If I were going to sue someone it would be the one who mis-diagnosed me with pnumonia when it was a blood clot in my lung. The treatment for the pnumonia is what I honestly believe what caused the intestinal ischemia to begin with although no doctor has ever agreed with me. I just know where the pain was and when it first started.

Leah..it never hurts anything to have tests to confirm that there isn't something else going on but if you aren't getting another telltale belly bump of a hernia..and if your bowel movements are fairly normal for you...the pain may be something you have to learn to manage. That's the problem when they sew into a muscle or tissue like the abdominal wall.

Brandi...I don't think waiting as long as to March is a good idea if you are having difficulties. Dr. Cacucci is in that office now too and she is excellent with endo's and with hernia's. She is the one who finally got mine fixed...

I really don't mean to sound like the bearer of bad news but if you have a history of REALLY big hernia's (mine was sternum to pelvis and hip to hip), you're going to have a future of twinges and pains just like someone with arthritis can often forcast the weather.

Sherri

 Hey Sherri,
I really think there is something going on with me.  The night that I came home from my hernia repair this past August, Leo (my youngest), headbutted me in the EXACT spot I am still having SEVERE pain.  The thing is, the doctor down here kept making excuses as to what was wrong and never actually ran any tests.  He even knew that Leo had hit me but never checked to see if possibly the mesh was ripped away.  So now I having been dealing with this pain.  something has to give though.  I need an answer that is actually valid and legit.  Know what I mean?