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Question for men here (especially those over 50)
Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 1:39 PM on 11.04.10 |
->> have any of you ever had an operation for your hernia? What was your recovery time and any limitations?
DLR |
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Davis Barber, Photographer
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Fullerton | CA | USA | Posted: 1:45 PM on 11.04.10 |
| ->> A lot depends ont he type of hernia. I had an inguinal (sp?) repaired a few years ago. Recovery was pretty quick as I recall. If you're in decent shape to begin with it's not so bad. |
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Andrew Carpenean, Photographer
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Laramie | WY | USA | Posted: 2:32 PM on 11.04.10 |
->> Davis is right and as a side note women get hernias as much as men do and some infants are born with a hernia. My family has a history of them.
I had an umbilical hernia repair last June and it was an outpatient surgery. I went into the hospital at 6 a.m. and walked out before noon. The surgeon said not to lift anything for three days and then after that I could lift up to ten pounds. I went back to work after two weeks, but I was advised to allow a good three weeks to heal up.
If the hernia involves the testicles and especially a double hernia where you tear on both sides it can take anywhere between two to three months to make a full recovery. Probably too much information, but this is life. |
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Lane Hickenbottom, Photographer
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Omaha | NE | usa | Posted: 2:32 PM on 11.04.10 |
| ->> www.webmd.com |
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Tim Huntington, Photographer
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Monterey | CA | USA | Posted: 2:53 PM on 11.04.10 |
->> I had an inguinal hernia surgically repaired when I was in my mid 30's - I seem to remember I was back to mountain biking (which is how I got it in the first place) about 4-5 weeks after the surgery - though I was walking day of the surgery and off pain killers the same day.
No limitations after that initial 4-5 weeks (though I'm more willing to quit trying to get over larger obstacles on the mountain bike these days rather than forcing the issue).
Weird part of it all was that I was awake through the whole procedure - though they did give me something so I didn't care that a doctor had cut a four inch long incision in me and was sewing plastic mesh into some internal wall thingy to make it strong etc.
I can still remember suggesting local restaurants to the doctor's assistant as they were trying to figure out where to take a colleague for a birthday lunch. |
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John H. Reid III, Photographer
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Gates Mills | OH | USA | Posted: 3:09 PM on 11.04.10 |
| ->> Debra, I had an umbilical hernia repaired 3 years ago. I wasn't quite 50 then, but really close ;-) The procedure they used was outpatient, and I was to walk that night 4 times in 30 minute sessions, then 4 times per day in 1 hour sessions for the next 3 days. Couldn't drive day of surgery, but no limits after. They didn't tell me about any limitations on physical activity that I remember, but I didn't do any power lifting for a while after (Oh, wait, I've never done that!) I was fine quite quickly. |
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Steven Mullensky, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Port Townsend | WA. | USA | Posted: 6:09 PM on 11.04.10 |
| ->> I have. Outpatient procedure and I recovered very fast. I was skiing within 2 months. |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 6:50 PM on 11.04.10 |
->> thanks everyone
I guess the 3 who hit "HUH" don't know what a hernia is! |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 11:30 PM on 11.04.10 |
->> I had a cancer operation which was the same procedure as a hernia operation and since I was in good shape (26 years ago)
I was in pretty good condition after several weeks. however, you have to be very careful for at least a couple of months on how and what you pick up. now I have heard that the surgery is even more advanced now and the surgeons use a teflon mesh to shore up the tissue, which also promotes a faster healing time....but I think the real key is making sure you don't overdo anything in the initial few weeks following surgery.... |
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Jeroen de Jong, Photographer
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Waalwijk | _ | Netherlands | Posted: 3:55 AM on 11.05.10 |
->> I'm not over 50, I'm 32. But I'm busy with my second hernia, does that count? First of all, sorry for my englisch, it's not my first language. Let me tell you in a short way how I got through it.
Discovered my hernia last year. Somewhere around july. Tried to lift up my bag. Made a wrong move and while the bag was still on the ground (and so the weight) I fellt something in my back wasn't ok.
Went to the doctor, he gave me some pills for the pain. After two weeks the pain was realy less (Probably not the correct grammar, but I can't think of what to use, sorry, I'm Dutch)
But I had a strange tingling in my leg in certain positions.
I found out that I could move my right-leg up for about 15 degrees and thant the tingling was like hell. Like thousends of needles are being punched into your leg
So I went back, and asked for a scan. After a little process the word came out; congratulations, you have a hernia and we can operate it.
They put me on the waiting list and I start making preparations for my work. I made appointments to cover sportevents the whole season and though this was beyond my powers, I felt sorry if I dropped out for weeks. So I found to fellow-photographers who could cover essential games for me. It would cost me money, but it would keep up the good relation with the client.
I was called for surgery in the end of December. They wanted to stab me in the back :D in 4 weeks.
I went to the hospital on a monday and they operated me in the afternoon. Woke up in the evening, they told me everything went ok.
The next day I was allowed to get out of bed. On the same room there was another hernia-patient (he had the same name, but a hernia on the left side at exact on the same height, so you could imagine the fun we had in preparation to make sure that they operated us on the correct side)
He was much more able to do things and I was a lot stiffer. I did not had the feeling that I could do what I expected. But he, it was my first hernia. It's all new to me.
After four days of excercises and lying in bed they let me go home (normal procedure) and I had to lie down for four weeks in my own bed. Yeah, sounds nice, but I got bored after 5 minutes.
I was allowed to walk 5 or 6 times a day for half an hour and received trining from a physiotherapist on a regular base.
Since the beginning I had the feeling it wasn't all 100% good. I still had a tingling in my right leg. Lessm but it was there. I could also move my leg a little bit more; I think 30 degrees. It was an improvement, but not what I've expected
I was so glad that after four weeks I was aloud out of bed. The house drove me crazy. Called to the soccer-stadium and asked if they could arange a ticket for me so I can watch the game. Also called somebody to pick me up because I was not allowed to drive myself.
Had a nice evening. It was cold and snowing. But I sat in the radio-room, heated with a nice TV-monitor. Looking at the colleage-photogarphers (including my substitue) sitting there with their thick parka's and gloves.
Since that moment I was alloud to do more things. To expand my activities. Together with the physiotherapist we started doing more. Drove a car for myself (short distance, but I was mobile again) Started swimming, to improve recovery.
But all in all I was still a very stiff man, with a very stif and painfull back, and still a leg that wouldn't go up for more than 30 degrees.
After two more weeks I went back to the doctor for a check-up and told him the whole story and the feeling I had; if this is all they can do, I want my money back. Not my money, but the insurrance paid a lot and I didn't get what I expected. Strangley it doesn't work this way. I don't understand why because if I don't come up with the expected results to my clients, I have a problem. So why does it not work for a hospital.
The doctor agreed that my condition was not the right condition for a operated patient. So we made a new scan.
Tada; "congratulations. You have a new hernia. Exact the same location. What a bummer. But we could operate it again."
That time we where 3 months after the first operation. I could move my leg for 45 degrees now and that's the physical limit (my left leg won't go up much further, this is how my body works)
But I had much more problems with the stiffness and pain in my back. That wouldn't be solved by any operation.
I deceided to wait. I was wondering what would happened in the two months from than. Was the problem of the leg getting worse or not. If it doesn't, why operate. This was something I could live with and they can not garranty me that everything will be solved with a seccond operation. And the pain in my back was the thing that hold me down and that won't be solved with a procedure. So why operate right now?
After two months I went back. Nothing improved. And an operation won't improved anything I thought. So deceided not to operate. The doctor agreed.
The total time I could not do anything was two months. Cost me jobs. Cost me money. I knew this before, so I made arangements.
Found a realy nice job just before the outcome of the second scan. A real great job. I'm now photographing cars that are being smashed to pieces (crash-testing-laboratorium)
They know I have a hernia, they know I can not do all the work and sometimes I'm not able to do some heavy work.
But they accepted that and I'm realy happy here.
My back is still ery stiff and sometimes very painfull. They say it will get better in time. But it could take years.
I tried to live with it. It goes.
I can't play snooker or volleybal anymore (loved doing that)
Very long walks are not an option. But as far as taking pictures, I'm still taking them and more than before. |
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 9:46 AM on 11.05.10 |
->> Jeroen--
Are you describing a hernia of the abdominal muscle wall or a herniated disc of the spinal column? |
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Peter Wine, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Dayton | OH | USA | Posted: 6:52 PM on 11.05.10 |
->> I had surgery for a strangulated hernia in 2008, and was ordered not to lift anything more than a gallon of milk for - I think - two weeks.
Was allowed back to work after about 6 weeks. |
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Jeroen de Jong, Photographer
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Waalwijk | _ | Netherlands | Posted: 7:16 AM on 11.06.10 |
->> @Steve, I have no idea what your talking about :D
my englisch is not bad, but not so good that I know a lot of medical terms.
It was between two discs in the spinal. The exact location was L5 i believed. A very normal hernia because a lot of the people that I spoke to in advance (I did a little bit of homework, just like photographing something for the first time) said that was the most common place. |
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Jeroen de Jong, Photographer
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Waalwijk | _ | Netherlands | Posted: 2:44 AM on 11.11.10 |
| ->> May I be so kind to ask why you need the information? |
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 7:49 AM on 11.11.10 |
->> Jeroen--
I ask for the purpose of clarity.
In English medical terminology, a hernia is simply an abnormal bulge. This is extreme simplification, but essentially correct.
What you have experienced is actually a herniated disc, sometimes called in English simplified medical terms as a "slipped disc."
I believe Debra and a few others were referring to a different type of hernia, that is where a fissure, or opening, of a muscular wall allows a protrusion. Typically this involves the abdominal wall and a section of intestine.
Two entirely different medical conditions and both involve the word hernia.
Thus the desire for clarity. |
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Jeroen de Jong, Photographer
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Waalwijk | _ | Netherlands | Posted: 9:56 AM on 11.11.10 |
->> Whooooo, a lot of difficult words :D:D
I understand that there are probably different types of hernias, but I'm wondering why Debra asked her question in the first place.
Why does she want to know about our experiences.
My hernia makes it difficult to do my job as a photographer. But I'm still able to take pictures.
But I would nog say it's something that's typicaly for photographers. It can happen to everybody, it can make it difficult for every occupation |
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