Question about Hernia surgery

[ask1288]

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hi, all, am going to be a freshman med student starting this fall, so figured i could try my luck at getting some free medical advice here. Here's the issue: i just had a laparoscopic hernia surgery done. Problem is after the surgery i found that there was still something extra (a soft bag like thing) in my scrotum. prior to the surgery my hernia was retractable i.e. i could push everything extra (minus testis) back into the abdomen. Now howewer there is a mesh and so this bag like thing is in my scrotum for good 🙁

I asked my surgeon what it was and he said when he pulled my colon up he had to cut part of the membrane and leave it in the scrotum for fear of injuring my testis. My problem is, is that fluid filled cavity in my scrotum safe for me? i.e will it rot? what if it ruptures, will it release toxic stuff for me? any advice? 😕

i will sincerely appreciate your advice on this issue

many thanks
ask

 

[FliteSurgn]

Your surgeon repaired the hernia (the defect in your abdominal wall), but left the hernia sac in place. He transected the sac rather than dissecting it off of your spermatic cord. Some surgeons routinely do this during lap hernia repairs. This leaves you with a hydrocele, at least temporarily. This may or may not resolve on it's own. If it doesn't resolve and/or becomes symptomatic (enlarges or causes discomfort) then the hydrocele can be excised either through the groin or the scrotum. I'd prefer the latter in this situation.

The other consideration is that swelling in the scrotum isn't entirely unexpected after a hernia repair. You really need to wait things out for a while to see how this responds over the next few months. As to your other concerns, it will not rot or rupture.

 

[ask1288]

many thanks, your help and advice is much appreciated. Wishing you all the best.
ask 🙂

 

[mustangsally65]

Wow, that doesn't sound like much fun. I'm female, and had a traditional inguinal hernia repair in 2001. The recovery was pretty bad, but I can't imagine having the hernia sac left in your scrotum. I thought it was bad enough when I was left with a numb area in my groin about 2 inches long. I still have neuralgia from it. Gotta have a laparoscopic repair sometime this year for the other side ( 😡 ) and hope it's not as painful as the open repair.

I feel for ya, dude. Hope you get better soon. 👍

 

[ask1288]

ooh, 🙁 your expereince sounds rough...

From my expereince, (apart from the fact that the sac was left in the scrotum), i would think laparoscopic repar isn't that bad. Recovery is quick and pain is bearable. (in fact if i was to do it again, (which i hope i do not ever have to) i think i'd not take the darvocet for pain as the side effects (constipation, dry mouth etc are not pleasant).

Anyway, thanks for the good wishes, and good luck to you with the surgery and all else
ask

 

[Yasergale]

ur surgeon did the right think. Dissecting the full sac would risk disrupting the blood supply to your testes (remember there's two: testicular artery and arteries from the scrotum itself). If ur surgeon dissected out the sac then you could get testicular atrophy