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ale_capone
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PostMon Jan 13, 2020 9:22 am 
Thinking I might have something like that going on in my lumbar region right now. Possible a herniated disk pinching nerve. I've had minor sciatica pain that is uncomfortable, but remedies in a day or two. Yesterday morning I felt ok, let out a sneeze, and it felt like someone stuck a knife in my back. Within minutes the pain was so bad I was laying on the floor with tears in my eyes. Remained there for about 4 hours before crawling to the couch. Stayed on couch for remainder of the day. Couldn't put any weight, or use my left leg. Still a little tender today, but not nearly as bad. Thinking about going to the doctor today, but also thinking the er would be full of sore backs from snow shoveling. If it had happened while hiking or skiing, I'm not sure how I would have gotten back. Any movement was excruciating.

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moonspots
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PostMon Jan 13, 2020 9:40 am 
ale_capone wrote:
and it felt like someone stuck a knife in my back. Within minutes the pain was so bad I was laying on the floor with tears in my eyes. Remained there for about 4 hours before crawling to the couch. Stayed on couch for remainder of the day. Couldn't put any weight, or use my left leg.
You may want to consider a chiropractor or physical therapist, to "put things back where they belong". Then maybe a physician to see what's really going on. Until you said 'couldn't use left leg", I thought it could have been kidney stone. I had a case of "laying on the floor with tears in my eyes" a few years ago, and remember that well! eek.gif You may also want to look into "Urgent Care" instead of ER. Usually much quicker to get seen. Seriously, good luck though!

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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ale_capone
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PostMon Jan 13, 2020 9:54 am 
Thanks. Ill see if my insurance will allow pt pre doctor. Other then an MRI, that's probably where the doc is going to send me anyways. Funny you say. Kidney stone was at the front of my mind too. And to keep this nwhikers related, I was laying there thinking. " GB told me to drink more water!" Pain radiates to my hip and outer thigh, but not much above the lower lumbar. It's at least at a tolerable level, so I can move around now. Back to main topic... As far as scarring on an open surgery, I can just barely see or feel it. I think they used super glue to seal the incision.

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Bernardo
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PostMon Jan 13, 2020 7:17 pm 
Bowregard wrote:
Anything that increases abdominal pressure or creates a weakness in the abdominal wall. Obesity Coughing (i.e. smoking, etc.) Sneezing Pregnancy Gender (male is higher) family history Not much of anything you can do beyond maintaining a healthy weight, eat right, and avoid activities that can create undue pressure or weakening. At least that's what they told me.
Pounding down hill is probably something that increases abdominal pressure. Once you get this done you'll probably be a lot stronger in that area. Has anyone here here needed to have the procedure redone?

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Bowregard
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PostTue Jan 14, 2020 9:15 am 
The comment asking whether anyone had to have hernia surgery redone reminded me of the other reason I chose to have the open surgery instead of laparoscopic: My surgeon said they put mesh on both inside and outside of the abdominal wall and he believed that open surgery provided better access for making a secure attachment. That was his explanation for the higher incidence of recurrence with laparoscopic (10%) versus open (5%).

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MtnGoat
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PostTue Jan 14, 2020 2:04 pm 
Had a stone last may, the least fun I've ever experienced. (Worse than a broken elbow.... by a lot. ) It doesn't sound like one but I'm no doc. I had zero thigh pain, only nausea and intense kidney pain. Did I mention the intense part? I got lucky, living in a tiny population area with great medical. Showed up at the ER after being in agony all Friday night, they sent me straight to the exam room and they had me in the MRI in less than 30 min for diagnosis. After a couple hours and some magical pain meds, I was ready for home and the wait till Monday. Monday morning at 8AM I was at the urologists office without an appointment and they took me first. Doc took one look at the MRI and said... that's one of the largest I've ever seen (15mm) I'll see you at the hospital in 3 hours. By noon I was under and by 3PM I was waking up, all fixed. Felt great, even had dinner at Rivertap on the way home. 7 hour cycle time from a no appt doc visit to recovery room at the hospital, is pretty damn amazing. And of course, the advice, drink more water. A gallon a day he recommended, but I think that was a stretch goal because I can barely make it past 3 quarts if I want to hit the sack without feeling bloated.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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neek
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PostThu Jan 23, 2020 8:00 pm 
Well, I survived. The surgery itself (yesterday) was nothing. The worst part was 4 attempts at getting the IV in. Local was definitely the way to go although I was disappointed to be woken from a somewhat euphoric state. Today sucks, inguinal canal is on fire when I stand up. Certainly nothing compared to a stone, or Ale's back problem - hope that cleared up. Anyway, all good so far for me.

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Sculpin
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 10:06 am 
Just saw this thread. I had this surgery about 20 years ago and never had a problem after that. The hernia never hurt before the surgery, it just bugged me. The day after surgery is when the full price is paid. No amount of medication can prevent the repaired area from screaming every time you move it. waah.gif Tomorrow will be better and then it will be over. And we have a remarkable ability to forget pain (not forget that we were in pain). A little rant: the aversion to opioids is way over the top right now. They are wonder drugs for pain and there is no substitute. Just stop taking them after you recover, no matter how much you want to feel that high again. hockeygrin.gif

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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NWtrax
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 10:25 am 
One little recovery tip, don't use your time laid up to catch up on Comedies.

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neek
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 10:25 am 
Well I took one oxy and it didn't do much so decided to skip the rest to avoid the risk of constipation which sounds pretty unpleasant since it's a challenge right now just to squeeze out a fart. Sorry maybe TMI. But yeah there's a bit of overreaction now, no surprise, although there's always been considerable difference among doctors. Some were always paranoid but others would give out a 90 day supply without thinking twice. We need to have consistent standards and metrics around these things.

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MtnGoat
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 11:35 am 
I'm glad to hear it went well. Let the docs decide what is appropriate. What is standard for one person can condemn someone else to excruciating pain.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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DigitalJanitor
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 12:07 pm 
neek wrote:
Well I took one oxy and it didn't do much so decided to skip the rest...
FWIW my father, sister, and I all seem to have very bad reactions to opioids... basically they make us feel so generally terrible and pukey that it can be worse than the pain we're trying to treat. My sister and dad have both done chemo and radiation, and sister's situation was so intractable they resorted to loading her with zofran in addition to the pain meds. Dad powered through his treatment just with ibuprofen and/or tylenol after a bad few days with the heavier meds. Dad and I both have also noted that it takes a stupid long time for the effects to wear off, vastly longer than the dosage time interval noted on the bottle. I am extremely lucky to have only needed pain management a couple times over the decades (wisdom tooth extraction and drilling in a tooth implant post). But my experience so far plus family history just makes me pray that I won't have to do surgery for anything at all, because I have a feeling it might get 'interesting'. shakehead.gif We really need alternative pain meds.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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Cyclopath
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 12:29 pm 
Since everyone is talking about pain meds, I'll say it again. They're valuable in your first aid kit. If you fall and break a rib or injure your ankle, pain medicine can mean the difference between getting out on your own power that day, or waiting at least overnight for a helicopter rescue. Here's a great podcast about anesthesia. It starts off talking about what surgery was like before we (humans) discovered the stuff. Six strong men held you down while they cut through your body. It was the worst thing that could happen to a person and many would take their lives to avoid it. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/anesthesia

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Sculpin
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PostSat Jan 25, 2020 10:56 am 
DigitalJanitor wrote:
my father, sister, and I all seem to have very bad reactions to opioids... basically they make us feel so generally terrible and pukey
Now don't mistake me for an opioid pusher... rolleyes.gif ..but I hear this a lot. And then I ask, "did you eat something before you took the pill?" And the answer is "Um, no, I don't think so." Usually you have no appetite after anesthesia. So then I tell them that everyone, that's EVERYONE, gets horribly nauseous if they take an opioid pill on an empty stomach. Right on the bottle, it says "take with food." The doctor prescribes stool softeners with the opioids and they work very well. So, DJ...ever tried one with food in your stomach?

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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neek
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PostSat Jan 25, 2020 11:43 am 
Sculpin wrote:
Usually you have no appetite after anesthesia.
I've been ravenous since waking up. Maybe a function of local vs general anesthesia. 25 years ago I had general and remember waking up puking blood, so yeah not very appetizing. (The blood was from where the wisdom teeth were, nothing to be concerned about.)
Sculpin wrote:
So then I tell them that everyone, that's EVERYONE, gets horribly nauseous if they take an opioid pill on an empty stomach. Right on the bottle, it says "take with food."
I had one at midnight on a completely empty stomach and noticed nothing, good or bad. Bottle doesn't mention anything about taking with food. Wife was surprised because indeed some people do get sick.
Sculpin wrote:
The doctor prescribes stool softeners with the opioids and they work very well.
Yup cool.gif Cyclopath: I read up on medieval surgeries before the procedure. Somehow it made things not seem so bad!

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