Patient Scenarios
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Scenarios not based on real-life patient events, but on situations that may occur.
Meet Bob: He had an inguinal hernia
It felt like he had pulled a muscle.
Bob was in his mid-forties, and his job kept him busy but indoors. That’s why he liked to get outdoors on weekends to camp and fish. When he felt a pain while fishing one day, Bob’s first thought was that he might have pulled a muscle. It started as a sharp pain on the left side of his groin, and became a dull ache when he was resting. It hurt more if he coughed or tried to lift something.
He could feel a small lump in his groin. In time it became clear that the pain was being caused by something worse than a pulled muscle. Bob decided that he had better see a doctor, in case something was seriously wrong.
The doctor diagnosed an inguinal hernia.
After examining Bob, the doctor confirmed that his pain was caused by an inguinal hernia. Bob was then scheduled to have his hernia repair operation within 4 weeks.
The procedure took place in the early morning, and Bob went home the same day. Surgical techniques for repairing hernias have come a long way in the last decade, and advanced hernia repair tools make the procedure easier on the patient than ever. Bob had to rest, but felt a lot better than he had imagined. He’d been expecting a more difficult process.
Recovery was easier than he expected.
The night after surgery, Bob found that lying flat in his bed was uncomfortable. To take pressure off of his incision, he spent the night sleeping in his easy chair.
Other than that, Bob was pleasantly surprised to find recovery a lot easier than he had expected it would be. The next day, for example, he worked from home via phone and even took a walk around the block. Four days later, he was back at work. Ten days later, the doctor removed Bob’s surgical staples.
Bob credits his speedy recovery to his surgeon and the mesh product he chose to repair the hernia, the ULTRAPRO* Hernia System.
Risks and Complications
All surgical procedures are associated with some risk. Talk to your surgeon prior to surgery about possible risks and complications.
Scenarios not based on real-life patient events, but on situations that may occur.
Meet Ramon: He had an umbilical hernia
He felt a small bump right above his navel.
Ramon was an office manager in his mid-fifties, and spent most of his working days either driving or sitting down at a desk. In his free time, he enjoyed playing tennis or working out at the gym. When he felt a small bump just above his navel one day, he felt worried but hoped it would feel better in time.
After a few days, however, it began to hurt when he stood up or bent down, especially if he tried to lift something heavy. When he had to ask a coworker to change the paper in the photocopier because of his discomfort, Ramon realized that the problem would not fix itself. He had to see a doctor.
The surgery was easier than he had expected.
Ramon’s surgery was easier than he had expected, and required only one small incision in his navel. The operation took place in the late afternoon, and by the following morning he was back home and on his feet, slowly getting back into the swing of things. His wife brought him a pair of track pants with a drawstring waistband to take the pressure off of his abdomen, and helped him up the stairs when they got back to their house.
Ramon took a few days off from work, but by the end of the weekend he was feeling much better. He realized that fixing his hernia was less difficult than living with it, and once he recovered, he was back to his old self, tennis and all.
Risks and Complications
All surgical procedures are associated with some risk. Talk to your surgeon prior to surgery about possible risks and complications.
Scenarios not based on real-life patient events, but on situations that may occur.
Meet Louisa: She had a ventral hernia
It was like another bout of appendicitis.
About five months after Louisa’s appendectomy, she felt a pain in her lower abdomen during yoga. It was almost like another bout of appendicitis, but how could that be? She didn’t have an appendix! The pain was worse if she stood up straight, and she noticed a bulge in the area. She thought something was wrong, and she went to the doctor right away.
The pain turned out to be a ventral hernia. It’s called an incisional hernia, and can happen at the site of any previous surgery in the abdomen. Louisa’s appendectomy had left a weak spot in her abdominal wall, which had given way to a hernia.
It was a good thing they caught the problem right away.
Louisa wasn’t thrilled about having to schedule another surgery, but her doctor said it was a good thing that they caught the problem right away.
They could fix the hernia with a small, flexible mesh that would work with the body to create a strong hold over the tear. The small mesh would also be partially absorbed during the healing process. This sounded good to Louisa. She didn’t want to have to worry about her hernia, and she didn’t want to have some large piece of material left inside her body after the surgery. When the surgery date was set, her doctor told her to relax until then.
She didn’t want to worry about her hernia.
When she got to the hospital, Louisa remembered how she felt when she’d gone in for her appendicitis. This time, she was a lot more confident, because she knew what to expect from the experience. Her surgeon repaired her ventral hernia laparoscopically, and the three incisions in her abdomen were very small. Louisa had to rest for about a day after the surgery, but just like her appendix operation, the procedure didn’t keep her down for long.
Once she was back home, Louisa followed the doctor’s orders. She walked around her house and was careful not to strain herself. Within a few days, she felt more energetic, and the pain dissipated.
Risks and Complications
All surgical procedures are associated with some risk. Talk to your surgeon prior to surgery about possible risks and complications.
