Common hernia symptoms include pain or discomfort of the lower abdomen. This pain can be caused by the strain of lifting heavy objects, bending over or coughing and can lead to a sense of weakness in the abdomen. Feeling pressure or heaviness in the abdomen can also represent hernia symptoms, as can a burning or aching feeling at the point of the bulge/hernia.
Often the hernia can disappear when you lie down. If you experience any of these symptoms, visit your GP.
What happens during Hernia repair surgery?
Hernia Repair restores the contents of the hernia back to their original location. The contents of the hernia are pushed back into place and the operation aims to strengthen the abdominal walls to prevent it happening again.
What are the benefits of surgery?
After your hernia repair in our medical facilities, you should no longer have the hernia. Surgery should prevent you from having any serious complications that an untreated hernia can cause.
If a hernia is left untreated it is unlikely that it will go away and in most cases the hernia will get larger as time goes on causing more discomfort.
Although other treatments may help the symptoms associated with a hernia it is important to know that surgery is the only suitable option to completely repair a hernia.
What should I know about Hernia surgery?
At your consultation at Kingsbridge Private Hospital Sligo your Consultant will discuss all aspects of your surgery with you and advise on any concerns you may have.
Local anaesthesia completely blocks pain from the affected area and you will stay awake during the operation. If you are having hernia repair under a general anaesthetic you will be asked to fast before your operation. This means that you should not eat or drink for about six hours before your operation time but our expert surgeons will provide you with the advice you will need to follow.
Types of Hernia Repair
A hernia repair usually takes around 30-50 minutes to perform depending on the type of surgery and individual circumstances.
Open Surgery Hernia Repair can be done under general or local anaesthetic. During the operation your surgeon will make a single cut (about 5 to 10cm long) on your lower abdomen and push the contents of the hernia back into place. A synthetic mesh will then be put in place over the weak spot to help strengthen the wall of the abdomen. The cut on your skin is then stitched to hold it together with dissolvable stitches.
