The Hernia Mailbag
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006 7:21AM
Hi. I read what you said on the internet, and it kind of intimidates me. I just had a hernia surgery
about 2 1/2 months ago. About a week ago, I decided that I was feeling good enough, still a
little pain, but good enough to go back to the horn, the sax. I tried playing for about 30 minutes
every morning, but still pain. So my question is how long does it take to heal.
Is it possible that it came back by me playing the horn. I waited about 8 weeks.
So I'm just sort of down. I made an appointment withe the doctor again, and put the horn
down for now.
If you have any suggestions, thanks.
----Sumeet
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Tuesday, May 24, 2005 8:28 AM
Hey there, it's really great to find this website. I am a pro sax player who just had an open inguinal
hernia repair three weeks ago. I have started to play a little. It hurts when I blow hard or when
I play for more than 10 minutes. Now here's my question for you. The first gig I have is in about
two weeks. It's a standard 3.5 hour jazz quartet at a wedding reception kinda thing. From your
experience, does it sound like I'll be ready? I don't really have anyone else to ask. My doctor
thought I'd be playing about a week after surgery, but I don't think he really gets the saxophone.
Any advice you have would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeremy
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Monday, March 28, 2005 9:21 PM
Ever hear of a harp player getting hernias? I got my 1st at 44 YO.
It's mostly drawing (only a few blow bends).
Rod Piazza and Mark Bensen
(bluegrass guy) have both had hernias.
That’s the thing - was it my old tool belt job from the 80's?
Was it snowboarding in the 90's?
Was it playing in 2 jump blues bands in the 2000's?
Most harp notes are draw but there are some blows.
A harp is a reed instrument. My fear is
I won't be able to play even
after the mesh..fuck!
James Day
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Tuesday,
June 15, 2004 4:18 PM
Found your page searching for 'hernia strap heal' in the browser. I developed a inguinal hernia, I believe,
as a result of wearing a wrap around back brace for many months after I developed a back pain from repetitive
light lifting at an office cleaning job. I got immediate relief from the hernia pain by wearing a hernia strap.
This is just a temporary aid till I have it surgically repaired. You might want to add that to your web page.
It costs about $30. The model I bought is named Futuro and is made by Beiersdorf. I bought it from this
company on the web:
http://www.medicalmailorder.com/supports.html
It uses elastic straps and two firm but bendable plastic crescent shaped pads that adjust to 3 positions and
can be removed from the strap. I removed one because the hernia is just on the right side. The only discomfort
I feel when wearing the strap is a little pulling or itching of the abdominal hairs. That's quite an improvement
since the hernia pain sometimes made me unable to stand or walk. Thanks for the encouraging news that the
recovery might just be some hours. The surgery is a week away and I have two weeks scheduled off from work,
but I'm hoping for the few hours or few days recovery period. I've talked with several people who have developed
them and had the surgery. It looks like people who wait years to get it fixed tend to be the ones who take weeks
for the healing to relieve the pain. Mine is just a few months old. I had hoped the strap, worn for a long time, might
give it a chance to heal on it's own. But, just sitting here having some morning coffee and typing at the computer
without yet having the strap on, I can feel a burning sensation starting to set in.
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(followup message to the
above posting)
Hi.
My hernia repair surgery went fine, no pain
afterward. Just wanted to pass on one more thing about
wearing a hernia strap. The instructions that came with it written by the
manufacturer say it is just for
temporary use, that only surgery can repair a hernia. I mentioned
to my anesthesiologist that I wore
one and he commented that he has known people who have worn them for years only
to end up needing
surgery because the strap stops helping after a while. The constant
pressure from the strap pad or pads
eventually wears down the body tissues. He said it makes surgical repair
very hard to do then when the
tissues have been worn down. Just a warning in case you add info
about a strap to your web page.
Thanks.
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Tuesday, December 9th, 2003 9:20 AM
Hi,
I'm 48 years old and I just read
your page on the Internet. It was so bizarre, as if you were describing me.
I was a pro musician in my 20's, and I play a mid 60's Selmer Mark VI tenor
with a Dukoff D8 and I have
a Walt Johnson case. I now do a desk job (phone support for electronic surgical
systems).
I just came back to work after 4
months of medical leave. I had a tumor in my right tonsil and soft palate,
for which I underwent a 12 hour surgery followed by 6 weeks of radiation. It
was hell and I am still suffering
from the side effects of the radiation (mouth sores similar to Herpes). I was
almost to the point where I was
ready to try playing again (I had been playing a couple of gigs a month before
I found out about the cancer)
when I found a golf ball sized lump in my right groin area. Here I go again.
I'm reasonably sure its an
inguinal hernia since my dad and both brothers have had hernias as well, but I
will have it checked out today to be sure. Thanks for the information on
surgical options. Hopefully if I look
into it soon, I can get the Prolene
patch, and have it done as an outpatient operation. I have the good fortune
of having great insurance and I also work for Karl Storz (a company that makes
endoscopic surgical equipment).
I just felt compelled to write to you. Good luck, and thanks again.
Randy Smith
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May
05, 2003 - 06:25 PM hi, |