“Should I Have Surgery?”
I am a 69 yr old male with underlying medical conditions (type-2 diabetes, hypertension) being treated with drug therapies. I was diagnosed with bi-lateral hernias late last year. They were/are not a major problem, periodic discomfort, and mild pain only. Because of the present conditions, do I contemplate having surgery now or wait for a Covid-19 vaccine?
Male | 69 years old
Complaint duration: 6 months
Medications: lisinopril, simvastatin, lansoprazole, meloxicam (when needed)
Conditions: diabetes, hypertension
5 Answers
If the pain becomes more severe or you develop incarcerated or strangulated hernia. These are surgical emergencies.
I would go ahead and proceed with the surgeries. They can be performed laparoscopically today with very minimal discomfort. The risk of avoiding surgery is that if a hernia becomes incarcerated in a knuckle a bell becomes gangrenous then you have some very serious problems to include either an ileostomy or a colostomy or God forbid both! If it were me I would go ahead and have it done.
If the hernias are not affecting your work, lifestyle or sleep, you dont need the surgery right away, however if your hernias are painful or if you develop nausea, vomiting, constipation and abdominal distention, you need to rush to the nearest emergency
It is generally safe to wait on hernia repairs if you do not have any symptoms or even if you have minimal symptoms. Hernias tend to get larger and more symptomatic as time goes on. I have been safely operating on patients during the COVID pandemic while taking the appropriate precautions. Discuss with your surgeon in detail about measures taken in your community to ensure your safety.
That will all depend on where you live and the current COVID status of your hospital. If elective surgery is being performed at your hospital, it is probably safe to proceed with surgery. Most hospitals are taking precautions to minimize risk to both patients and hospital staff and availability and effectiveness of vaccine is unknown. Best to talk to your surgeon who would have the current status and determine how soon you should have the surgery.
