How to contact us Day Surgery Theatre Admission Unit Switchboard

LP 0439 07/11 V4 WFO
How to contact us
Day Surgery
Telephone 01709 426500
Theatre Admission Unit
Telephone 01709 427482
Switchboard
Telephone 01709 820000
Rotherham Hospital
Moorgate Road
Rotherham
S60 2UD
Telephone 01709 820000
www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk
Sustainable Forests / Low chlorine
Outpatients/Day Surgery Centre
Your laparoscopic
inguinal hernia
operation
patientinformation
Rotherham HospitalYour health, your choice, our passion
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
What is a hernia?
A hernia is a bulge or weakness in the muscles
that form the front of the body wall. An inguinal
hernia is in the groin. They can be on either sides
and can be present from birth. Sometimes, they
develop later in life due to overstraining by persistant
coughing, heavy lifting strenuous sports etc. Hernias
are fairly common and left untreated can get bigger,
cause pain and occasionally cause a blockage
of the bowel.
What does the operation consist of?
Your hernia is to be repaired using “keyhole”
(laparoscopic) surgery. The operation is performed
under general anaesthetic (you will be asleep) and
the hernia is repaired using nylon mesh and stitches
from inside the abdomen using special instruments.
Only 3 small cuts, less than 1cm are made on your
abdomen near the umbilicus (belly button). There
is no need for a 10 to 12cm cut over the hernia in
the groin.
3
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
How long will I be in hospital?
The operation can be done as a day case depending
on your health and the majority of patients quickly
return to their normal activities.
Requirements for a day case
l No health problems requiring an overnight stay
(your pre-assessment nurse or anaesthetist will determine this)
l A responsible adult to take you home by car
l A responsible adult to stay with you for 24 hours after your operation
Are there any alternatives?
Traditionally inguinal hernias have been repaired with
a nylon mesh and stitches via a cut in the groin over
the hernia (open method). This is still a good method
of repair, but patients who undergo the keyhole
operation have less post-operative pain, avoid a
large cut in the groin and recover faster then
patients who undergo the traditional open operation.
Simply waiting and seeing if you have more trouble
is not usually a good idea. The hernia will generally
get worse.
A truss can be worn and may hold the hernia in.
It may be useful as a “stop-gap” until you have the
operation. It should be used as an alternative if you
do not like the idea of an operation or if you are not
well enough for an operation.
4
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
What happens before the operation?
You will be welcomed by the receptionist. You will
have your details checked and the nurse will check
your pulse, temperature, blood pressure and that
nothing has changed since pre-assessment and
that you are appropriately starved.
You will be seen by the surgeon who will be doing
the operation. The operation will be explained to
you and you will be asked to sign your consent
form for the operation, if you have not done so
already. If you are not clear about any part of the
operation, please ask for more details.
You will also be seen by the anaesthetist to check
your health and to discuss your anaesthetic and
pain relief.
Will I have any pain after the operation?
You will be given painkillers by your anaesthetist
while you are asleep. There may be some
discomfort in the abdomen or groin on moving.
Simple painkillers should control this discomfort.
If not, the nurse can give you stronger painkillers
if needed. You will be expected to get out of bed
despite the discomfort. You will not do any harm
and the exercise is helpful for you. By the end of
week one the wound should be virtually pain free.
Please take you painkillers regularly for the first 48
to 72 hours to keep the pain under control, rather
than trying to treat it when it hurts.
5
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
Drinking and eating
You will be able to eat and drink within an hour
of the operation, providing you are not feeling sick.
The wound and stitches
The wounds have dressings, which may show
some staining with blood in the first 24 hours.
The wounds will be covered with plastic dressings
that allow you to shower.
If there are stitches in the wounds you will need to
arrange to have them removed by your practice
nurse about a week after your operation. This will
be discussed on the day of surgery.
There may be some purple bruising around the
wounds that fades to a yellow colour after 2 to 3 days.
There is often some mild swelling/bruising of the area
where the hernia was or the scrotum (especially if the
hernia was large), which also improves in a few days.
Washing
You can wash or shower after 48 hours, the
dressings are only shower proof. They will not stay
on in the bath.
6
Recovering at home
After you leave hospital you are likely to feel tired
when you get home, but this will gradually improve
so that after 1 to 2 weeks, you will be able to return
completely to your usual level of activity. You can
restart sexual relations as soon as you wish.
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
Lifting
Please be careful when lifting. At first discomfort in
the wounds should prevent you from lifting something
too heavy and harming yourself. After one month
you can lift whatever you like. There is no value in
attempting to speed the recovery by special
exercises.
Driving
You can drive as soon as you can make an emergency
stop without discomfort in the wounds, usually within
a week.
Work
You should be able to return to a light job after
about 1 week and any heavy job within 2 weeks.
Are there any side effects?
Side effects are mostly mild and temporary.
l You may feel sick as a result of the general anaesthetic or painkillers. Medicines are available
to help avoid this.
l There may be some soreness in the abdomen
l Possibly some pain in the shoulders, especially
theright shoulder and the upper right part of
the abdomen. This is caused by the gas that is
used to inflate he abdomen. This usually settles
within 24 hours
l Bruising and swelling around the groin area or scrotum is common, if the hernia was large.
The swelling may take 2 weeks to settle down
7
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
Complications
Complications are unexpected problems that can
occur during or after the procedure. Most people
are not affected. However, complications of any
operation are:
l Damage to organs or blood vessels in the
abdomen
l Excessive bleeding
l Conversion to an open operation
l Wound infection
l Swelling of the scrotum
l Aches and twinges may be felt in the wound
or groin for up to 6 months
l The risk of reoccurrence of the hernia is about 2%.
l Developing a blood clot, usually in a vein in the
leg (deep vein thrombosis DVT) – most people
are asked to wear compression stockings to help maintain the blood flow in the veins of the
legs during and after the procedure.
l An abnormal reaction to anaesthetic
8
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
If you notice any of the following symptoms
you should contact the hospital.
l Any of the wounds start to bleed
l Any of the wounds become more painful, red, inflamed or swollen
l Your abdomen swells
l Your pain is not relieved by the prescribed
painkillers
l A fever develops
If you are worried about your condition, telephone
Day Surgery Centre on 01709 426500 and ask to
speak to a nurse.
After 8.00pm at night or at weekends please contact
the number on your discharge letter.
9
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia
Useful contact numbers
NHS Direct Telephone 0845 4647
Patient Services
Telephone 01709 4274461
Freephone 0800 9531303
Health Info Telephone 01709 427190
Quit Smoking Service Telephone 01709 422444
For GP out of hours,
contact your surgery
Useful websites
www.nhs.uk
www.direct.gov.uk
www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk
If you require this document in
another language, large print,
braille or audio version, please
contact Big Word on
0800 8620625 or email
patientinformation@rothgen.nhs.uk
Produced by Mr Cooper, September 2005.
Revised April 2008,
September 2010 by Dr K Russon & Mr Cooper
Revision due September 2012. Version: 3.0
©The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 2010.
All rights reserved.
10
How to find us
Hospital site plan
Day Nursery
Child
Development
Unit
E
P
D R IV
OAKWOO
D H
AL
L
Oakwood
Hall
Greenoaks
Day Surgery
Centre
Maternity
Entrance
Rotherham
& P
Hospital Accident
Emergency
Healthcare for
Older People
Main
Entrance
Mental
Health Unit
On
eW
ay
Bus stop
Oakwood
Centre for
Rehabilitation
P
Pre-Admission
Centre
BA K
One
ER STR
EET
A61
RGATE ROAD
P
PAY AND
DISPLAY
PARKING
Bus stop
y
wa
Bus stop
MOO
P
8
Rotherham main routes
To Leeds
To Doncaster
Parkgate
Thorpe
Hesley
35
B6089
A633
Kimberworth
Park
A630
A629
Kimberworth
A630
TOWN
CENTRE
Clifton
A6123
Bramley
A6109
North
Herringthorpe
Rotherham
Hospital
34
South
34
To A1, M62
& Hull
East Dene
M1
Woodside
M18
A631
Brinsworth
A630
33
Whiston
M1
32
A630
To
Sheffield
Wickersley
Moorgate
A618
A631
To
Sheffield
A631
1
A631
Treeton
A618
M1
To Nottingham
and the South