You need a lumbar MRI to rule out your spine and if clear, an ultrasound guided injection of bupivicaine around the LFCN to see if it temporarily relieves your thigh pain. If so, that is diagnostic of Meralgia Paresthetica. The LFCN absolutely could have been damaged during or as a result of your surgery. Numbness in your hands however is a different issue. MP is easy to diagnose but so many doctors are clueless about it and those that aren't do not understand the severity of the pain for some sufferrers