Hernia operation and RSD.
 

I've had RSD for 20 years and with medications and change in life style it has become almost tolerable. Really I have a pretty good life. I can still work one handed and am doing research that is very important to me. I have family nearby and can still enjoy helping them and visiting. My primary problems are fear and fear of returning uncontrollable pain.

I've acquired an inguinal hernia which has severely crimped my lifestyle and made a lot of work impossible or impossibly difficult. I'm not doing much with my left hand but it's still inconvenient to hold myself together while doing anything.

My primary goal is, I guess, is to never to need to stop pain with final measures. I'm getting a little older and would greatly prefer a more natural exit. Anything else would cause far too much mental pain.

Obviously I need a good surgeon if I do it and an epidural. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The pain from the hernia is nothing notable so long as I keep it reduced. It's very uncomfortable when things come out or go back in.

Thanks in advance.

I don't have any experience with this but definitely do a search for RSD surgery protocols or similar because I know I have seen others post about different protocols to minimize the risk of spread. One thing I think I remember reading was to make sure you take vitamin c.

I had a csection when my daughter was born and it spread internally where they severed the nerves...so I definitely recommend having any surgeon partner with your pain management dr (if they aren't the same person) to ensure they do everything they can to minimize the change of spread of the RSD to that area and to help keep your pain manageable during recovery.

Wishing you the best of luck with your surgery...I hope it helps get you back to a manageable baseline.

Thank you.

I took the vitamin C and lots of grape seed extract. I think I got away with it. I also took a little extra gabapentin and stayed away from the pain killers because they cause me constipation.

I think it might have been wiser to travel to one of the big cities and gotten an epidural but the doctor said that the robotic surgery caused minimal distress and my nervous system has been a little more robust in the last few years. Any travel is difficult for me.

Things seem to be slowly returning to normal.