Hernia surgery waiting list

MMcNally

Has anyone here had surgery for a hernia recently? I feel I might have one - going to the doctor tomorrow to get it checked, but would like to know how long roughly the waiting list is as I was hoping to go travelling in the not too distant future! I don't have health insurance unforunately.

An idea of what the surgery is like would be nice as well, so I'd like to hear people's experiences of it if you've ever had it done.

wickan

My dad just went on the list last week he was told it would be about a year this was for the hospital in Letterkenny.

MMcNally

Wow, that's a lot longer than I would have thought. I found a report on the average waiting time for Irish hospitals that gave the average wait time for hernia repair at 3 months, but the most recent version of the report that I could find is from 2010 so I guess it's it could have changed a lot in that time.

uch

Waiting times vary greatly depending on your local hospital. I had surgery last year and was waiting six weeks, where as the next nearest hospital I'd have been waiting 8 months

uck51js9zml2yt

It's worth seeing a consultant privately If your gp thinks it's hernia.
His secretary will be able to tell you waiting times for public and private.
You can then be treated publicly. Just tell him.
Also ask the Secretary were he operates and waiting times. You may be able to choose.

Gael23

Will be about a year for something like that. If you can, I suggest you pay to see the consultant privately and then get the surgery done public. You will still be in for a wait though

wilbur the 1st

Am a medical card holder was forwarded by my G.p approximately 5 years ago for an inguinal hernia repair in Letterkenny. It took two years before I was assessed and was told there was no problem by the assessor, which I didn't accept. I had it rechecked by another G.P in the same practice and was reassessed again about a year later during which the assessor read my previous examination notes which stated he had found a lump. March this year I was sent to Ballykelly in the North for a preop assessment in which the consultant stated I had not one but two hernias, informed me of the intended procedure that he intended to use and he would see me in a few weeks. After waiting a further 3 months I contacted Ballykelly who told me that my procedure had not gone ahead as Letterkenny had not signed off for the procedure. I then rang Letterkenny and was informed that the decision for approving surgery was the responsibility of someone in Galway(I forget who at this stage) and that funding was so short that cancer sufferes were prioritized. I was told that my procedures have been postponed indefinitely.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I'd second not leaving it and having it removed privately, if you could. My mother was on the waiting list almost a year waiting for hers to be removed, and 5 days before her date for surgery it ruptured.

barbs84

my gp said iv a hernia he refered me to surgeon got called to see surgeon 2 weeks after seeing doctor surgeon said he'd put me on hes urgent list as the hernia is very large so id be called for surgery soon. that was last october I rang hes Secretary 4 weeks after my app with surgeon to see how long id be waiting she said the urgent list is 2 years long and to ring back in in 18 months time to see where I am on the.waiting list. so much for urgent!!!

mrolaf

My dad got operated on in St james's after 10 mth wait. It depends on your symptoms and how urgent it is.

xabi

Got it done privatly 6 years ago, saw the consultant on a Tuesday mid December and he said he could fit me in for surgery the following week if i wanted or wait until after xmas.

I went ahead the following week, its fairly straight forward procedure but they knocked me out for it. He explained that they would make an incision, push the hernia back to where it should be, block up the gap with some mesh and stitch me back up.

I had to stay the night and got out the next day with a load of strong pain killers. The pain lasted a day or two and wasnt that bad, no heavy lifting, running, etc... I was back in work 3 days later...

This was an inguinal hernia that i had been living with for about 10 years, kept putting the repair off, go for it, its no big deal.