I don't have personal experience from having been treated at Shouldice, but I worked with one man and have 2 neighbours who were referred there by their doctors. They all had successful hernia repair and were happy with the outcome, with no complications. Here in Ontario, it has an excellent reputation and I've heard that people from other provinces are even referred there by their doctors, as it is a facility dedicated to the specialty of hernia repair.

Sorry about the typos in my subject line. Posted before my first cup of coffee.

pickyshopper - thanks so much for your post. Looks like that's where DH will have the repair. Just a bit nervous not knowing anyone having any firsthand knowledge of the credibility of Shouldice's credentials.

Why doesn't he want laparoscopic surgery? Isn't it easier on the body? Just curious.

I have had several friends who have had surgery in the US and it was with the replacement mesh and done laparoscopically.One is a fellow cyclist and also a fire fighter. He is , as you can imagine, extremely active and has to be able to carry heavy weight in his work as a firefighter in Atlanta. All had perfect recoveries. My friend balked initially at the recovery times but we all encouraged him to listen to the Dr. He did and made a great recovery and is back at work at the firehouse and no ill effects.

I am curious, as an RN , what your DH sees as the problem with the surgery here in the US. c

Two members in my family (male) have had the surgeries with the mesh. I'm not sure that either were laparoscopic though. Both did well and have not had problems. However, in recent years, I know of a few people who have had trouble with the mesh that is used in this and other surgeries, particularly bladder repair, etc. In the surgery your husband is going to have, will they use mesh? Just curious, the mesh would be a consideration to me.

tina

Just read about the procedure on the Canadian website. If I had read it first I would not have had to ask why someone would go there for that surgical repair of a hernia. Wow...sure sounds way better and safer and way more medically sound. I can't imagine why Dr in the US haven't adopted this decades ago. c

Somewhat ironically, I have to ask, though, am I the only one old enough who remembers when the mesh hernia repair tecnhnique was introduced to the US as the "Canadian" method?

Helene

Thanks for the input. Trail hit it on the head. Once DH found Shouldice, there really wasn't any other intention in his mind. DH doesn't want to have laprocopic procedure, and he does not want any mesh, either plug or patch which are the gold standard here in the US. He hates pain meds and lives on exercise, vitamins and is careful about what he puts into his body. So, he doesn't want the polypropaline (sp?) patch & plug that are offered at the surgeon with whom we've consulted with here in the US, and just about anyone in the US who has hernia repair, gets a mesh patch.

Shouldice does not give general anesthesia to everyone, many are just done with a block and twilight, a straight incision/four way stitch up of the hernia area needing repair(NO MESH). You do stay at their location for a few days after, that is the thing that insurance in US doesn't want to pay for. They want you in and out in one day if possible.

We have researched the repair options since it would be preferrable for this to be repaired and done for good. I have read about and watched too many videos of the mesh repair gone awry. I've listened to many an acquaintance who have had the same hernia repaired more than twice. DH is an active person who enjoys the gym and other activities that require some amount of lifting. So, DH will be making the trek to have the repair done the way he feels makes the most sense for him.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shouldice Center for hernia repair

I don't have any experience with this clinic, but I just wanted to say that this post makes me feel really good. So many times people put down the Canadian healthcare system, thinking that because we have free healthcare, we must use back-alley, archaic methods. It makes me happy when people acknowledge that this isn't the case.