Child Hernia Operation Advice

[MrPopo]

I imagine that 1 year would be the cutoff, since the rate of growth is so rapid in that first year of life and then drastically drops off from there.

[Nyukki]

thanks for everyone's advice. he's been ok this weekend and generally very cheerful. My wife also says thanks to everyone for replying.

infact, i've had many more replied here than on that expat forum. just goes to show what a friendly bunch retro gamers are.

[Retrozoa]

[Deleted]

[Frag Mortuus]

I was born three months premature (in 1981 that was nearly a death sentence considering in this decade a baby still only has a 50/50 chance of surviving when born that premature). With that came a ton of medical problems. One of which was a massive hernia. I honestly don't know if it was that same kind however, the hernia was in my groin. So that makes me think it was. My mom said the operation happened when I was a baby. So, Like others have said, I would get a second, third or even fourth opinion. If they all agree, then maybe they are on to something. But, if this hernia could affect development or cause him intense pain, I would do everything I could to ensure that he is getting the proper care.

No real advise here, but as a parent, I can definitely commiserate. If my son had that issue, I would freak out.

[Nyukki]

Thanks all,

He's been much better the last few days. Went to another, much better hospital and met with their hernia expert who apparently has 25 years experience. He was basically saying the first doctor's diagnosis was dubious as unless the patient has the hernia sticking out when the doctor is looking, it is difficult to tell. The second doctor also asked us if the first doctor said it was on the left or the right side, which he didn't further making us think he was just trying to get rid of us quickly and make us buy the hernia belt (which the second doctor and other online research since has recommended us not to use).

The second doctor (Dr. Zhang), recommended next time our son starts crying wildly to actually check the groin area and take a picture to take to the hospital. So we did that when he was crying the next day and showed the doctor. There didn't appear to be a hernia.

Another common cause of discomfort in infants apparently is when stomach kind of bunches together and gets hard, which left unattended to is obviously very dangerous. The way to check for this is when your kid stops crying, kinda squish his stomach a bit to see if it's soft. If it's hard even when not screaming, then there might be a problem. Also, if his/her stomach's in pain then he/she probably won't let you touch it so it will be quite obvious.

So we tested for this and he was fine. Lately he's had a bit of a blocked nose and has woken up unable to breath so was screaming a lot. Not much you can do there, a cold is a cold. It's pretty much past now so hopefully quieter this weekend.

Alas, looking like it was nothing serious after all. Part of it I think is that generally he is so well behaved and quiet that when he finally does start screaming we start panicking. Perhaps for other families this is normal. Still glad we went to the second hospital, learnt a lot. Thanks again for everyone's support.



@Adam

Cool, you live in China too, whereabouts? I'm guessing you're from Scotland due to your Avatar, or just an avid Chinese Rangers fan?

[Nyukki]

Ouch, groin flu, sounds rough. Glad to hear you're better.

Don't know Jinzhou, but I used to travel to Shenyang occasionally on business. The hairy crabs in Panjin are the best!

I work for an insurance company in Beijing, other than that I'm just a family man who plays games sometimes. Give us a shout if you're ever in the capital!

[Nyukki]

Cheers mate, all the best!