If you opt for surgery at home, DON’T try to do it yourself

There are a lot of things you can fix around the house without calling a professional.

But one of those things is NOT your own hernia.

That’s the takeaway message from a recent Glendale News-Press item.

Paramedics were called to the home of a Glendale, CA, man who had attempted to remove a protruding hernia from his stomach with a butter knife.

According to the man’s wife, her husband had been upset about the hernia and wanted it removed.

A surgeon at Glendale Adventist Medical Center told the News-Press that hernia repair is a simple surgery that only takes a few minutes. But not when you do it yourself.

He said, “It is absolutely impossible for someone to fix their own hernia.”

Hmmm…that sounds like a challenge. I’ll bet there’s a talented bariatric surgeon out there who would try it on a dare. Or maybe for reality TV fame.

Kidding aside, a friend of mine who had a hernia repaired has this advice: Don’t let it go. The sooner it’s repaired, the more likely it will be successful and won’t require a follow-up fix.

And make sure your surgeon NEVER uses a butter knife.

Sources:
“Man tries surgery on own hernia using butter knife” Veronica Rocha, Glendale News-Press, 7/25/11, glendalenewspress.com