Hernia can you fly

Are different types of hernias treated differently when it comes to travel insurance? Can you fly with a hernia? How soon can you fly after open hernia surgery? Compare Travel Insurance We search over 35 travel insurance providers to save you hassle and money.

Get Quotes. We cover strangulation at some length on this site, but that is not all that causes sudden problems. Given the potential for extremely unpleasant problems — or even dangers of worse — it is very sensible to consider the nature of any holiday or other trip away from home when one knows he or she has a hernia.

Clearly, apart from a ruined holiday, the considerations must include:. Our advice is, once you know you have a hernia problem, have it seen to before going away.

Depending upon the way it is repaired and the experience of the surgeon you choose, your recovery could be much quicker than you expect. When you are caught in an unplanned situation, your choices are likely to be severely limited. It really is a very poor decision to risk any hernia problems while away from home.

There are some really important considerations: Hernias can be quite asymptomatic ie unnoticeable in terms of pain or discomfort, but that does not mean they will stay that way. Clearly, apart from a ruined holiday, the considerations must include: The level of activity that is going to be involved. Carrying luggage, even lifting on the scales at check-in or off the carousel at destination The nature of the holiday.

Thus you can be fitted in with the Surgeon and listed hospital of your choice. This service applies to both insured and non-insured fee paying patients. WorkCare patients will need time to have their claim assessed. How much does it cost? Most of our operations are as a day case, so the excess can be determined by contacting your health fund and asking for a day case excess fee. The types of item numbers we use are , , or depending on the type of hernia.

All the hospitals we operate in are approved hospitals and will obtain maximum cover including the cost of the mesh.

You will receive a quote for this if you phone 03 or email us. You need to identify the particular type of hernia you have. We may take into account particular circumstances such as pensioners. It is simplest to discuss all of these details at the first visit. The health insurance you have taken out is really a hospital insurance and is not really a medical insurance.

It is not in keeping with the real cost of providing a private surgical practice. We believe the fees we are charging are reasonable.

When you call 03 , you will be given an estimated cost depending on the type of hernia you have. This covers the hospital for a day case, including the provision of the mesh. An allowance is made for Medicare, as the medical fees are partially refundable from Medicare to the tune of several hundred dollars. The total fees are paid prior to surgery — usually with a credit card. You can then claim the Medicare rebate for the medical fees provided. We do take into consideration pensioners and disadvantaged.

This can be raised at the time of consultation. Why do you need an Assistant? He allows the Surgeon to concentrate on doing the operation rather than having to try to move things around.

There is a saying — many hands make light work — and it is the same in surgery. For a hernia operation it probably decreases the operating time by at least five or ten minutes. Do I need a referral? Your referring General Practitioner provides us usually with details about your medical condition, medication and an overview of your health.

This is an advantage and does make our consultation easier. However these are not always provided and with every patient we need to go through all of the details to ensure appropriate management is undertaken. For example we need to know whether you are on blood thinning medication prior to surgery, have any allergies to medication or need antibiotics during surgery.

The referral allows you to claim back part of the medical fees. Without this referral you are unable to claim these back. In Australia the system works so that the patient does not go directly to the Specialist but is seen by the General Practitioner to assess the necessity for Specialist referral.

We do have some patients who have problems getting a referral for a variety of reasons — such as in a remote area, not having a regular General Practitioner, waiting times etc. We prefer you to have a referral from your regular General Practitioner. However we are able to suggest a General Practitioner in our area for you if necessary. How do I make an appointment? What happens at the first appointment? The Surgeon will introduce himself and will ask you to tell him about your hernia.

He will then ask you a series of questions such as: how long you have had pain or swelling. He will want to know whether you have had any x-rays or ultrasounds, blood tests and their results. As well as identifying your hernia problem, the Surgeon will want to assess your general condition and fitness for surgery should it be required.

You will be asked to stand and be examined whilst standing and also on the couch whilst lying down. Both sides of the groin are examined. Your abdomen will be examined, as will all possible sites in the abdominal wall for a hernia. In men, the scrotal area is checked as hernias can descend into the scrotum. The testes are also checked. Hernia repair is usually a low risk operation but there are factors that require careful consideration. These will be discussed before any decision to operate is made.

We see an increasing number of patients who come along with the diagnosis of a hernia who may in fact have other problems causing the pain or swelling. That is, not all lumps in the groin are hernias. Other conditions which can cause pain in the groin region are, sporting related injuries such as adductor tendonitis, groin strain or osteitis pubis.

In addition there are other causes of pain in the groin such as osteoarthritis of the hip or referred pain from the back.

Other causes of a lump in the groin can be lymph nodes or even an abscess. In a similar manner not all swellings in the scrotum are due to a hernia. Other common conditions are a hydrocele, epididymal cyst or varicocele. These conditions can usually be diagnosed by taking your history and examining you with occasional other investigations.

We also always like to check your abdomen and bowels. Many patients with a groin hernia may get bowel symptoms such as abdominal pain or bloating due to the bowel being caught in the hernia. Nonetheless we cannot always assume this and need to assess further at times. What about arranging the operation? If there are complicating factors such as other conditions, heart problems, and blood thinning medications, allowances may be made for these. In addition we sometimes get you to check out with other Specialists whose care you have been under.

We will arrange this as necessary. You will need to fill in the hospital pre-admission form, which is then submitted to the hospital on your behalf.

We also need you to sign an informed financial consent to ensure you understand all of the different costs. If you are insured you need to check with the hospital or fund you are covered with as to whether you have an excess to pay. If you have taken out your insurance less than one year previously you may not be covered because of the pre-existing rule.

You should let us know so that we can help with this matter. Once the formalities have been completed the Surgeon will speak to you again to ensure that you understand the process and to answer any specific questions you have thought of. You must ensure that we know about your allergies and medications. Are there any risks to the operation? You are also given a form, which explains the risks, and the post-operative care and return to normal activities.

We will discuss all of these issues with you. Generally the risks of surgery for hernia operations are low. If however, if you have a specific risk, which worries you, you should ask about it. What about the mesh and staples? We have been very pleased with its use. It is extremely rare for the mesh to be rejected or become infected and need removal. Many types of mesh have come into use. We mostly use a Polypropylene flat mesh, which is placed between the muscles and is fixed into position with non-magnetic staples no worry at airports or MRI machines.

It has been shown recently that staples give a better result than sutures in terms of recurrence. They also cannot become infected. The meshes come in various strengths, weights and pore size. They can be fashioned or supplied as a variety of plugs. We choose the appropriate mesh for each case. The use of the mesh means that stitching is minimal and muscles do not have to be pulled tightly together — thus there is less pain and less chances of the stitches pulling out.

The technique used means that almost all patients go home the same day whereas years ago they might have stayed in, for several days at least.