Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] I have an left inguinal hernia that has been confirmed by an MRI & a CT Scan . It is supposed to be small. I have surgery scheduled for Mar 18, 2013. Changing the date at this point would be difficult but not changing doctors. The surgeon is highly recommended & he is the same surgeon that did surgery on my son a few years ago, so we know him, however he wants to use mesh & I don t want mesh. I was attracted to your web site because I was looking for a doctor that doesn t use mesh. What is your advice? I live in Maryland. Jean
[|AI|]  Hello. Thanks for using Chat Doctor. Using a surgical mesh in hernia operation is become a common practice among surgeons presently. Reason being that mesh gives additional strength to the muscles in the abdomen after the surgery for better healing and recovery. The pros of using a mesh are much more than its cons. The surgeon also has to consider your age and the type and size of the defect. As we grow older our muscles also become weaker, therefore without mesh, risk of recurrence of hernia increases. Advise would be to consider your surgeons advise and perhaps again discuss with your surgeon regarding your concerns with the usage of the mesh. Feel free for further queries. Regards.