Shouldice Hospital

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I had left inguinal hernia operation 5 weeks ago. I was feeling well since one week ago. I started to have big sharp pains in the area and I feel that area being numb. I went back to hospital and dr. S told me I’m ok and will take 3 more month to adjust. In the meantime the pains are so bad that I cannot move. There are half days when I am perfect, but suddenly sharp pains comes out of nowhere. Please let me know if this is ok. Anybody can give me some advice. I’m scared since I was ok for 4 weeks and now I have pains, excruciating pains I can say. The area was numb all the time after the operation. Once again, please give me some feedback. Idk what star to put. Maybe is normal like this, maybe is not. Thx

Horrible. Read the negative reviews. The absolutely cherry pick for better ratings. They scarred me terribly on my abdomen for life unless I pay for a plastic surgeon. I paid out of my pocket 4 nights just to get more money $280 a night. Staff rude and sleeps on job ( everyday) staff rudeness hit or miss. Mostly hit. Covid left us squeezed in 1/2 the hospital sharing rooms. When they had space to seperate us. Better for them. But serious ly they Dr Ross ( Dr hart didn't show up. ) did a embarrassing, painful job on my hernia.

I can only comment on my operation which was less than bad! Not only do I still have problems and can not sit longer than an hour in a car , plane etc without having to stand with discomfort the operation was botched waking up on the table with the surgeons hand inside and the anesthesiologist said, oh I guess I didn't give you enough ! that was while I bridged up in pain F***Me (dont usually swear this way)
One more thing I was told no Doctor wants to hear or confront the complaint even after 5 plus years, also no one there has ever tried to contact me.

I am devastated. I took money from my pocket ( no insurance) to be in good hands and have this done right because my income depends on it ( her is just above belly button so will be noticeable ) they sliced, clapped and did a absolute hacked job. I am not exaggerating. It looks like I got this done on the street. I've gone to other doctors to see how to fix it and they gasp. I have to warn people. Truly unbelievable.$$$$$ just a number.

With my deepest respect doctor Ross, I would like to thank you for your tremendous skill in performing my operation on the 4th of Sep 2020. Thank you so much for all your sincere work and support during the hospitalizing time. Your talent and caring are very much appreciated. I am grateful for your excellent and brilliant treatment and for the friendly staff members for rendering a wonderful service. In the unusual hospital atmosphere, you made me feel like home. Your caring and extra effort is really remarkable. Your experience and excellence played a big role in boosting up my self-confidence. God bless you.
Dr. Shadia Wassef

My inguinal hernia was repaired about six months ago. Sadly I did not pay enough attention to the pre-op 30 minute speech from the surgeon. I did not realise how closely the first part of the surgery was to the vas deferens. Now I am able to have an orgasm but not ejaculate. This only became evident weeks later. However, for two weeks after surgery I had difficulty directing my urine due to my temporarily mis-shapen penis.
I have had no pain from the operation although the ridge beneath my skin is still evident. I know it is very difficult to prepare for every eventuality as every surgery involves a risk.
A suggestion : In the day before the operation, leave more time for the initial pre-operation talk so that the patient may ask his questions in his own way. My surgeon took my list of written questions, read from it, and briefly answered each one. This was because we were out of time.

One year following hernia repair I have a lump larger than the original hernia.....the pain associated pre op remains present post op.
The nursing staff were ???lazy, uninformed.....ie meds taken to room from desk by room mate, a "nurse" overheard telling patient that Tylenol was an anti-inflammatory. The surgeon doing my operation came to visit the evening prior & to ask if I was going to have an MI in the OR......apparently something in my records caused him concern.
The food was top notch, so were the grounds. The building is old with one shower per floor for all patients.
....donna

It has been almost three years since my stay at Shouldice. After reading the other reviews I agree with most of what has been said, there is some very good information here for others considering Shouldice.

First, some tips on trip planning. Since I am from the US (Oregon) it was a long trip for me, especially on the way back when the pain level was still very high. If you are flying in to Shouldice, like I did, absolutely ask for a wheelchair at the airport on your return flight home. I had several connecting flights and I'm not sure if I would have made my connections if I had to walk. It was so great, they treat you well and even have some shortcuts in the airport they can take to get you to your gate more quickly. It also helped at customs and made that much easier. You absolutely need to ask for assistance!

Second, check-in at Shouldice. The hospital is nice but not fancy or state of the art. The check-in process is cumbersome and feels outdated, but it works so just go with the flow. It will take a while so just relax in the knowledge that you are in a place where all they do is hernia surgery and they don't use mesh. That should reduce your anxiety, it did for me. At some point you will see a doctor which appears to be in just random order, you can't request a specific doctor. Your type of hernia may determine who you get but they make that decision, not you. Again, just go with the flow. My doctor was N. Ross, nice guy but very little bedside manner. After my surgery my stomach was swollen badly so I started to ask him if that was normal (it was but I didn't know that) and he rushed out of the room saying he would be back. He never came back. Kind of unsettling. But, when you are getting hernia surgery you want the best technician, not the best conversationalist. Dr. Ross was assisted by another doctor who was in training. More on the surgeon later.

Third, the surgery. Mine was done in the morning and that was great. During the surgery I woke up enough to feel strong tugging and pain as they were using the stainless steel suture to repair the hernia. I asked about the suture, thinking it would eventually dissolve. No, it is permanent on purpose. The afternoon after surgery the nurses will make you get up and start walking. It hurt but not unbearable that first day. Thankfully I could pass urine with no problem. There was some poor fellow there who could not urinate following surgery and had to be catheterized. Complications are rare but can happen with any surgery.

Fourth, after surgery. Days 2-5 are rough with lots of pain. Nurses are ok, some great others not so much. Walk as much as you can, even though it hurts. Compare scars with your roommate just for laughs.

Fifth, three years later. My doctors must have done a skilled job, I can do any kind of physical activity. A few twinges once in a while, but very minor and fleeting. The scar from surgery is almost invisible now. There is still some nerve damage from the incision that causes some numbness around the incision site, not a big deal.

I am happy with the decision to use Shouldice and would definitely do it again.

I went to Shouldice Hospital for repair of a large inguinal hernia. My doctor here in the US only wanted to do laparoscopic mesh repair which I did not want to be a part of. He told me the only place on earth better than his type of operation is Shouldice and that is where I went and it is the best decision I ever made in my life. Due to the severity of my hernia which included some incarceration and moderate to heavy scaring, hernia mesh repair probably would not of worked well for me.
The skill of the doctors at Shouldice is unsurpassed along with the O.R. team to the nurses who took care of me and the other patents during our stay there.
I can go on at length praising Shouldice but I will summarize by saying that if you have a hernia and you would like it to be repaired by the best people in the world, who have the most experience, skill and expertise to fix it for a lifetime, then the only choice is Shouldice.

Finally posting a review in case it may help someone regarding choosing this hospital for treatment. I live in the U.S. and came here because I did not want mesh. Since that is all they do at Shouldice I just told myself I have a better chance at a decent outcome and scheduled. I had my surgeries a little over a year ago. I wrote all of these notes as they happened and saved them, so here it goes.
I read every review I could find before I went, so I already knew what to expect, the good and the bad. As far as the process and experience, you won't find much compassion. My first exam at check in, which is a long wait, was done by a doctor who was like the walking dead, flat personality and non-engaging, not very reassuring. Had 2 different docs for each side. One surgery done on a Wed and the second on a Friday. Had Dr. Alexander, he had the best bedside manner. Had Dr. Sang for other repair, he had zero bedside manner. When I was having some issues, which I'll get to later, he literally walked out of the room as I layed in the bed with my pants down talking to him about my pain. One nurse point blank told me she didn't like him, that was not very reassuring either. The surgery nurses downstairs were great. The nurses on the resident floors are hit or miss. Some were good and others had bad attitudes. One night they must have been short staffed and she went on and on with me about staffing issues. One nurse was going through the charts with a mask on because the charts smelled like smoke (from the doctor). The lady that comes to shave you before your surgery is fast and it seems like she is going to nick you, but doesn't. DO NOT get the massage, they will try and talk you into it, it was a complete waste of money. She seemed bothered having to do the massage and it was just weird light touching, I ended the massage before she was finished due to pain I was already having in combination with the weird experience. There is carpet throughout, which can't be sanitary. I thought the food was good. I met some nice people.
As far as pain management, there is none!!! They will just give you Advil and Tylenol, which is fine, BUT, during the first few days you need something stronger to help you get through it. I understand the rationale about moving around as quickly as possible, which I did. Dr. Sang did my first surgery and I was walking around the grounds of the hospital the next. I had my next surgery the following day by Alexander. By Saturday the first side that Sang did was almost unbearable. It was like someone had a match burning at the surgery site and shooting down my groin. The day before, the surgery nurses said to ask the nurses upstairs for stronger pain meds if you need it, it is documented in your chart. What that means is that Dr. Alexander allows for stronger pain med, but Dr. Sang didn't. Since I saw 2 different docs with different instructions, and since Sang did the side that was hurting they just went with Dr. Sang's notes. When I mentioned earlier about Sang walking out of the room, he said If they give me something stronger then I won't be able to get out of bed and walk around, but I told him I can't walk now because of the unbearable burning pain. To confirm their less than desirable pain management protocol, one of the nurses even told me that it is a known problem there. Its like the nurses will interpret your pain level for you. It's not like we are there to become druggies, it's only common sense that some people are going to need something stronger those first days. I know everyone is different, the surgeons are different, the way we heal is different, but I take zero medications, in shape and eat healthy. There were many guys having no significant pain. There was also one guy across the hall from me who left early due to significant pain. I heard one of the bad attitude nurses up front saying it was his fault because he was not up moving around. That wasn't true, I saw him dressed in work out clothes trying to walk around the hospital grounds. It was on the third day, like me, that he was having a hard time. I just wanted to tell the nurse, hey- let's cut through your abdomen and muscles and sew everything back together and let's see how you would feel.
As far as the surgery, they put you in a room with others who are getting ready to have surgery. They give you some oral sedatives to relax you right before your surgery, but the Ativan didn't do anything for me, I was wide awake. During the surgery, I was given IV sedation along with local. With both surgeries, I obviously was feeling something because they told me to be still even though I was out of it, and I heard them asking for more IV sedation. The sedation was obviously wearing off before they could finish. I never felt any pain during the surgeries though. Again, the nurses downstairs were great.
As far as recovery, after over a week, still felt like I was walking in quick sand, like someone was holding on to me as I tried to walk forward. Pains would alternate between both sides which I was glad because it told me it just wasn't the side Sang worked on and that there was hope I would improve on both sides. The most significant pain however only came from the side Sang worked on, but the way he stitched up the area was neater and cleaner than the side done by Alexander.
At 4 and a half months, still random, grabbing ache, then nothing.
At 6 months, still random grabbing pain, then nothing for weeks.
It's like I could do cart wheels and feel nothing, then out of the blue a random pain.
As I write this, over a year later, I will still notice once in awhile a slight grab or pull in the areas, but it doesn't interfere with anything. This is just an example of how we all heal differently and it's not the same for everybody.
I'm glad I don't have mesh in my body and considering the whole experience, I would do it all again just not to have mesh placement, so yes, I would go back. Hope this helps.

I am a healthcare professional from the US; I chose Shouldice hospital for my inguinal hernia repair after searching the medical literature and after talking to colleagues in the surgery field. Shouldice clearly comes out as the leader in successful hernia repairs with a track record of more than 40 years.
After having my rather large inguinal hernia repaired at Shouldice, I can only attest to the statements above. To my mind, this is the best hospital to have a hernia repaired. Particularly, with the type of repair practiced at Shouldice, one avoids any later complications that may be caused by the implantation of surgical mesh. The surgeons there have performed thousands of procedures, and everything is worked out into the minute details. What I appreciated most was the fact that the surgery was performed using local anesthesia, avoiding any general anesthesia complications.
The recovery from surgery went smoothly, and I am back to practically normal, without having to worry about the hernia.
Thank you, Shouldice, and particularly, Dr. Burul!

The absolute very best medical hospital to have a hernia repair performed. The Doctors, Nurses and entire support staff are excellent and highly skilled in this surgical field. Process is rock solid, and that leads to a very successful outcome. "NO MESH" is the way to go, and Shouldice is "THE PLACE TO GO!

I suffered a sports hernia (athletic pubulgia) in April 2015 and went to Shouldice Hospital on April 2016. The surgeons there straight out rejected me from acquiring surgery from his clinic, at the time I was disappointed, but I am highly thankful now. Many surgeons (from diffferent hospitals) were very evil and offered to insert mesh into my body when it was not required. Only very few surgeons rejected me. This shows that Shouldice is not experimenting on people to publish scientific papers to earn prestige in the scientific community at the cost of peoples suffering. It shows that they actually know what they are talking about and truly are experts in the field of inguinal hernia repair. Mesh repair is a barbaric malpractice.

Getting rejected from Shouldice, led me to an American Doctor (Dr. William Meyers) who successfully treated me.

I had my Hernia repaired at Shouldice three weeks ago. Dr. Slater and the entire team were amazing!! Very professional and attentive to all my needs. They obviously know what they are doing. I feel great now and the incision I believe will not leave much (if any) of a scar. The clips I'm sure are the way to go. The clinic was very nice and OMG the food was amazing!! There is absolutely nothing I could say bad about this experience.

Thank you ever so much!!

Richard Souray

Almost one week after surgery, slowly and at the same time continuously, I am getting back to my routines. Everyone of the personnel knows their role. Facility is not that advanced but it is acceptable for the treatment that is provided. It is a unique facility with unique capability for unique requirement. Hernia fixing is not rated as a complicated operation but cannot be underestimated either.
It looks the diagnosis/admission is in a fast pace and patients need to gather lots of information by themselves from the internet, friends or anyone who has gone through the process. Reading comments on the internet, pros and cons, were good enough to make me having questions and areas to be concerned but collectively, everything I heard added up more positive view to me, when I was in decision making stage. During my stay at the hospital, they were patients who were coming back after years of first surgery on the other side and they were happy with the result of their past experience.
I went to see a general surgeon for a second opinion. at the end it was a couple of main reasons that I finally chose Shouldice:--No full anesthesia during operation, -- not using the mesh to fix the hernia. The recovery time and level of pain after surgery are more than other method (to my knowledge) but the idea behind the method sounds it is more reliable.
I am satisfied with the decision I made and the results I am having.
Many thanks to Shouldice "team". I am hoping I won't need to have another surgery but if it happens and I have to go for another hernia repair, the shouldice hospital will be my the first and only choice.

Heads up on this surgery, I am two weeks out from the second surgery which was two days after the first. The first thing I will give you advice on is this, remember to take cough drops or lozenges. If you don't need them someone close by will, and they will thank you. It feels like your splitting your incision when it happens. remember them.
Listen to the doctor when he tells you to take it easy the day of surgery. No more than 5 to 10 min. walks PER HR. I felt pretty good after the second surgery and walked the halls too much that evening. I paid for it the next two days. Your scrotum and penis will swell and fill with more fluid and blood than it will if you spend time in bed. That doesn't mean " don't walk", it means listen to the doctors advice. If you don't walk you will be very stiff. The second day you can walk a bit more. Each day you will be a little better.
Each persons surgery is different. Some incisions are long, others are not. My first was cut from near my pubic bone up about three inches. The second from near my pubic bone to about the upper tip of my hip bone. One guy who had a large hernia showed me his incision, about 8 inches long.
They remove half of the metal clips, that hold the incision closed, the day after surgery. The rest the second day. I am a slow healer so I asked for steristrips to keep the area closed. I drove home, a six hour trip, two days after surgery. It wasn't terrible, but there was swelling. The first week after is the hardest as far a pain and swelling. When I was up too much there was swelling, don't over do it. rest.
At two weeks out the incisions have healed pretty well. I'm working, as of the last couple of days, most of the day on my feet with some lifting. Nothing too heavy. Still quite allot of nerve pain in area near base of incisions and next to scrotum at top. It burns, hope this will go away with time. I've had some experience with nerve damage in a hand. Injury from nine months ago, nerve has regrown proximately 2.5 inches. so I am hopeful this nerve problem will resolve itself. I've tried to eat healthy and get my vitamins. Plenty of proteins for mending tissues. Take some good quality snacks with you, the food is so so, you will not gain any weight on what you are fed. They could/should improve the nutritional value of the food. The facility is clean, the nurses pretty good, friendly, at least on my floor. Interesting patience from all over. Doctor was not much of a personality but he knew his business, that's all that is important. If you are coming from the states, and do not have insurance, don't be afraid to ask for a lower fee BEFORE committing to go. I didn't know and ended up paying significantly more than someone else I talked to. Hope this is helpful to you who are headed up to Shouldice. I will revisit my review in a few months to give an update on the nerve pain.
Update: Most of what I thought was nerve pain wasn't. Yes there were some shooting pains as the nerves regrew, but what bothered me the most was the burning. This turned out to be the irritation at the base of every hair follicle as they regrew. It has gone away.
At 4 wks. I still would have pain when I overdid activity, like too many pushups or lifting a bit too much. It would be noticeable for a couple of days and then be okay. By 8 wks. almost all of the pain was gone, unless I leaned against something directly on the incision site. I lift pretty much anything I need to, hauling and cutting fire wood, moving equipment around. Would I do it, the surgery, again. Yes

Do not, I repeat, do not get the massage! An absolute money grab . Otherwise a decent experience. Staff were courteous, food was good and facility was relaxing.

I had surgery here also. One year after a MAJOR incision infection. .mutation. .major constant daily/nightly pain with every movement I make and of course after many return visits Shouldice refuses to admit any problems with their professional surgery on me. Now I'm expected to live looking like a mutant and was told to "Go get nerve blocking done because THEIR surgery does NOT cause post operative pain whatsoever". Sutures were coming out of a 7 inch infected open incision from them. I need big time help from someone as I have no family doctor to do the important delegating and referrals to help me...With WSIB pressuring me constantly. ..and I have broken back bones.

It has been four weeks since my two operations for hernia repair (one on each side). My experience at Shoudice was simply excellent. The nurses were terrific, the doctors efficient and helpful, the food excellent, and most important, the procedure was successful. The scar is healing nicely and the "rearranged" muscles are slowly becoming more flexible with normal movements and activities each day. I'm still cautious about lifting heavy objects and straining myself too much, but all in all things are progressing as Shouldice staff stated it would. As another comment mentioned, Shouldice is an excellent example of public and private partnership in health care.

I just was released from shouldice after my surgery on Monday. When I was told it was my time to go into surgery I started crying and the nurse said why are you crying and I said I am scared. She said there is nothing to cry about and to compose myself. I was not properly put under for my surgery. I was awake and felt what the surgeon was doing. Afterwards when the surgeon Dr. Singh
visited me he told me there were two hernias and did I lose the 20 pounds? I replied I did and he rushed out of the room. I didn't find that I received post operative information. However the regime of exercise I think did help in the recovery process. I would not not go there again.

In the fall of 2011, i had hernia sugery at shouldice. Ever since then i've experiencenced discompfort and numbness in my groin. 5 yrs earlier i had the opposite side done in ottawa at the riverside hospital, and never had a problem afterwards.
Im wondering if there was some nerve damage done during the surgery at shouldice?

I had a hernia repair here and it went very well. Iv'e met the surgeon briefly before the operation, also brief meeting after for post op check up. The outcome was very successful.

2 years after surgery I am still in pain and regret the decision going there. last year When I called they said come line us and wait to see the doctor. After waiting all day the doctor said it is normal will get better. Bad decision going to them for surgery

Ten years ago I had an inguinal hernia repaired on the left side at Shouldice. Now I live in the Nigara region and got referred to a surgeon down there in March due to a hernia on the right side. The first available date for surgery was April 2017. So I referred myself to Shouldice and was admitted May 6 this year. Everything went well, surgery, nursing care, food etc. The bottom line is that this 'for profit' facility disliked by the provincial liberals performs a better procedure with much shorter waiting lists than the public alternative despite the fact that it is all paid for by OHIP. If the Province weren't blinded by stupid ideology they would see that there is nothing wrong with 'for profit' institutions as long as access is through OHIP. I guess the difference is that unlike public hospitals the private sector is not beholden to big public sector unions that stifle innovation and drive up costs,

My surgery was done at the end of march 2016 with an excellent surgeon ''Dr Alexander'' but after the surgery, you are basically on your own. For almost everything, you have to go and ask from a nursing station on your floor (mine was located on the second floor), even if you are in so much pain.

There were two nurses that were not very nice and I don't remember their names but for the first time that I met one of them, she was very mean and disrespectful (aged muscular lady with short, straight highlighted hair). I was in a very bad situation and she forced me to get out of the bed and walk (she said it was good for me) and when I vomited from the pain after an hour she came to my room and looked straight into my eyes and said you look completely fine don't fake it!

The bed in my room was from the nineteen century and there was a handle at the end of the bed and you have to get up and turn it around to position your bed the way that you're comfortable with.

The food was great. The patients and the two other nurses that I met were very nice. As the only lady at the time, with 30-40 men, it was a little uncomfortable especially in the restaurant. (but all the men as patients were nice with a great attitude).