I visited Kuang Tien Hospital in Taichung for the first time regarding my hernia, a hospital familiar to my family as my son was born there. I consulted with Dr. Yang Yao Kun, who diagnosed me with a hernia. He assured me that the condition was treatable.

When asked about the pain associated with the hernia, I replied that prolonged sitting can cause a feeling of pressure in my groin. While it's not painful, it's akin to a constant poking sensation. To illustrate, I demonstrated by poking my arm and explained that the feeling is similar.

The doctor presented two surgical options: laparoscopic and traditional. After my wife asked which method the doctor would recommend, the doctor described only a minor difference of pushing the hernia back in with traditional surgery as opposed to pulling with laparoscopic. It later became clear they had significant differences.  The doctor explained that laparoscopic surgery always requires a mesh, which could potentially put pressure on the spermatic tube and affect fertility. I immediately responded that I was not comfortable with that and expressed my aversion to mesh due to potential discomfort. The doctor offered a traditional surgery without mesh. Given my risk-averse nature and the doctor's assurance of a non-mesh procedure, I chose the traditional surgery, even though it had a longer recovery time compared to laparoscopic surgery.

Surgery was scheduled for the following Monday. Unaware that the consent form lacked a stipulation for non-mesh surgery, my wife signed it. My expectation was a swift recovery allowing me to celebrate Christmas with my family.