BioHernia Reviews 229

The BioHernia provides access to expert clinicians offering tissue inguinal hernia repair.
The process of contacting surgeon, arranging surgery, having surgery and early post-operative care is very straightforward and uncomplicated.
There are no unnecessary bureaucracy, delays and barriers.

From the point of enquiry to the post operation support I cannot find anything they could have done better.
The whole process is very open and transparent and clearly explained.
The courtesy of Nahom in guiding me through the process to the skill and warmth of Dr Wiese were exemplary.
This is my second visit to this clinic for hernia operations (one each side) which is testament itself to the level of care provided

Dr Wiese and his team are absolutely great! My goal was to get hernia surgery without the use of a permanent mesh. However, since the hernia was too big for this Dr Wiese recommended the use of the Shouldice technique together with an absorbable mesh that disappears after 18 months. The mesh creates a surface for scar formation that will strengthen the tissue until the mesh is gone.

He said that it will take a little longer to get back to 100% because of the size of the hernia. This was a good reminder not to wait too long with surgery as the hernia tends to grow with time. Three weeks have soon passed and I feel great, only a slight pain left when I walk.

This is my very honest testimonial of my experience with Biohernia, Dr. Martin Wiese, and his team during my surgery and recovery. I am 61 year old male and a very active sports person involved in fitness workouts and martial arts. About 12 months ago, I was diagnosed with a left unilateral indirect inguinal hernia. I managed for a while, and although I stopped doing martial arts, I continued fitness workouts with the help of medical hernia support trusses. Eventually, I became fed up with this and really wanted to get back to my old life and full fitness.

After doing lots of research about hernia repairs and the complications that can arise with mesh repairs, I became very interested in the Shouldice non-mesh repair technique. After making further enquiries in the UK, Canada, and Europe, as well as discussing with private clinics and surgeons in the UK, I finally settled on Biohernia and Dr. Wiese in Kelheim, Germany.

I can honestly say that the service and experience, from having discussions with Nahom, the initial video consultation, arriving at Kelheim, meeting Dr. Wiese and his team, having the surgery, post-surgery checkup, and recovery, has been nothing short of an amazing experience. Talking to relatives who have had bilateral mesh repairs, they cannot believe my recovery and the lack of post-surgery pain. I had the surgery in the morning, and I was walking comfortably in the afternoon. Sitting down and getting up was obviously a challenge in the first couple of days, but walking around (which was highly recommended) was relatively pain-free, and this continued to improve every day after the surgery. By the 3rd day, I was well enough to travel back to the UK, and by day 7, the discomfort of getting up and down had significantly subsided, and I was back to pretty much normal movements and activities around the house.

By week 3, I was feeling great, continuing to go on long walks every day, and at times I felt so good I had to remember that I just had surgery. This is now my 13th week of recovery, and I feel absolutely great and back fully to fitness and martial arts training prior to the hernia. Apart from the very slight ache occasionally when I am working out, I can’t tell I have had hernia surgery.

I can highly recommend BioHernia, Dr. Martin Wiese and his medical team in a heartbeat. It was truly a fantastic experience for me and nothing like what I expected for my first surgery since my appendix back in 1970 and researching personal blogs about hernia surgery, including Shouldice repair. I wish to sincerely thank Nahom, Dr. Wiese, and his entire team for the great attentive care, treatment and service provided in making this a fantastic experience. I will have no hesitation using Biohernia and Dr Martin Wiese again.

young amateur footballer (27ans)..

I had surgery 04 April 2024 for bilateral sports hernia by Dr Koch
Before surgery i had pain only on the left side nothing on the right… we decided to do both sides due to the risk to have the same pain on the right in the future…

Results : 3 hematomas

Right side : important discomfort after doing an effort especially after standing a little longer (doing the queue at the airport for example ..)

Left side : insupportable pain the 3 days after surgery i stayed 2 weeks in the hotel before taking my flight back… 70% pain relief after 2 months
Now i have the same pain after doing some effort.. (like walking for more than 45min..traveling with only a 10kg suitcase..
i live now with less than 50% of my capacity

I still can’t go back to my sports..

Surgical technique : Mushaweck (both sides) + Myeres repair (only left).

The surgeon is very kind and attentive, I am in contact with him on WhatsApp..

i will wait to complete 6 months before going back to see Dr koch if the symptômes persist and i will post updates in the feature about my final results...

Dr Koch and his team are extraordinary. I would highly recommend them for hernia repair.

I first had an inguinal hernia in 2017 on the left side of my belly. After seeing a mesh in reality, I started to look for an alternative solution as I expected I would feel the mesh since they are quite big. I then had my operation at Biohernia with the Shouldice procedure and I am very pleased about the result: after 3 to 5 months I did not feel anything anymore from the operation and after 7 years all is still fine. When I had then a hernia again this year on the right side of my body, I have not hesitated one moment to have it treated again by Dr. Koch's team at Biohernia.

Eddy, Belgium

I had good contact with them. They where very helpfull.
I can recommend this to everyone.

Thank you Biohernia.

Everything about my experience with Bio-Hernia was fantastic. From the initial free consultation with Dr. Koch in Amsterdam to the communication regarding the planning of my operation to the planning and the final arrangements. I travelled to Cottbus alone for a hernia operation. When I arrived, everything at Hotel Sorat had been arranged for me and the staff were really very nice and accomodating. The room was great, spacious, quiet, coffee and tea making facilities. On the day of the operation, I was picked up in the morning by a very friendly gentleman and received a packed lunch from the hotel so that I would have something to eat after the operation (and indeed I was very hungry afterwards). The intake by Dr. Koch’s staff and Koch himself was all very reassuring. Everything was explained clearly and on the day of the operation everything went extremely smoothly. The day after the operation, Dr. Koch came to the hotel to make sure everything was okay, the day afterwards a nurse came to check my wound. All in all, I would definitely recommend a hernia operation at Bio-Hernia. I am extremely happy that my hernia was repaired without the use of a mesh. And to top it all off, Cottbus is really a very nice city where you can walk for hours, there are some really nice restaurants as well.

I can concur with all the positive reviews that have been made. I completely agree wth those.

It is incomprehensible that medical practice in the Netherlands repairs almost every hernia operation with meshes, while the FDA in the US now strongly advises against this and the NL Public Health Inspectorate also had that advice on their website last year, but has removed it again. Perhaps that is the Dutch merchant spirit, because the mesh operations only cost a quarter of a manual operation according to the Shouldice method. That is why health insurance only reimburses a quarter of the costs. Dr. Koch told me that medically speaking, removing the mesh is not easy. He does this because they cause terrible side effects, which are not recognized by many hospitals ("it's all in the mind"), even to the extent that suicide followed in some cases.

I am very happy with his approach. He is professional, knowledgeable and has his heart in the right place. Caring, human, as well as his team. All praise for what they have achieved! The stay at Sorat Hotel in Cottbus center was also almost like a holiday and fits seamlessly with the treatment in Dr. Koch's Clinic.
All praise also goes to Nahom from BioHernia. He answered all questions I had promptly and in detail and was interested in the outcome later on. Dr. Koch and his team, including Nahom, are a real lighthouse in medical practice.

I wanted an inguinal hernia repair without mesh as I didn't want to take the chance of ongoing pain experienced by a lot of NHS patients after mesh repairs. I was also looking at a 3 year wait for surgery in the UK and no option for a non mesh surgery. After a lot of research I decided on Dr Koch in Cottbus. Biohernia organised the initial zoom consultation with Dr Koch and subsequent consultation the day before surgery and hotel stay at the Sorat Hotel in Cottbus. After confirming my flight to Germany I got confirmation of surgery date and hotel. We traveled by train from Berlin airport to Cottbus but they will arrange transfers if you want. Payment for the operation must be made before surgery direct to Dr Koch. All went very smoothly on the day of surgery with a taxi picking you up and leaving you back from the hotel. Sorat Hotel was very pleasant and accommodating and well placed for local restaurants. Dr Koch was very reassuring and called to the hotel to checkup on all his patients the evening after the operation and following two days. My surgery was just under 3000 euro which was considerably cheaper than I could get in the UK for a private operation which would have used mesh.
I am now back to normal activities and very pleased with my decision to go with Biohernia. My thanks to all the doctors and staff for making this a pleasant experience and can highly recommend.

I am very happy with all aspects of my inguinal hernia repair, performed by Dr Koch. Two things that may help others: It says the numbness will go within 1 to 3 months. It took me 4 months. This does not bother me at all, and I only mention it as it may be helpful for others. Also, check for any infections in the area before the surgery, such as epididymitis, as this could cause discomfort in the recovery process.

I was allready struggling a longer time from a inguinal and femoral hernia.
After meeting Dr. Koch I decided to have a Shouldice operation in Cottbus.
I should have done that so much sooner! Within 6 weeks I was able to pick up my life without any comlaints and have my full active sports ability again!
I could walk and see Cottbus the next days after the operation. The Sorat Hotel was very good and I enjoyed it so much, I almost had a holiday feel.
If I would ever get a Hernia on my other side , I will have no hesitations at all and go to Cottbus and Dr. A. Koch again!

Female patient, age 64, The Netherlands

Highly recommended, I was very worried about a mesh repair so decided to go ahead with a non mesh procedure . I was very well looked after by Doctor Koch and his team from my arrival in Cottbus to leaving the hotel a few days after my operation , thanks again.

I'am grateful! September 2023 I got a hernia. I choose Shouldice operation without a mesh, november 2023. The whole proces with Nahom, Andreas Koch and his team was perfect! After six weeks totally fit, can do everything again

Marcel (60), the Netherlands

Very happy with the result of my linguial hernia surgery done by dr. Koch in Cottbus/Germany. Already back to my previous activities thanks to him and his team.

Dr. Martin Wiese fixed my umbilical hernia. Because it was a 'medium' hernia, it required a 'sugar mesh,' which gradually dissolves over the following 18 months. Martin and his team were highly professional and very friendly. I recommend them without reservation.

Dr. Andreas Koch is a leading expert in hernia repair in Europe. He has massive experience with biorepair (Shouldice) of inguinal and femoral hernia. This is in short, the strongest argument to have your hernia operated by him.
I came across BioHernia through a friend. I had reasons to prefer non-mesh hernia repair. I was lucky to get an appointment in Amsterdam within 2 weeks and to be able to be operated the following week.
Everything went like breeze. Some minor hiccups with transportation but largely due to my not accurately reading the instructions from Nahom (Biohernia in Amsterdam). Nahom also deserves credits as he seems always for question when needed. This kind of personal attention is essential in a process requiring foreign travel and hospitals.
The infrastructure of the clinics in Cottbus has an Old-fashioned Eastern Germany flavor.
But again: a very personal approach by all clinics, anesthesiology, surgery, and recovery personnel. I prefer this combination hands-down above a flashy private clinic with barista coffee but uninvolved nurse and doctors!
The Hotel where you stay in Cottbus before and after surgery is obviously not a hospital and I had the impression they prefer tourists. Nevertheless, it was clean, served a nice breakfast and it is conveniently located close to the picturesque Cottbus village center, with plenty good restaurants and bars.
Little advice: there is room for improvement on the instructions for pain killers; even for me as a physician a bit too much DIY.
The taxi ride to airport (Berlin) is long, but that was a small sacrifice for an all-in-all satisfactory experience.

End august I had my double inguinal hernia repaired by Bio Hernia in Cottbus.

The operation itself: I arrived the day before at 15.30 from Holland by train(8 hours door to door). Had my intake meeting for next day.

Went back to Hotel, stop eating and drinking at 2200. No issue.

Arrived next day at 11.30, scheduled for 12.30. At Arrival I got a pil to get in a relaxed state. Fell asleep at around 12.00. Woke up 14.45, operated. Left the hospital room by around 16.00, walked with the taxi driver to the taxi to go to Hotel. First 24 hours you have to be careful. I walked as much as I could. Next day I had a Lymph massage, which is advisable. You feel the activating effect. Every day doctor Koch comes to the Hotel to check. You will get fresh bandages and pain killers. Which I used for 4 days.

The 2nd and 3rd days walking distance become longer.

Cottbus is a lovely city, with a lot of good coffee locations to relax and various food/restaurants of good quality. I enjoyed this relaxing week very much. The weather was lovely.

My wife was with me with her sister. The first 4 days they had their own program, went to Berling which is 1.45 hours by train.

Hotel is cheap also for the sister of my wife.

As I had a double hernia I had to stay till Sunday which was fine.

Travelling back by train was so easy, no pain sitting or walking.

Al together I would never have chosen a different solution. It is amazing that most countries do everything with a mesh, and people do not want that. Appearantly for the same price Dr Koch does his operation. My Treatment was paid by insurance, not because I have a very expensive insurance, but because I have an extra clause for medical care in Europe. This is in Holland not such an expensive extension of insurance.

I can only recommend the complete team of intake Nahom (in Holland/Amsterdam), Dr Koch and his team, the hotel.

I had irritation to a nerve and was booked in to have a neurectomy (left side only). I approached Biohernia and Dr Koch for a second opinion. Dr Koch explained that he could remove some of the mesh from a previous hernia operation and release pressure from the nerve and avoid a neurectomy being needed.
I flew over the Germany from the UK and met with Nahom (Biohernia) and went to the pre consultation with Dr Koch, the day before the surgery. I was shocked when I saw that the operation was to be carried out using an open technique, as my mesh was placed laparoscopically. I had emails from other experienced surgeons explaining that laparoscopic mesh should only be removed laparoscopically as it is less invasive and an open removal could leave me in debilitating pain. I had messages from Dr Sheen, Dr Kangs secretary and Sharin Towfi (all highly respected individuals in the industry) all advising that laparoscopic mesh should be removed laparoscopically. I showed these messages to Nahom and was visibly distressed and in shock after finding out Dr Koch plans to do an open procedure. Nahom explained said ‘IT WAS THE BEST WAY, DR KOCH ONLY CUTS THROUGH CONNECTIVE TISSUE’. I went into the pre consultation room and Dr Koch repeated ‘IT WAS THE BEST WAY, DON’T WORRY I HAVE DONE THIS HUNDREDS OF TIMES’. Still in shock, I returned to the hotel and was numb. I frantically looked through all the reviews and had a sleepless night.
The following morning, I decided that I couldn’t go through with the operation. I messaged Nahom early (06.30) and asked him to meet me in the lobby in the hotel. He didn’t respond to my message. As I had already paid for the operation (a significant amount) I thought it was best I went to hospital and explain myself to Dr Koch and ask for a refund. On arrival I repeated that I was uncomfortable with the procedure and again attempted to show him the messages. Dr Koch put his arm on my shoulder and said ‘I WOULD DO THIS TECHNIQUE FOR MY FAMILY, I HAVE BEEN TO COUNTLESS CONFERENCES AND IT’S THE BEST WAY’. When I heard these words (especially about family), I thought he must be right, and sat on the bed I would be going into theatre in. When I sat down, I froze, couldn’t move and said to the nurse that I’m not comfortable with this (I was a rabbit in headlights, even though I’ve had previous hernia surgeries and never hesitated once). Suddenly Nahom appeared as he was viewing operations and asked me what was wrong. I repeated what I said the previous day, that I was not comfortable with the operation as the technique he was going to use was wrong in my opinion. At this point or any other point over the previous day, Nahom and Dr Koch both failed to listen to me. I believe anyone with compassion would say ‘if you’re not comfortable then we are not comfortable, your needs come first’. Nahom just repeated ‘IT’S THE BEST WAY. DR KOCH GETS A BETTER VIEW DOING THE OPERATION USING AN OPEN TECHNIQUE’. I folded to the pressure and went ahead with the surgery.
Waking up after the operation I was told by Dr Koch and Nahom that the mesh had bulged and entrapped the nerve. The surgery was a success and I would be free to return to normal activities after four weeks.
Following the surgery, I have been in EXTREME PAIN which is constant (pre surgery I only had mild symptoms after doing sporting activities) and have never experienced anything like it. Constant pain in the left testicle and a new constant stabbing pain in the lower abdomen (feels like I have been stabbed with a knife). There is no relief and it’s been MONTHS since the operation. I have a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old. I am no longer able to play games with them, take them swimming or take part in a little kick around like I could before the operation. My daughter keeps asking me when I’m going to get better, which kills me inside. Unfortunately, my love ones suffer the most as the procedure has changed me. I also had to give up the idea of pursuing a new career (which was arranged for September 2023). I had a consultation six weeks post op and was advised by Dr Koch to take herbal medication. Safe to say I don’t feel enthusiastic about getting in touch with him again.
I have recently been to see a local specialist in the UK and he was shocked by the open approach used to remove laparoscopically placed mesh. He said if the mesh had bulged it would have shown up on my scans. He has been a specialist for years and has never known anyone do this procedure this way. I’m not sure where I go from here and I’m not sure I will make any kind of recovery. My mental health has plummeted alongside my physical health. I struggled to concentrate on anything other than the pain.
I have never left a negative review before but if I can just prevent one person making the same mistake I have, then it will be worth it.