 [ Symptoms ] how long are surgeons liable for failed surgery  i had bilateral ignuinal surgery exactly 6 mos ago lh is fine rh is not i fear rh has returned already is the orginal surgeon obligated to correct this surgery at no charge or should i seek another surgeon [ Disease ] i am sorry to hear you are going through this feeling as if a surgery did not work is never a good thing you do not describe any symptoms that lead you to the feeling one side of your inguinal hernia repair was unsuccessful is the surgical site feeling hard painful if so these may be normal issues at six months after surgery for instance as scar tissue builds up it can cause a surgical incision to feel hard also small nerves that were cut during the surgery may cause pain especially burning stinging pain as they wake up  this process can take weeks to months i am not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice which is essentially what you are asking for however a surgeon is never obligated to perform additional surgeries on a patient even if they are considered by the patient as corrective  i urge you to discuss your concerns directly with your surgeon as a former surgical nurse i have never known a surgeon who was not eager to make sure his patients were satisfied if you feel your concerns are not being heard by your original surgeon by all means get a second opinion like i said many issues that patients interpret as problems after surgery actually are part of the normal healing process healing from surgery does not occur in a week or a month depending on each person is individual medical history surgical healing can take many months and by the way it is not uncommon for one side of a bilateral surgery to heal at a different pace than the other side wishing you well