My colorectal surgeon said he would recommend a general surgeon should I need my hernia worked on (leaving it alone unless it causes trouble). I think that comes under the category of any ol'.

So, it's official, I need another surgery for this hernia. I am having it done laproscopically with sutures. My surgeon has got me worried about long term pain from the mesh now. Oh, not to mention the 10 - 20 additional scars on my stomach. I will start to look like a road map! Has anyone else had a hernia repaired this way? I could really use some encouragement that this isn't going to be a disaster!

I did, but not laparoscopically. No long term pain. This procedure was a cake walk compared to the other stuff. Why would you have 10-20 additional scars? I'm not getting that. I had laparoscopic surgery for adrenal gland removal and there was just 4 stab wounds that are now essentially invisible. My hernia repair had staple suture closure, and that also is no big deal years later. My incisional hernia repair was about a year after my j-pouch surgery.

Remember, the surgeons give you the worst case scenario so that you know the possibilities. That does not mean it is likely to occur!

Jan

Jennifer,

I am a man. I had two inguinal hernais. The first one was on the left side and the size of a grapefruit and was done 3 months after I had surgery to remove Cancer from my Right Kidney. 15% of my Kidney was removed. I was lucky and had a great surgeorn.

The following year, the same surgery was done on the right side.

Yes, the mesh is the best way to go for this kind of surgery. Believe, compared to the other surgeries I had, this was a walk in the park like Jan said.

Doctors have to give you all the possibilities. Stay strong and positive becasue fear is a waste of energy. What helps me is to tell jokes and laugh at myself.

I have had numerious surgeries, 14 in all, and my insides look like a road map too. But there is no point in focusing my energy on this. It does not do any good and makes things worse.

I still have an incisional hernia that has not beee repaired and one of the reasons I have not taken care of this is it does not cause me any pain. When the time comes, I will address it then.

Please stay strong. Remember, God is on your side.

Rocket

true the docs do like to give you worst case. He did say though that he will have to make at least 10 cuts for the sutures on top of the traditional cuts for the camera, etc.
I hope it is easy. er... easier. He said he looked at my medical record from my j pouch surgery and it said they already tried to repair this hernia just by sowing it up and it has apparently failed. I didn't even know I had a hernia!
I just don't handle medical stuff very well. I do need to try to think positive.

Almost a month since this hernia surgery and I have incredible pain on the opposite side of my stomach from where my hernia was fixed. (gulp) it almost feels like I have a new hernia in the area where they cut me to put the camera in.. could I really have a hernia from a hernia surgery?? lol. Is my luck that good?

Jennifer,
It might be rapported pain, reactionary pain or just your muscles that are working double to compensate for the 'injured' side....I've had 5 done (2 through laporoscopy) and I think I paniced about 22xs after the 1st one...by the time I had the 2nd done I was an old hand...these pains could be nothing but I would cover the bases anyway...fever? Redness? Swelling? Tenderness to the touch? Call you surgeon. Can you take 2 tyelenols and see if it helps??? My surgeon had me doing deep (I mean REALLY deep breathing 6 weeks post op to stretch and muscle the zone and to help it to stretch out...I could only do 1 at a time (he wanted me to do 12!)) breathing exercise, yoga type, to help me to heal the area...for the first while your body is scarring over the mesh and thickening up so that it can heal...that is a somewhat painful process at times...I lived in panic that my body would reject it, that it would twist, unhook, wrinkle etc...happy to announce that all went well.
You are going to feel some strange pains but be patient and unless it is severe, persistant or brings on scary symptoms I wouldn't worry too much.
Sharon

thanks for your response. I saw my surgeon and his fill in on two separate occasions about this. The fill in thought it was internal bleeding and I would feel better in 4 or 5 days. My surgeon didn't know what to think but he said it will probably go away. Well, all my pain from the hernia repair is gone but that other side is sharp, severe pain when I twist a certain way / I swear it feels like my intestine is being strangulated. No sign of infection. I dont really want to see my surgeon again since the first two times didn't do any good. Im thinking I just need to demand a CT scan to get to the bottom of this. I hope I am worried for nothing! I don't need another surgery.

Anyone you can go to for a C scan??? Do you have a sympathetic family doctor who can help you out? Even a good GYN can order one....if the pain is that severe and you are more than a couple weeks out (and it isn't gas by now)...Then yes, someone should take notice and do something.
Now is the time to call in your markers...
Sharon
ps...let us know what happens, please.

thanks, I called this morning and left a message for my surgeon asking if he would order a CT before I saw him a third time.

surgeon asked me to wait longer because he is convinced my pain will go away. this is crazy!