Recurring Incisional Hernia

Has anyone had a incisional hernia repaired and then had it come back again. I had mine done 2 years ago and it came back just a few months after the surgery. It is very large. I haven't had it repaired because the day after I had the first repair completed the hospital told me my insurance (Coventry) had decided not to pay because it was related to weight loss surgery. It cost $24000.00.I had to file bankruptcy because I couldn't pay it. I'm scared to even try to have it repaired again but I look like I'm pregnant.

 I'm so sorry to hear about your hernia, it sounds very serious and you should definitely do something about it, anything! I want to ask you a question (if you don't mind), but did your insurance cover your weight loss surgery? I assume they didn't, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. I hope you find help and get better soon! Sorry that I couldn't be of more help.

 

My weight loss surgery was covered in full by Humana Insurance. It was determined to be medically necessary. All it cost me was $10.  A couple of years after my WLS my employer switched to Coventry and they stated they did not pay for weight loss surgery. They originally approved the Hernia surgery and then after listening to the post surgery dictation notes my surgeon dictated they decided not to pay. I was totally shocked when they came in and told me the day after surgery that my insurance had decided not to pay!  My surgeon felt so bad he waived his fees.

Just a warning.  I had an incisional hernia from surgery performed 2-02.  I didn't know it was a hernia thought I was just fat.  The surgery line was from just below the breast bone all the way down.  Anyway I had servere pain 8-06 and went to the emergency room.  All I rememer is going into the triage room and the nurse calling for help cause my blood pressure was just too low.  The next thing I know I wake up and my sister (who lives in Florida) was sitting there.  They had done the surgery and then had to put me in a medically induced coma for two weeks.  Poor father and sister had to sit there while I was sleeping being told that they were just taking it hour by hour but not to count on me surviving.  Well I am still around but was not an easy recovery.  Cost the insurance company around $300,000 by the time everything was over with.  And I am just now starting to feel like my old self.  Am trying to get VSG done so this will not happen again. 

I'm curious, did you talk to a lawyer about their refusal to pay? Or ask your employer to intercede? I have had 3 hernias. They finally had to use the cadaver tissue to repair it as patches just weren't doing it, I didn't have enough muscle left to attach it to. It  has been over a year and is working great. However with a hugh hernia like you have, the doctors explained it to me that there is really not much protecting your internal organs but skin and hopefully a small layer of fat. They told me not having surgery was just not an option and told me to never go without an abdominal support for extra protection!

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There are a couple of good hernia sites one is english one is called "the lichtinstien" method.  It is a prooven fact that any incisional hernia has a 50% chance of occurring...failure of repairs is 50%. I have had about 15 hernia repairs 3 after my WLS.  The last one almost killed me and I still have a fist size hernia.

You said the last one almost killed you!  What happened?  How do I get to the hernia web sites? Do you have the link?  Thanks for your help!

There several types of surgery for hernias. Some of them include using synthetic mesh. Some of them using biologic mesh. My last surgery used biologic mesh made from a cow's myocardium. It was faulty and I had a massive infection that caused me to have an 8" by 12" cleaved open wound which took nine months with a wound Vac attached to my wound to heal. I had to fire the surgeon to get to a wound specialist who finnally cultured the wound...a request that I posed several times to the surgical team but was not heard. It turned out that I had e-coli and strept in my abdominal cavity. they put in a pic line into my brachial artery and fed me very serious antibiotics for three weeks thus saving my life. This site will help to increase your knowledge about hernias...I still have a fist size tolerable hernia. It doesn't bother me but I had those internal wave like pains very frequently before. Mary
www.hernia.org