Question:
How should I prepare for hernia repair surgery??

I got my denial letter last week for the TT and hernia repair combined, so I have been scheduled to go in for just the hernia repair this coming Thursday. It was fast. I have a lrge canteloupe size hernia just above the belly button and is painful and cause alot of BM problems. My questions are: what should I be prepared for as far as recovery time and pain, and anything I should prepare my family for? So many have said the hernia was more painful than the open rny. I am 9 months out from open rny, 314/175 past goal. Thanx for any advice, Patricia    — pateblkbrn (posted on July 3, 2004)

July 3, 2004
I have a umbicial hernia that needs repair also. my dr told me to wait to lose 100lbs to repair it . i know of a surgeon includes a TT with his WLS.many TT or done with a hernia repair..i would try another dr and get a second opinion. are you looking for skin removal or muscle work also?
   — traceybubbles

July 3, 2004
Mine was around that size and I had my surgery on 4/1/04, I was about 4.5 months post-op at the time. I was in the hospital for three days, off work for a week after that but I have a job in which I can control the physical activities. There WAS more pain with the hernia repair then there was with my RNY AND my RNY was open. My surgeon told me the hernia was basically the size of my RNY incision and took two pieces of gortex to repair. The pain is caused by all the organs reorganizing themselves and your body making the gortex part of its' system. I will say that once I healed I felt and looked alot better!
   — y0maria

July 3, 2004
Hi Patricia: I'm 10 mos post-op and also developed hernias. My surgery is in a month :o( My doctor also told me that the surgery is very, very painful. Much more so than the open wls. I'm not sure what to advise on preparing, but I'm taking at least 2 weeks off from work and also making plans to have some magazines, books, videos... so I don't have cabin fever while recuperating at home. My doctor said that I'll get a girdle like contraption but that I might want to get another at Nordstrom or that type of store. I developed a horrible rash after the wls so unlikely I will get one but you may want to look into it. Best wishes, let me know if you;d like to talk and we can compare notes. :o) Solange
   — Solangedc

July 3, 2004
Hi patricia: I had a hernia repair back in March. It was about the size of a football along my midline incision. They repaired it with a mesh patch. Yes, it is a very painful recovery. I can give you a few hints though to make it not so rough. Take your pain meds on time on schedule, don't try to tough it out and then crash. Before you go in for surgery, move things around a bit at home. Put your food on a shelf in the fridge where you can reach it easily, arrange everything that you use often in a way that it is at arms reach and you don't have to bend or stretch. If you have pets and use dry food or litter, divide it up now into tupperware and put it on the counter so you don't have to bend, lift or stretch. Put your hygiene items in the shower on one of those hang over racks that fits over the shower head. If you think you might need it, a toilet seat height increaser is a good idea, a grab bar or a sturdy piece of furniture nearby is a good idea too. Put lots of pillows on your bed, laying down flat might be a problem. Have a friend or 2 on standby just in case you need to have laundry done or need them to help you get something that is out of reach. Hope this helped. Take good care of yourself and follow your doctor's orders to the letter. Jackie O.
   — Jackie O.

July 3, 2004
I have had 2 hernia's repaired. One umbilical cord hernia, which was below the belly button, and one above the belly button. one was done lap and one was open and both were about 2 weeks recovery. The pain from the surgery itself was not bad, atleast I did not think so. If you follow doctors orders, and get plenty of rest and don't over do it, you'll do fine.
   — Kelley

July 3, 2004
I had the combination hernia/tummy tuck done 7 weeks ago. Compared to open rny this was a breeze. Just think of it this way. The open you were if like me 100+ overweight. Getting in and out of bed took more out of you. Now think of shedding those extra pounds and being able to get around better. I'm not saying that this isn't painful but I didn't need the morphine pump like the first surgery. In fact I was actually up and down all day and night walking whereas with the open I got up a total of 6 times in 4 days. I am taking more naps than I did with the open. My stomach is tight and spasms because of tight muscles. I now have a hematoma the size of my fist (blood that didn't dissolve) and that is very uncomfortable and achy. BUT in comparision I would rather have this one than the other.
   — classydame1

July 4, 2004
I had a hernia repair done 6/11/04. I had a large incisional hernia above my belly button. I discovered it last fall and I had a lot of problems because of it. I'm down 130 lbs and they (BTC) told me to lose more and then get a tummy tuck. My weight platued for a couple of months and the problems with the hernia was worse and physically limiting so I scheduled earlier with a BTC surgeon. I had out patient surgery done 100 miles from home. The repair itself took about an hour so I was on my way home 2 hours after surgery. The first 16 hours were a breeze --later I hurt! The surgeon said the repair was huge and they only let me go home because I recover very well. The incision was large (I had an open rny and the incision for the hernia was only 3 inches smaller). I had a pain pump fr 3 days with a epidermal pain killer, that helped. The pain was worse than my rny , I was in the hospital getting moraphine for the rny. I took my pain pills faithfully for about 5 days. Moving around was difficult too. The incision healed well, but I did have draining until 3 days ago -- the doctor said this was normal. My incisional was deeper because I am not near goal yet and I genetically have a very deep fat pad in that area. I am also 50 years old. I went back to work in one week, but I was very tired and I would recommend 2 weeks. Each hernia is different. it was well worth me having it done now, plus I have 2 - 3 inches less to worry about in that area and my clothes look so much better on. You will do well just take the pain pills dont try to tough it out, rest, and allow yourself some time. Best wishes!
   — debmi

July 4, 2004
My suggestion would be to protein load -- I usually get in about 150gms protein/day, mostly from shakes. The two weeks before surgery I upped it to 200gms. I even took my container of Champion Whey Stack Chocolate (the 5-pounder) to the hospital with me! MY hernia was huge and I now have mesh hooked to my ribs and running down to below my navel. I was in the hospital for five days, but I am 70 and my original surgery 2/02 was fraught with complications. I walked from the first day...and had four or five protein drinks/day (although the nurses didn't mix them as well as I do!). You need protein to heal, but you know that. HTH. Nina in Maine
   — [Deactivated Member]

July 5, 2004
I had a 9" hernia repaired along my left sife (horizontally) and it was emergently, so I had zero time to prepare. Honestly, I don't remember the recover being anywhere near as bad as my belt lipectomy! <br><br> I was in the hospital for three nights, and out of work for another week, and went back gradually. Yay for a desk job. The hardest part was futher putting of any exercise.
   — kultgirl

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