Had my hernia surgery

It went pretty well.   Of course, I'm still in pain and taking meds for that.  Dr. Huse told my husband that it was the size of a baseball.  That didn't surprise me.....it looked like part of a mini-basketball on my stomach....LOL. I hope everyone is doing well.  I haven't been on here much yet, but I am so glad that I got this done and over with.  I had some problems with low blood pressure (but not dangerously low - 80/45) and my respiration was in the 80's more than the 90's but I was able to come home Sat.  I didn't have a problem with my kidneys this time.....thank God. How are you doing with your hernia surgery Sherri?  Well, I hope!   Candy

Candy, I'm doing better. Thank you so much for asking.                             My surgery was on March 3rd. Prior to that, I looked like I was ~8 months pregnant. The 'hernia'..the opening in the abdominal wall...was from right under my sternum to my pubic area. They had to make it that large to get all the intestines out & spread out last October. So I think pretty  much all of my intestines took advantage of that. Since they did have such a large opening to go through, we didn't have to worry about them getting 'caught' (thank god!!). When I'd lay down, they'd all go back where they belonged (and I'd have a flat tummy!). When I'd go to sit up, they'd all spill forward. Now that was a very weird sensation! To close mine up, Dr. Gupta had to sew in mesh to block the gap since they couldn't pull the abdominal wall close enough together to do that without the mesh. Remember that I just had a full tummy tuck in September that tightened the abdominal wall so I didn't have a whole lot of 'give' there. The incision itself goes from sternum to pubic (~12-14") and then a 2nd incision that goes accross the pubic and 'T's' with the long one. It's ~6". The incisions isn't what hurt at all...it was the abdominal wall where the mesh was put in.                                          Thanks to my reading up on it as much as I could, I was expecting it to hurt..but it has been the most painful post-op I've had to date. Given all the surgeries I've had, that is saying something. I was FINALLY able to go with just tylenol during the day last Thursday so I was able to drive again on Friday. That was a huge Ye-Haw! for me. Well..for me & Bill since he's legally blind & can't drive. I do still reach for something stronger at bedtime and ~4-5 in the morning. Since I don't have anywhere I need to be at this morning, I gave in to a vicodin at 7. I am sure I will be totally vicodin-free someday soon..but at night, it let's me know I haven't reached that point yet. It has gotten so much better though. Initially, I was on 2 oxycodone every 4 hours..and after 3 hours passed, I was watching the clock! So to be able to take care of my WORST pain now with just one vicodin is doing pretty good!                                     So hang in there! It will get better! Did you have to have mesh put in too or were they able to close it up with just the wall's tissue? I know that even with 'just' the wall's tissue, that is going to cause pain too..anytime you're stitching into tissue, you are going to hurt from it. Hopefully, it will be for a shorter duration. I remember when I had my hysterectomy, they went internal instead of incision since my ovaries were just about non-existent....they put the tailbone & pelvis back where they belonged (I guess having kids can reverse their natural positions). To hold them in place while they healed, they stitched through the tissue in the right butt cheek. I could not sit on that side for a month!! After that, I sat very gingerly for probably 3 more months! I can finally giggle without pain but a big laugh, sneezes, and coughs are still OUWIE!  Where is yours located? Mine is pretty much down the center. When they opened me up in October and then had the wound-vac on me, I was getting a really nasty scar that was about 12" x 6" and my belly button lined up even with my left 'girl'. Dr. Bergman (my plastic's surgeon) assisted Dr. Gupta on 3/3 and removed all that scarring so that I'll have a incision line instead of a huge scar. She tried to get my belly button back where it belongs. It's still a little off center to the left, but WAY closer to where it belongs than it was!                  If you ever want to compare notes, you are welcome to give me a call. I have a plastics & a dental follow-up this week, and I'm to go back to work next Monday..but other than that, I'll be all ears!  Sherri

Dr. Huse told my husband that it was the size of a baseball.  It started just underneath my "girls" and went about half way down my stomach in the middle.  When I laid down it would disappear, but when I stood up it looked like a mini-basketball standing out from my stomach.   Dr. Huse had a binder on me when I came out of surgery and of course a bandage over the steri-strips.  Dr. Evanston released me from the hospital since he was on call, but he didn't tell me about taking showers, etc.  Do you know if we do it the same as the RNY?  You didn't have an open RNY though did you?  With that they wanted me to take showers only and it was okay if the bandage came off.  Then the steri-strips would fall off on their own.  I don't see Dr. Huse until April 28th.  I am hoping to sometime have PS surgery, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not.  My blood pressure was low and so was my respiration again.  I didn't have trouble with the kidneys this time.  I think I can get the insurance to pay for the panni because I get rashes and/or fungus infections underneath it.  I need my arms done because they are huge.....I've lost of course, but I still have alot of loose skin.  I'd love to have my thighs done and my double chin looks like a turkey neck.....it kind of runs in my family.  I don't know how much I'll be able to afford.  I know that the panni is probably the only thing the insurance might pay for.  Congratulations on going back to work next Mon.  If I get a chance I may call you and talk to you about all of this.  I'm still taking Vicodin - 2 every 4-5 hours usually.  It still doesn't help the pain when I'm trying to get up or turn over in bed.  Did they give you Vicodin or the generic form - Hydrocodone?  They gave me the generic and I've been taking them off and on for several years.  Whenever I have back trouble or neck trouble I take them when going to bed.  I didn't take them all of the time though.  Well, I'll talk to ya later.  Maybe call you sometime this week.   Candy

Candy, Vicodin didn't touch my pain at first. You may want to call their office and ask them to call you in something stronger. I put up with being in constant pain for a week..stupid move on my part. When I had my 1 week visit with Dr. Gupta, it was very evident how much pain I was in and it was switched to oxycodone (percocet). It helped quite abit.  After about 3 weeks of it, I was finally able to get relief from vicodin durring the day. I do have the generic form. At bedtime & when I first get up tends to be my worse time of day...pain-wise. My RNY, revision, and internal hernia's were all done lap...but I had a huge whole in my belly from all that rook place in October (I have all of that in my blog section on my profile). While I had the big opening, I could take a shower only if I had it well covered so no moisture, soap, etc could get anywhere near the wound. So after I had the hernia repair & the opening closed up, it was terrific to be able to just get in the shower! These small pleasures in life. lol! I'm allregic to steri-strips, and a plastic surgeon (Dr. Bergman) assisted in the surgery so she could remove all of the scarring & close up the open wound...so I have internal stitching done to try to minimize the scar as much as possible. I was able to shower right away. I go for my follow-up with Dr. Bergman this morning. One of the questions we plan on asking is when I can get in the hot tub. I would guess it'll be a few more weeks yet to be sure the incision is completely closed up so bacteria can't get in there. Oh...Dr. Bergman had me shower before my plastics with anti-bacterial body wash. I have been using it every since. I think it really helps to prevent any infection and when you have a mile-long incision line, the less chances of infection, the better!                         In October, while I was in the coma, my BP had dropped to 50/30..dangerously low.  It tends to be low anyway. It's usually 80-100/50-60. My oxygen likes to really dip down when I'm snoozing too. I would be in recovery from a endoscopy and the alarm would start going off and my daughter & hubby would try to wake me up so I'd breathe deaper..to shut off the darn alarm. LOL! I was one of the obese chicks who ALWAYS had really good bp's unless I was pregnant. That was the ONLY time it was ever elevated...and even at that, it had to be right after I climbed a flight of stairs! Right before I had my RNY, I weighed 352 lb at my highest. The nurse would take my BP and go 'hmmmm..120/60'. I'd just look at her and say 'yeah, I know. Not bad for a fat lady!'. I thought it was terrific then..but now without the weight, it would be good it if were a little bit higher. Oh well, Just be careful standing up too fast. It can make you a little bit light-headed. As far as having another surgery with it though, just be sure to tell you plastic surgeon (or any other surgeon/anasthesist (SP?) that you have a tendency to dip down with your BP & oxygen during surgeries...that way, they can be prepared for it.                                                             When you check into plastics, I would highly recommend you having a consult with Dr. Bergman or her partner Dr. Grasse. Both ladies are fantastic. They are here in Indy, not to far from St. Vincent Carmel. They will bill the insurance for your consult and try to get them to pay for the panni part (other plastic surgeons won't bother...Dr. Turkle wouldn't). If you have more than one procedure done at a time, they will also knock off 10% off of the 2nd procedure. Their prices were MUCH better than Dr. Turkle's too. You can figure ~$4,000 or so per procedure. Some, like the thigh lift costs abit more. I had the full tummy tuck (panni with the abdo tightening.with just the panni, they remove the skin below the belly button. With the full TT, they cut around the belly button, pull the skin all down and make you a new belly button opening. They also tighten the abdo muscle.) and the inner thigh lift. The thigh lift...if you have loose skin all the way to your knee, be sure you bring that up at your consult that it is a concern of yours. I didn't...and I still have a handful of skin right above my knee. I wasn't expecting that. For people whose loose skin is mainly on the upper half of the thigh though, they will be thrilled to pieces with the results. Oh..I had heard ahead of time how painful the thigh lift was suppose to be. It was a piece of cake from the get-go. The only real pain I had was from the abdo tightening..and only if I coughed, laughed, sneezed..about like how it is now too!  I'd still like to get the girls done (BL/BA) but it's going to have to wait a year or so..I need to get FMLA time AND money rebuilt back up after this long 7 months off!                               I think that answered everything...LOL! Call me whenever you'd like.                 Sherri                                      

Sherri.  I haven't used much of Vicodin today.  I took it once when I got up, but that was it.  It feels a little better today, but it still hurts when I move. I feel like I'm pulling muscles.  I don't know if I'm supposed to have the shower, but I thought maybe it'd be treated like the RNY.  I could take a shower and they said it wouldn't hurt the steri-strips.  I tried not to get it very wet though.  I changed the bandages and right above the top incision there is a hard knot.  Most of the swelling seems to be around the 4th or 5th steri-strip down and almost to the bottom.  He has an incision about the length of my RNY one.  I was just wondering if you knew if the hard knot is normal?  I figured there would be swelling, but wasn't sure where or how long.  My skin is red even on the sides of my stomach, but I was wondering if that was from the binder. It itches alot with it, but it's my back that itches the most. 

My bp was around 45/27 after my RNY.  I'm surprised I wasn't in a coma.  My BP has never been that low even after surgery. 80/45 was pretty low for me, and they were concerned, but they weren't dangerously low then at least.  I actually haven't been light-headed this time.  I was for quite awhile after my RNY. My sister-in-law had a TT about 2 yrs. ago.  She'd lost alot of weight on her own.  Now she's gained it back and then some.  She can lose really easy when she puts her mind to it, but she can gain it back just as easily. She went to a doctor that has an office here but had a place down in Indy that he did the surgeries.  I'm not sure if he still does that, since he has a new office here.  She liked him pretty well, but she wished she had done the girls too.....he would've done it for $2,000 more.  I guess I'll decide when the time comes where I want to go.  I know where your surgeons are located....right off West Carmel Dr. 

What kind of work do you do?  Do you go to the support groups at Clarian or St. V?  I haven't made it to Clarian's yet since my surgery.  I was hoping before long I'd make it to one at least once a month.  I'll try to call you, but I've been falling asleep during the day a lot.  I didn't even take Vicodin except that one time and still couldn't hardly stay awake.....I will take one or two before going to bed though.  I have trouble mainly when turning over or getting up from chair or bed.  I think you pretty much answered my questions from last night.....now wouldn't you know it, I have a few more tonight.....LOL!!! Candy

Candy, You're doing really good if you can cut back on the vicodin already. The top of my incision is my sternum..my breastbone. After I lost my weight we discovered that the end of it isn't flat. Instead it has a nice little flip up. As one doctor put it 'no one will ever have problems knowing where to put their hands to give you CPR'. Other than that, I don't have any hard knots.  About an inch or two down is where my swelling begins..and it extends to the pelvis. Width-wise, it's all the way from side to side. I'm almost 7 weeks post-op. I still have some swelling and was told I probably would for a few more months. I was also told I'd still have some pain for several more months. Dr. Bergman described the mesh to Bill & I yesterday. She said it was huge and held her hands about 14" apart. hen she said it was sewn into the tissue on both sides and along the top and bottom. This I knew..but I guess it really sunk in hearing her describe it. She had assisted Dr. Gupta so she could fix the open wound part. I think it was the largest mesh and the most in-tissue sewing that she has ever witnessed.                        For the itchy binder...I wear a tank top or t-shirt under it! That REALLY helps. I had ordered & recieved a under garment when I thought I was going to get the girls done with the TT. It does a great job keeping the girls where they belong..but it does an even better job at holding the stomach in. I have been using that instead of the binder if I have short runs to do (like to the dentist today). I put the binder on over that if it's going to be a long day away from home (like for the country Expo last Sunday).                                         I'm a lab technician...think 'chemist', not med lab. I make lab-size working models of what is going on in each process in production (Lilly's..Humalog production processes). After I get it do behave the same as production's, I train someone on how to use it...then I move on to the next process. normally, I'm on my feet 80% of the time with my job. My boss though has been saving alot of tasks that are 'desk-jobs' for when I come back so that I won't have to wear myself out. I think that's pretty sweet of him.   I had to have an arm surgery back in 2002. Since then, I've been pretty good at asking one of the guys in our department to do any heavy lifting for me anyway so me going back and not being able to lift is no big deal. I wouldn't have been anyway..lol.               I went to the St. Vincent support meetings when I was a new post-op. Frankly, I got tired of it being a big clique. I went the number of times needed for insurane requirements...then I quit. I get my support from OH and the Indiana board. I get alot more out of it than I ever did at St. V's meetings. And those meetings could be good...if they wouldn't let the same people take over each meeting but the nurse 'in charge'...well, she really isn't. At least that's how it was when I was a newbie. In 3.5 years, alot of things can change. Maybe the same people don't go anymore, I don't know. I have heard really good things about Clarian's...especially their cooking classes.                                          Remember that your body is healing. It needs it's sleep! I hope you are drinking protein drinks...? It needs the extra protein boost too. Are you taking Biotin? If not, do. The strongest ones   the pharmacy has! In about 3-4 months, you're going to start losing hair...again..if you did post-rny. Try to head it off some with the Biotin. Oh..I had a few weeks there where I had to avoid the recliner and just stick to the couch. Just trying to stand up from the recliner  hurt like the dickens! I was ok standing up off the couch. I think it was an angle thing or something.           Sherri

Hey Sherri, I think it sounds like you have a very nice boss!!!  Your job sounds like it could be interesting.

Your hernia was definitely bigger than mine, I think.  It wasn't on the sides....just in the middle.  It's bad enough.....I can't imagine what yours feels like.  I do have twinges of pain off and on where the hernia was.  I'm not sure yet, since I haven't really talked to him since my surgery, but I'm pretty sure he had to put mesh in mine also. 

I did go to Clarian's support group once before surgery and it was packed.  They are supposed to be having everyone together the first Wed. and the 3rd Wed. they split them up.....0-6 mos. went in one room and 6 mos. + in another room.  I would like to go to a cooking class, but have't made it yet. 

I am having some problems getting all my protein in.....I know that's very important.   I've never been a big drinker of anything.....even cokes, which I loved.I also have trouble getting all my liquids in.  It seems like time goes too fast alot of days.                Candy