Question:
My hernia doesn't hurt me, but looks like a cantaloupe is in the middle
of my stomach. Anyone else have similar experiences? — Judy W. (posted on April 14, 2003)
April 14, 2003
Yep -- had the exact same thing until about 3 weeks ago when I got it
surgically repaired. I used to jokingly tell folks that I was smuggling
softballs in the front of my pants. Mine didn't bother me for a very long
time and I chose to leave it alone. Several months ago, it started giving
me problems (everything from mild abdominal "twinges" to a
full-scale belly ache). The theory is that as I was getting smaller, I was
giving the intestine less room to shift and keep itself from kinking.
That's the biggest concern when it comes to a hernia. If you start kinking
the intestine, you can give yourself some major health problems. Anyway,I
had mine taken care of. I stayed overnight in the hospital. Pain was much
less than with WLS -- hardest thing was getting in and out of bed. I wore
an abdominal binder and had a drain for about a week. When he took the
drain out, I opted to leave the binder off -- strictly my choice but I was
more comfortable without it. Missed 3 weeks of work and had my first day
back today. So far, so good.........no problems. Good luck!
— Pam S.
April 14, 2003
I also have a large hernia. Mine is in the lower part of my stomach because
it is the result of my c-section two years ago. Mine has not caused me any
pain, and my family doctor had me go in for testing to make sure that my
bowl was not twisted or obstructed in any way. Since it is not causing any
problems, my surgeon has suggested that I wait to have it repaired. She
said the more weight I lose, the better the chances of the hernia repair
being successful. I guess in extremely overweight patients it is much more
likely that the repair will not last and will have to be redone at some
point. I am hoping to wait until it is tummy tuck time to do the hernia
repair. That way I can avoid an extra hospital bill. My doctor has said
that if the hernia starts to cause problems we will need to go ahead and do
the reapir at that time.
— Jenny S.
April 14, 2003
I also have a large hernia. Mine is in the lower part of my stomach because
it is the result of my c-section two years ago. Mine has not caused me any
pain, and my family doctor had me go in for testing to make sure that my
bowl was not twisted or obstructed in any way. Since it is not causing any
problems, my surgeon has suggested that I wait to have it repaired. She
said the more weight I lose, the better the chances of the hernia repair
being successful. I guess in extremely overweight patients it is much more
likely that the repair will not last and will have to be redone at some
point. I am hoping to wait until it is tummy tuck time to do the hernia
repair. That way I can avoid an extra hospital bill. My doctor has said
that if the hernia starts to cause problems we will need to go ahead and do
the reapir at that time.
— Jenny S.
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