So my weird shaped belly that has becoming more pronounced these last 3 months turns out to be another incisional hernia from July 2018 surgery. And now I'm trying to gather as much info re repair advice, particularly with mesh.
I only found out about it last week at my 3 monthly checkup - which was a good result again (CA125 10) and the young oncologist registrar I saw made it sound like it wasn't really a big deal having a hernia. I guess it's not when facing tumours and I feel a bit wimpy about stressing about it. Of course I was over the moon with my CA125 result and left there skipping but over the weekend I googled so much about strangulated hernias etc. that I got myself in a right tiss. I'm now thinking I should contact the senior oncologist to have a chat to him about what the best thing to do is, rather than wait for the next three month appointment.
I did also have a lower down hernia in the pelvic area after first surgery in 2015 but I was reassured it was nothing to worry about (it wasn't at all visible). So when I had second surgery last July the surgeons stapled it.
Can anyone offer advice or share their experience with incisional hernias?
Many thanks .... Ruth
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ruthg55
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I had mine repaired with mesh. It was a long op - I was in theatre all morning as it turned out that I had multiple hernias. The incision was longer than my original scar and was pretty painful for a couple of weeks. However, it was really successful and I've had no problems with it. The only drawback for me was that when I was being considered for further surgery on recurrence, I was told that the mesh would make it more complicated and risky.
Hope you get a decent resolution, hernias can be so uncomfortable eh? I was told there was a relatively low risk of strangulation with incisional hernias. 💐💐😘😘
Hello LittleSan ... thanks so much for quick reply, it has reassured me!
So happy it has turned out well for you, though long surgery. Can I ask how long ago did you have it done and did they do scan first to see how many hernias were there (or is it really not knowing until they do surgery)?
I'm hoping I don't get to the stage where it gets uncomfortable, but I'm a terrible one for once knowing there is something wrong I can focus too much on it and start to feel pain - real or imagined. Good to know incisional hernias are relatively low risk (I didn't know that).
Thanks again for taking time to reply to me - much appreciated. Hope all going well for you. Did you have further surgery or was there no need? xx
Hi again ... I've just read some of your updates, so I'm guessing you haven't had further surgery. Sorry to hear you've been through a lot and makes my hernia issue seem quite insignificant, so thank you for kindly replying. Much love, Ruth xx
No they didn't scan. It was a plastic surgeon who did the repair. I was referred for one hernia and he felt 2 on the preop assessment but on the post op consultation he said my abdo was like a collander 🙄😄. Xx
Hi Ruth. I had four incisional hernias diagnosed after my debunking surgery in 2014 and I talked to quite a few GPS and surgeons about solutions. After six months I got to the top of the waiting list to operate and chickened out for these reasons: they couldn’t guarantee the op would work, I was concerned about the mesh they use, especially in case I needed further surgery, I live on my own and wasn’t sure I could manage post-op stuff, like wearing a corset, and five percent of patients suffer intractable pain, while only three percent of hernias strangulate. Call me a wimp! I can’t say I like my bulginess, but it’s not too uncomfortable, so I think I’ll carry on living with them. I don’t know if that’s any help and we’re all different. Best of luck with sorting things out. Deb xx
Thanks Deb for all that info. It's really good to know all the options. Not at all a wimp - sounds like you've made the right decision for yourself. I didn't realise it was only a small amount of hernias that strangulate - so that is encouraging. All the best to you, Ruth xx
Hi. I have had an incision so hernia for the last couple of years. It bulges a bit and sometimes feels a bit sore. The surgeon said that it shouldn't give me any problems, and that they would look at it again if it did. I get the impression that it is better left alone if possible, as another operation could create further issues, especially if I need another cancer operation.
Hi Jenny ... thanks so much for replying. Always good to hear how others cope. I was a bit concerned if you leave it then it'll just continue to perhaps get bigger therefore making surgery more difficult. But I'm guessing from your and Deb's reply that that is probably not the case. I'll definitely book appt to see what options are. All the best to you, Ruth xx
About 18 months after my debulking surgery I started getting severe heartburn and debilitating vomiting.
My Oncologist at the time was not interested but my GP worked very hard to help. I tried various meds, had lots of gastric investigations etc but the symptoms particularly the pain grew worse.
Finally my GP got hold of my CT scans where the radiologist had reported that I had multiple incisional hernias with loops of bowel going through them which were causing acute obstructions. Hence my symptoms.
I saw a Gastric Surgeon privately who was brilliant. He felt repair was essential and took on the not insignificant job of getting the surgery agreed and organised.
I had surgery in November 2016. My surgeon used mesh but managed to use keyhole surgery to insert it. Therefore I had no obvious additional scarring and my recovery time was much quicker. Even so I did not bounce back easily from what for someone fit and otherwise well would be day case surgery. I was in hospital 5 days and recovery took a couple of months but my surgeon had warned me about this.
However the best thing was that my symptoms stopped. The pain disappeared and I could eat normally. I did not have any bulging so I cannot comment on that. Personally I am very glad I had the surgery but am not sure I would have gone ahead if I had not had the symptoms I did.
Julia thank you so much for all that detailed info. & good to know it has worked for you. As I’m not in any discomfort (as yet anyway) I’ll certainly take into consideration your comments. All the best to you. Ruth x
I have the same problem as you and the consultant doesn't seem too bothered!. My shape is pretty bad but being over 70 and not likely to wear a bikini ever again i'll probably not do anything about it. There maybe special corsets available, have a look at figure controlling swimwear, but until it starts being a pain I think I shall let it all hang out. Good luck
Thank you so much for replying, much appreciated - you made me smile with your bikini comment It's been great to get so many replies and helps put my mind at ease! All the best & good luck to you too. Ruth x
Hi Ruth, I had my hernia repaired in December. I too was concerned about possible complications from the mesh in any future surgery, but the gynecological oncologist who had done my debulking said that although not having mesh is preferable in future surgery, it could be dealt with. The surgeon who repaired my hernia offered me the option of doing the repair without mesh, but in the end I chose mesh because with mesh there is less chance of the hernia recurring.
My surgery lasted an hour and a half, and was actually “day surgery,” so I went right home after leaving the recovery room. The surgeon had strapped a wide binder around my abdomen, and I wore it for about six weeks, I think, removing it only to check that my incision looked okay. I had no external stitches, only surgical glue which worked very well. I’m not a brave person, so looking at the surgical area was a little hard at first, especially since the surgeon did away with my belly button. He preferred to do that, as the hernia was in the navel area. Now I have a 2&1/2 inch horizontal scar just in the same place where the navel used to be. I have gotten used to it.
The day after surgery was the hardest in that I had to move slowly when getting into or out of bed, or when getting up from a seated position. With each passing day, moving around became easier and hurt way less. I have had no trouble with pain after eating, and no pain from the mesh. After all this, I sometimes STILL forget that I must not lift heavy things or strain that area! Best of luck with making your decision, Ruth!
Many thanks for letting me know how it went. And so happy all has been well for you! Everybody has been fantastic in replying and I now feel a lot more confident in what questions to ask before I make a decision. Yes, I agree lifting/straining is easy to forget. I've kind of got a feeling this might have started when I helped lift some heavy furniture - the timing is about right. It wasn't until later that I thought I probably shouldn't have done that. All the best, Ruth x
I had debunking surgery exactly 1 year ago - May 2018 - which left an incisional hernia. At 6 months it was getting bigger and at each monthly exam, the doctors told me it was various things, like my pelvic bone, a lump, some fluid in abdomen. At my exam in Feb, ocon doctor finally admitted it was a hernia as it grown from a golf ball size to size of two baseballs. It was clearly visible on the CT scan. Doc said it's not serious, but be careful of lifting heavy things. And if it's extreme pain, then it's time for ER & surgery (strangulation). So I can carry on and recover from chemo and if it gets too painful, then I could have surgery. But no details about kind of surgery or type of repairs. I'll continue as is. Some days I have pain in the lower abdomen, but it goes away. I'm careful not to lift or carry heavy items. I don't want another big surgery, pain & long recovery as I've already missed out on so much over the past year with cancer & chemo.
Hope your surgery goes fine and you recover quickly. All the luck to you.
Thank you kindly for taking time to reply. Sorry to hear you're also in same position. Yes, I get the feeling the onc. aren't too concerned about hernias, however, I would prefer not to leave it to the emergency stage. With everybody's replies I've now got lots of questions to ask when I see medical team. Our surgery timings are almost the same (mine July). This was my second major abdominal surgery in 3 years for the removal of a relatively small para-aortic lymph node (it was in a very tricky spot next to aorta vein, so I had to be cut from diaphragm to pubic area). I read your background and see you also had a few cancerous aortic lymph nodes - did the chemo knock them on the head? Luckily I didn't need to have chemo this round as there was nothing else "visible". I know the last thing we want to think about is more surgery and it is good to let the body heal - especially for you having chemo as well. I'll keep everyone posted what I decide to do, hopefully I don't have to make a decision for some time. All the best, Ruth xx
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It's been great to get so many replies and helps put my mind at ease! All the best & good luck to you too. Ruth x
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