Hernia help please

[Alice77]

Hi. I am 72 and have Primary peritoneal cancer. I had ultra radical cytoreduction surgery about 18 months ago and have recently developed a large hernia which both my oncologist and my GP say is best left as it is. The .muscle gap covers all the left side of my stomach and the bulge can easily be pushed back in so there is no danger of strangulation Unfortunately I am finding it a bit painful particularly towards the end of the day and wonder whether any kind person with a post surgical hernia can offer any tips on dealing with the discomfort, please?

[Caleda4]

Hello Alice, I am sure you are not alone having a hernia after your operation. I have spoken to many people that have a hernia, having had similar operations, and most have been told that they should be left alone and that includes me, but mine does not cause me any problem at the moment. However if you are in pain then maybe you should tell your Oncologist again and maybe he or she can advise on how to prevent the pain. I hope you can get this sorted out.x

[MaJay in reply to Caleda4]

Hi! I’m now 46, and I developed a ventral hernia 4 weeks post debulking and total hysterectomy. I had 3 more rounds of front line chemo to go and they also added Avastin as my debulking was sub optimal. At the end of chemo, I was advised to hold off on any hernia repair as it was more important to stay on Avastin to suppress tumor growth. (Can’t have surgery while on it.) I remained on Avastin for 11 months while my hernia worsened. At that point, both bowels, part of my stomach and diaphragm were pushing through the 11” hernia. My surgeon told me prior to surgery that is was going to be a big major surgery and recovery was going to be tough. He underestimated that! He also told me that it would have been better to repair it shortly when it happened as it would have been a simple procedure at that point. I was in the hospital 5 days post surgery, discharged with 4 drains and an incision longer than my debulking surgery. Had a 9x11” mesh implanted and he had to leave a 2” gap mid-ambical as my muscles would not pull back enough to close it. Had another surgery a month later as incision reopened and was draining. Now I’m 4 months along with adhesions, pain and still trying to heal. The point of my post is that research shows that ventral hernias do not heal on their own unlike other types. They do get worse over time. It’s much better to get them fixed when it’s a minor procedure until waiting until it’s catastrophic. If I’d known better, I would have paused treatment and gotten it fixed then.

[Alice77 in reply to MaJay]

Thanks for your post, which is worrying. I will seek further help and ssee what can be done. Part of the concern seems to be the risk of infection when I am already immuno-compromised because of Niraparib. I hope things soon improve for you; it sounds horrendous and I feel for you.

[Mai46 in reply to MaJay]

hi Majay- I’m the same age as you & have an incisional hernia which didn’t cause any problems until the past few months when I got the flu & coughing caused the hernia to pop out more & resulted in a partial bowel blockage. Also on Avastin which I’m dependent on because within weeks of coming off it, the ascites starts to build up. I’ll be seeing a surgeon about possible repair. I’m being taken off Avastin. I’m fearful about the future because I don’t see how this can be fixed without creating lots of other problems. I don’t respond well to chemo. How are you managing without Avastin? I Hope things improve for you asap. X

[Saintgermain]

Hi Alice,

Mine was causing some issues I had 2 consultations with hernia surgeons I opted for the robotic repair which was less invasive and successful you may want to pursue talking with a surgeon who specializes in hernia repairs maybe just to give you an idea if there are options

[Boot1947]

Hi Alice, I feel your pain! I find Primark’s support pants (£5) really comfortable and - yes - supportive. I also have a binder given to me post-op, which is supportive but scratchy and one from Amazon, which is OK. But the pants are brilliant. Hope that helps. Hugs, Deb

[Kjpip]

Hi Alice, I also have a hernia which generally doesn't cause me too much discomfort but sometimes it does ache towards the end of the day, especially if I've been particularly active that day. I find lying on my back for a while helps, as everything sort of sinks back in! I also always hold it in with the palm of my hand if I sneeze or cough, and when I sit up from lying. I'm definitely going to try Deb's support pants now though as well! (Not actually Deb's pants obviously 🤣) Hope you find something that helps xx

[Boot1947 in reply to Kjpip]

Hi, Kjpip - you actually made me laugh out loud! Pant-owning Deb x

[Alice77]

Thanks to all of you. I knew that there would be some helpful advice.I will try out your suggestions and see how it goes. Xxx

[Laz66]

Hello, echo the big pants and a good support belt. I get mine on prescription from Supportx. ( parastomal hernia) . I was advised that any abdominal exercises would help, with caution and from a physio, I swim regularly and think that has really helped strengthen those chopped areas! My hernia has actually reduced in size but is still deemed inoperable. I also find lying flat with a heated wheat pack very helpful and very soothing x

[Saintgermain]

Hi Alice

Forgot to add I totally agree the hernia support belt I got from Amazon was God sent hope this helps.

[Allotmenthappy]

I sympathise and appreciate these tips. I have a parastomal hernia after my second lot of ovarian cancer surgery. I was coping quite well with the stoma itself but am not happy now the hernia has developed. It's obtrusive, both visually and when bending etc and seems to have led to irritated skin around the stoma. I have a belt thing, which sort of helps for walking and gardening etc - I haven't returned to cycling which I am also upset about - but the belt is made of synthetic fibres and makes me very hot! I'm going to order some Primark pants right now but wonder if they will make me too hot as well. Has anyone in this situation found a support belt with a cotton or other natural fibre element?

[Towergirl]

hello, I found your 9 hr surgery of interest.

I’m on relapse affecting my liver, spleen and area between. Operation offer 10 hours open surgery with spleen removal and area scraped surgeon said it was complex and following Desktop phase 3. None of which I had heard of. I would need 2 weeks hospital recovery including 2 nights in ICU. All of which frightened me.

I went with Oncologist and declined operation for paclitaxol/Carbo . Just finished 6 cycles and seeing Surgeon on 18 May. Mid scans showed good reduction to the two lesions in liver and tumour above spleen reduced to half.

awaiting scan appointment hopefully wil have no visible cancer. I would love to know if your op was similar and how you coped, any advice welcome.

I’ve not found many 2 line operations mentioned on this blog. Also been refused Avastin didn’t get offered/available? In 2019.

Wishing you well, Lindsay

[Alice77 in reply to Towergirl]

Hi Lindsay. I had the op after 6 cycles of chemo and felt pretty well at the time as my response was very good so most of the obvious signs of disease had gone. I have Primary Peritoneal Cancer so was not expecting too much but was told the op would improve my chances of survival. I was told I would need a colostomy or possible ileostomy but in fact my bowel was OK. I did lose appendix, omentum, lymph nodes and bit of peritoneum in addition to womb, ovaries , Fallopian tubes, etc (quite healthy but removed as a precaution) and have a question mark over two sub-pleural cysts which were left. The surgery itself was obviously long and involved, the scar runs right down my front and needed 70+ staples, but actually the recovery was easier than I was hoping for. I was in critical care for two days, mostly heavily drugged via an epidural so not feeling pain, then another eight days on the ward, then home. I had been told it might be three weeks but I think the Consultant was worried about infection, saying I would be safer out of the hospital. The worst thing was that this was during Covid and I was not allowed any visitors. My scar healed well and after the adjuvant two chemo cycles I was feeling pretty well, just taking it easy with lifting and so on. Until the appearance of the hernia recently I was able to resume all normal activities and get my life back. I was filled with anxiety in advance but actually felt well cared-for and .pleased I had done it. If you need this op then go for it. You have lots of vaccinations before you have your spleen removed so the risk of infection is minimised.