I have been told I can choose to have the above fixed by undergoing extensive surgical repair or live with it. I am in my late 40s and really don't want to do this given that I am also experiencing gall bladder sludge which could turn into stones in the future. The surgeon explained that if that were to happen, then the abdominal repair will have to be undone to get to the Gall bladder. Obviously I don't like the sound of that so I am leaning towards living with it. The gap in the abdominal wall measures 13.7 x 7cm which he said is quite large but then poses less risk of bowel strangulation.
Is there someone out there that has undergone this procedure that can share their experience to help me decide what to do?
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Not experienced this but wanted to reply. What occurred to me, was if concerns re gall bladder already showing then wouldn’t it be sensible during operation to remove gall bladder? Most people who’ve had gall bladder removed have no ill effects afterwards.
This just came up on my emails. All I can say is a friend of mine and my sister had their gallbladders removed. They are both fine and it made a huge difference to their lives. Both of them still can't eat some things but they say they can live with that rather than the suffering they had.
Guess I was about ur age when my abdomen hernia was fixed with mesh. 10 yrs later other side was done keyhole. No more probs and all free on NHS! I was/am male, fit, healthy with good BMI then about 23/24. Took best advice of docs, and went along with it. I am now 81, with PSP, and ask many more questions. Before prostate op I asked surgeon how PSP may affect the op ...... He did not know about PSP, asked me to reschedule to stay in a night. I am still undecided! Best wishes for your perfect choice! TimbowPSP
I had ventral hernia repair in 2015. Initially had a stomal hernia repaired along with the surgery to reverse a colostomy (due to ruptured colon caused by diverticulitis) in 2014. I had no mesh implanted. I felt ‘normal’ again. My issue was not being given enough medical cautions and I went back to normal daily routines of lifting, etc too soon without strengthening those core muscles enough. The hernia came back in the next few months with a vengeance! I was in distress and concerned that it could lead to rupture, strangulation, etc. I was 67 at the time and my desire was to live a full, longer life. I did research, talked with 5 surgeons, took the plunge and chose who I thought was the best, traveled over 500 miles to that surgery center and arranged a stay of 3 weeks post surgery. I had to lose approx 15 lbs as required. they placed a 20 cm piece of mesh in the layer of facia, I had a 16 inch incision as they performed an abdominoplasty (removal of large portion of lower belly tissue) three surgeons did the surgery, a urologist, plastic surgeon, and hernia expert. It was extensive surgery, recovery took months, and I knew by the six week follow up visit that I would never be the same. For 8 years, the tight discomfort in my lower abdomen is extremely distressing, I have a flat lower abdomen with mesh doing the work of core muscles as my midriff has expanded and I can’t get that portion of my body back to normal. I constantly feel off balance and breathing is difficult as my diaphragm feels pressure from below, scar tissue (adhesions) are causing pain and discomfort and I constantly am aware of what is not normal. It has changed the quality of my life in so many ways. Doctors just brush off concerns about the mesh implant and I have stressed when a possible need for surgery for gall bladder or uterus have come up. I feel they don’t want to face any possibility that I’d have that need due to what steps would have to be taken. Oh, and to top this off, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in 2017 called PMR for short…I believe that the PMR was my body’s way of rejecting the mesh. I can feel miserable on a daily basis with windows of energy and feeling close to my old self, but I’ve lost faith in the medical profession with respect to hernia repair. In short, looking back, if I held off the mesh repair I may have been in a better position today, wearing a truss, but not having artificial material binding itself to my body parts and changing my life. My advice, find a skilled surgeon, do research on his/her expertise, ask if they would consider performing surgery without mesh, ask what post op protocol they suggest, whether they would encourage physical therapy as a post op necessity. My experience has led me to believe that if one can maintain a healthy weight and strengthen core muscles, you can avoid the mesh implant. In my case, that’s hindsight, but I’d take that as a first step if I were you. Wishing you a safe and happy life!
Thank you so much for this. I am sorry to hear all that you have been and are going through. I will definitely do my research and ask the questions about no mesh. Personally I would prefer not to do any more surgeries and just manage my weight, use proper lifting techniques and leave the rest to God. I saw a surgeon on the NHS who is happy to do that and just keep me on observation. Also he thinks given the size, the risk of strangulation is low.
However the private surgeon I saw wants to do it with mesh. My husband is pushing for me to debit as well as so we don't have to do it when I am older. I will be 48 soon.
hi, I had a hernia op but had no choice as it was a danger to life so had emergency op. I now have another hernia and I am my surgeon had a discussion and decided to watch and wait and if need be do the op . so if it is not dangerous and you have no pain i would go on an observation list, just get checks evry so often. and have the operation when you feel is the right time. good luck. kevin
Glad to hear you were OK after the emergency operation. I do have some symptoms mainly pain and discomfort. But the worry is that it could get bigger and with age the stomach wall gets weaker. I could then have most of my organs outside the abdominal wall which sounds awful.
they can get big my old boss had one the size of a football it looked so odd but it did not affect him and he had a little pain but did not want surgery good luck
That's good to know, I was worried as I have no idea how big my big one is and the catscan report didn't meantion it! But if he's living with a large football 😅 there's hope for me!
I also have surgical hernias, am had problems with medical mesh, so I'm living with my hernia, it's scary but so is surgery. I am also dealing with gallbladder sludge issues and want to heal it naturally if possible, I still have my gallbladder and don't want to lose it if possible. Best of luck, I have been living with my hernias for years now, but the gallbladder sludge is a newer problem.
Thanks for replying. Did you say you have had a hernia repair with mesh in the past but experienced a recurrence of the hernia which you are now living with?If so, when did you make the decision not to have surgery again? I am also trying not to remove my gallbladder and now avoid a lot of foods. It's tough but it's better than being in pain. What are some of the natural remedies you are trying? I drink peppermint tea and also use Castor oil heat compress. I also tried a drug called TUDCA that Dr Berg (YouTube video) spoke about. Not sure it was doing anything though I had some pain I the kidney area.
I have discontinued it for now but plan to take it up again soon. There are several articles online that have lots of good things to say about it. I do also want to avoid surgery on both my abdomen and gall bladder but my husband is pushing for me to get the hernia sorted.
I didn't have mesh hernia repair, I had a bladder repair with the same material and my body rejected that mesh, it happened twice, and from all that I hear from others with the mesh repairs they exchange one problem for another, and i do not trust the FDA to protect us an d sadly most doctors are not willing to do the old fashioned stitching techniques because they aren't "permanent" but life isn't permanent and the quality of my life was destroyed by medical mesh, so I'm choosing to live with the 3 hernias I have (2 umbilical, 1 surgical unless I can find someone who is willing to do my hernias without mesh or until they invent something that isn't as dangerous as plastic). I never heard of TUDCA do you know the other name for it? I also am adding healthy things like lemon juice to warm water, eating less high fat, protein meals, but still have some gas pain, am just experimenting, low fodmap is boring and not meant to last either so if I travel I always have a flare up. It's hard to meal plan but I enjoy cooking and I take a couple of different over the counter enzymes but wonder if I can get a prescription for enzymes am waiting back to hear from gastro practice unfortunately they are over 3 hours drive from my house! I am happy since covid much of my care has been telemed.
examine.com/supplements/tudca/ Have a look at that link. The name is rather long so shortened to TUDCA. I am totally with you on the need to come up with a better material. The horror stories about them are a lot. Stay well and hope we both continue to live as comfortably as we can with our issues.
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