Hidden hernia

[Deby177]

Anyone any hints etc on hidden hernia severe ongoing alst daily pain, long story don't want to bore you, having tried so many times for help mixed connective tissue, raynauds, IBS.

[OldTed60]

I’m going to reply even though you haven’t mentioned where the hidden hernia is or how it affects you other than pain. Hernias around the trunk are common in the general population from hiatus to ingual to testes to backside. I have a hiatus hernia, presumably relating to my systemic sclerosis, and fecal and bladder prolapses which are large and burdensome but not usually painful - just very uncomfortable. I also probably have pseudo obstruction although I can’t seem to get this confirmed or excluded.

Thanks to scleroderma gut I now have a stoma and the surgeon and stoma nurses all warn that, with CTD and HSD/ EDS I’m extra high risk for parastomal hernias and stoma prolapse. I dread this as many on the ostomy community have these and once large they become inoperable. If it’s near or around your bowel this can cause blockages and scar tissue forms that turns stomas into a nightmare - so an MS sufferer explained to me when I was on infusion ward getting my iloprost a year ago. She couldn’t bend to put on her shoes following repeat failed surgery for hernias under and around her stoma. My surgeon wanted to give me preventative mesh but I refused on grounds that I’m very immunesuppressed and the infection risk would be far too high and my rheumatologist wrote a letter to surgeon confirming my perspective.

My late father on the other hand had an ingual hernia successfully operated on in the 80s, some 15 years prior to his death. So really it depends on where your hernia is and whether or not it’s still operable. For the the pain you really need to speak to your GP about best type of pain meds for you. I can’t tolerate any apart from occasional codeine and liquid paracetamol so can’t advise.