OT - Hernia surgery recovery

[msmama]

Hey all,

Thought maybe you folks would be able to help me.

I have to have surgery for an "incisional hernia" stemming from my gallbladder surgery 2 1/2 years ago.

The docs told me the recovery would be similar to the gallbladder surgery, but as I had a 10 week old baby at home at the time, that period of my life is kind of a blur, lol.

Can anyone tell me what to expect?

(I'm a SAHM and my Mom is coming to visit for a week so I will have help).

Thanks!!

ETA: Oh, it's a out patient procedure, though I will be under general anesthesia. It's supposed to be laproscopic and the doctor said he'd put a piece of mesh over the hole.

 

[Dadoftwoprincesses]

I had this surgery back in September. The first two days are painful. I slept in the recliner as it was easier then getting out of bed. 3rd day was really sore but able to move around better. After a week you begin to feel like yourself, but don't overdue it. You will feel a funny sensation as your body gets usedto the mesh pulling in strange spots.

 

[donac]

My dh has had this surgery twice. The first time I was home with him afterwards. except for picking up our ds's I was with him the first couple of days. He pretty much stayed put.

The second time he had this was a year ago. I took the day of the surgery off to be with him. He told me he didn't need me the next day so I went to work. He was all over the world that day Yes even driving. The next day I had to call him about something when I was at work. He was in so much pain he was crying on the phone. I calmed him down and he took his medication and by the time I got home he was in control again. He stayed close to the house for the rest of the weekend before he went back to to work on Monday.

Make sure that you have some help the first couple of days.

Good luck

 

[Aryn]

I agree with the 2 PP. I had the same surgery that you are going to have in July. It was by far the most painful thing I have ever gone through. When I got home after the surgery, I was in so much pain, everything hurt, couldn't talk,move, it hurt to breathe. Pain killers barely touched it. That lasted about 2-3 days. After that, the mesh pulls inside and causes pain for a while. Be careful lifting and bending, my Dr. said that is you tear the mesh you will have to have the surgery again for another hernia Once is enough for me!

My husband has a hernia and I am trying to tell him how painful it is but he thinks I'm just a big baby and exaggerating. We shall see when he has his surgery.

Good Luck

 

[Kathi OD]

OMG!!! Am I sorry I opened this thread. I just discovered an abdominal hernia and the doctor says I will need to have it repaired. No way I am looking forward to more pain. Please don't tell me it will be more painful than the hysterectomy surgery (traditional surgery, not laparoscopic).

 

[Inigo]

How extensive is your hernia?


Tomorrow is 6 weeks since I had "abdominal wall reconstruction with separation of components" to repair a ginormous incisional hernia that went from just above my navel to almost the bikini line. It was truly ginormous!! I didn't get mesh. They split the muscles and pulled them to the center and overlapped them. Because the hernia was so big, the results pretty much are the same as if I'd had a tummy tuck. (I have a flat stomach now!! And insurance paid for it!) I had a general surgeon for the hernia and a plastic surgeon for putting the outside back together. (He's had to make me a new belly button, as well as getting rid of all the scar tissue from the old surgeries. Like I said, it was basically a tummy tuck.)

Because the surgery was so extensive, and I have other health issues as a crohnnie, I had to be in the hospital four days after surgery, but once I got home I was tired but not in a lot of pain. I had to have drains because it was such an extensive operation, and they were a nuisance, but not a pain. I think I took ultram one day for pain after coming home, and stuck with tylenol after that for a week.

I couldn't sleep in bed, because I needed more support to get up. I piled pillows on the couch, but a recliner would have been even better. It felt better to sleep on an incline than flat, and I had to have another pillow under my knees to take pressure off the abdomen.

Your hernia surgery may not be as extensive. I'd had three previous abdominal surgeries to remove parts of my small intestine, and they cut in the same spot each time. The last time it just didn't heal right, which resulted in the hernia. I will say this recovery was a lot easier than the resections were. I could have driven within a week of this surgery, but my DS (23 years old) is a mean caretaker and wouldn't let me. He was right of course, since it could have complicated things a lot if I had slid on ice or had to turn suddenly.

I have a five pound lifting limit right now, with it increasing to ten pounds in two more weeks. After that, I'll get to gradually increase the weight limit. I'll get to start working out at the beginning of April.

I still wear my binder at night, and wear a compression garment during the day, to keep the swelling down.

Like I said, this surgery was a lot easier than the times they cut me open before.

I've found a lot of information and support on the healing process for what I went through on a tummy tuck forum. My recovery is a lot like the tummy tuck recovery, except my doctors are going very slow on lifting my restrictions. If anyone is contemplating a TT, let me know and I'll give you the link to the forum.

 

[tink519]

I also had incisional hernia repair as a result of my gallbladder surgery, and then a second repair after my second pregnancy.

Ditto on the most painful thing EVER. The first surgery was not fun at all. I woke up in the recovery room and was crying I was in so much pain (and I had two babies with no epidurals). I could barely talk, and DH wasn't in there yet. I started banging on the bed to get the nurses attention. She gave me some sort of sedative which made me loopy until the pain med started to kick in. Finally I was ready to try to go to the bathroom, which was horrible. They wheeled me to the bathroom and the nurse helped me, and when I got back my bed was gone! I got the picture that it was time to go home. I realized they only gave me one Percoset instead of two because I was outpatient, and they don't want you to stay. If they give two, I would sleep for another 2-4 hours....so I managed to get dressed and cried the whole way home. I knew I had two Percosets left over from my gallbladder surgery in the cabinet. I walked in and all I could say to my mom, who was watching my DD (then 10 months) was "drugs, top shelf." and went straight to my bed. I took both pills and slept for 4 hours.

The second surgery wasn't quite as bad because I told the doctor I was in serious pain after the first one so they upped my pain meds during surgery which helped me a little bit until I could get home to my Percosets. It was still painful, but I knew what to expect.

The good news is that after my surgeries I felt SOOO much better and absolutely worth it. I felt better than I had in months. You don't realize how much it affects your overall health, but it really does.

As far as recovery, don't expect to pick up the baby for at least two weeks, and no laundry or anything like that for even longer. And really try not to or you'll end up back in there again. After about 4 days I think I was off the percosets and was able to drive short distances. I was probably taking 3-4 ibuprofen every 4-6 hours for much longer though, at least a week, maybe more?

Edited to add: I also think I alternated between Percosets and ibuprofen, which was recommended by the doctor so you could ask about that and really helps with pain. So every 3 hrs taking meds, but different ones (percoset is acetominophen based) so they are different meds and do different things....maybe a medical person can elaborate Also, as hard as it is definitely try to get up and walk after the first day. I was limiting myself to the bathroom and back because it was so hard but the night after my surgery I talked to my aunt who is a nurse and she told me I had to walk. And she was right. Once I managed to do a lap around the house I realized I started to feel better faster.

 

[DisneyCrazy2]

My DD (age 16) had this surgery last summer but had to have an incision (not laproscopic). She was slow moving for about a week but the pain was manageable. She did fine and I am sure you will too! Just make sure to get up every couple hours and take a short walk. Don't worry!

 

[Inigo]

One more tip: Take stool softeners. The pressure on your abdominal muscles is intense if you don't, plus the anesthesia and pain meds tend to make people constipated.

And have a pillow handy to press against your abdomen if you have to sneeze or cough, or laugh too hard. Don't read stupid websites like autocorrect.com in the first couple weeks after surgery, since you will be laughing and it will hurt.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Oh my! I have a small umbillical hernia and I have been thinking about having it repaired. No way will I have it done after reading your posts!

I have no pain from my hernia, although it is "incarcerated." My neighbor said she's had one like that for over 40 years and it's fine. I guess I am taking my chances. But I am a part-time student and a SAHM to 3 kids - there's no time for me to recover from a surgery like that!

Good luck to everyone who is having it done!

 

[Poohbear5]

I have had 3 incisional hernia repairs secondary to several c-sections.
The first two were not that bad and about the equivalent pain of a c-section with 3 days in the hospital and back to most activities within a few weeks.

The 3rd surgery was a huge hernia because I let it go so long and until it was an emergency (the mesh had broken down). I ended up with incisional fluid post-op, so back to the OR to create an open wound at 5 weeks post-op. After another 2 months of visiting nurses packing an open wound, I had a wound vac for 6 weeks, then another 4 week of packing an open wound.

It was a really tough time but saw from this whole experience what an incredible man my husband is!

So my advice is BE CAREFUL and recuperate fully so this is a one time deal!
Do not turn down any offers of help!