Sort of OT: Hernia surgery?

[aprilfoolwed]

I think I have a hernia - at my bellybutton.

I am calling my doctor Monday morning, but I am98% sure that's what it is, and I am sure they are going to recommend surgery for it.

We are about 14 weeks away from our Disney trip and I don't want to have any surgery affect the trip at all.

anyone have experience with an umbilical hernia and know how long it takes to recover from surgery?

I am TERRIFIED about this (never had surgery before) but I certainly don't want to risk my health. But this trip is very important to all of us.

Of course, timing isn't good at all - because my kids have birthdays in April and May.

And I do home daycare and I think I will pretty much lose my clients if I have to take a few weeks off to recover (if I can't lift a child I can't really watch them, can I?). So it looks like I am be unemployed because of this too (which is secondary - lots of issues around my job anyway and it's almost kind of nice to have a way "out" of the job if I need it).

I don't know anyone who had a hernia - help??????

 

[scottish mum]

My dad has had 2 hernia operations. He was very sore for the first 10 days or so. He wasn't allowed to drive for 2 weeks. After that he was fine but if he did a lot of walking or overdid it he was sore. He was off work for 3 months but he has a very heavy lifting job.

Ofcourse there are different types of hernias and different ways of treating them. I'm sure your doctor will advise you

 

[james'mommy]

My DH just had the operation in Dec. He was on pain killers for a week or two. But he wasn't able to lift more than 50 lbs for 6 weeks.

 

[kristinw3girls]

my HD had the surgery and was sore for 3 days, but after that her felt great. He was off of work for 8 week at the DR.'s request, but was on few restrictions at home. He was just not supposed to lift over 50 lbs. If you have urgery soon, there should be no problem with your trip. Have Fun and feel better soon!

 

[tinkerlisa]

We have a horror story when it somes to hernia surgeries. My fiance has gone through 2 of them due to a misunderstanding with the first surgeon.
I don't want to scare you with the story though.

Anyway, with both surgeries the pain only lasted about 5 days. He was told no heavy lifting for 6 weeks and no intimacy for 2 weeks.

Every case varies though. What happened to us I am sure was just a misunderstanding but a second opinion doesn't hurt either.

As long as you get to the DR quickly they will usually take care of it quickly and you may still be able to go on your trip but with some restrictions. Dr's do not like to fool around when it comes to hernias because they can get worse very quickly.
Hope all goes well with you!

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Thank you all for your stories! I am seeing my family doctor tomorrow afternoon for an initial visit. We'll see what she says and where this leads.

NOTHING is going to interfere with my Disney trip! LOL

 

[barnaby1]

We have a horror story when it somes to hernia surgeries. My fiance has gone through 2 of them due to a misunderstanding with the first surgeon.
I don't want to scare you with the story though.

Anyway, with both surgeries the pain only lasted about 5 days. He was told no heavy lifting for 6 weeks and no intimacy for 2 weeks.

Every case varies though. What happened to us I am sure was just a misunderstanding but a second opinion doesn't hurt either.

As long as you get to the DR quickly they will usually take care of it quickly and you may still be able to go on your trip but with some restrictions. Dr's do not like to fool around when it comes to hernias because they can get worse very quickly.
Hope all goes well with you!

Having an elective hernia repair is not urgent and can fully wait until after your holiday if that is what you prefer.

As a side note - I never understand why people feel the need to share horror stories or even elude to them. It really doesn't help.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

I saw my primary doc today and it's confirmed I have a hernia. I called the surgeon to make an appointment and they can't even see me until the end of April, so I would have to wait until after my trip - regardless of my wishes. They just can't fit me in. Of course, I don't think it's an emergency - if I did I would have been making other calls today.

I am actually glad to hear all the stories people wish to share. I know that this is a fairly safe and routine procedure; however, things do happen and I wanted to be prepared for the "what ifs." I think it's important to share those stories - because surgery of any kind has just become so "common" here. People tend to forget there are huge risks with any procedures.

I feel better being fully aware of any risks.

I appreciate all the responses!

 

[daisyduck123]

My DH had a doctor's appt. today about his hernias. He has known for about a year that he has them, and is finally doing something about it. It turns out he has 3 & a 4th that is forming. He wants to have the operation & be all better & healed well before our WDW trip this summer.

We were told that April 2nd will be the day of his surgery. We're lucky it's only a month away.

I've subscribed to this thread for DH to read about everyone's stories, but he doesn't want to look!

 

[speairson]

My dh had to have 2 hernia surgeries in the same place in just about 2 years, not fun at all! The first one wasn't too bad from what I remember, although this was like 10 years ago. I seem to remember that he couldn't lift more than 5 lbs for several weeks. I remember because when we went grocery shopping he couldn't carry the sacks and got dirty looks from people for letting me do all the work, LOL. I would say he felt pretty good after 2-3 weeks though. One thing I wish we would have known though is that apparently my dh was sensitive to the pain killer they gave him and began violently throwing up the evening after the surgery, which was really bad considering he had stitches in his abdomen! I remember having to call the answering service, waiting for the on call doctor to call me back and have him call in a prescription for another pain killer. Then drive across town to a 24 hour pharmacy while my dh was at home alone in excruciating pain. Anyway, I don't tell you this to scare you at all, just try to make sure the pain killer you get is something you've had before and won't have a reaction to. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that throwing up is why he had to have another hernia repaired in the exact same place less than a year later.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Just keeping everyone updated - I called another surgery practice and I now have a consult 3/18 (in two weeks). I feel better not having to wait 2 months for an appointment.

My biggest nightmare is NOT getting this fixed before our trip, and ending up in the ER in Orlando. So I am kind of just hoping to get it done.

Our April is crazy though - 2 of my kids have birthdays and there is Easter. So I am kind of freaking out about the timing.

I appreciate the stories!

 

[4forMe]

I had surgery to repair an umbilical hernia 4 years ago. I had been having a lot of pain in my midsection and noticed my belly button had popped out. I went to my internal medicine doctor who told me I needed surgery. I was a nervous wreck as I was leaving in 2 weeks to New York for a trip I planned with my mom for her birthday. My doctor called the surgeon, I had the consult later that day and my surgery was scheduled for the following Friday (one week before my trip!). The recovery wasn't bad. The recommendations were similar to my c-section recovery regarding no heavy lifting, etc. I was fine by the day I left for the trip. We did a lot of walking that weekend and I didn't have any problems with recovery.

Good luck with your surgery!

 

[ericsgm]

...for trying to get an earlier surgery date. I had umbilical surgery just over 9 yrs ago, 1 wk before my daughter's university graduation, which happened to be 1 wk before her wedding! I honestly felt better the day after surgery than I had felt in months, and I don't think it was ALL psychological, either.

So I couldn't lift...but I was the Mother of the Bride, not the one expected to carry her across the threshold. We were planning a backyard wedding, though, and I developed a mean push with my hip where needed. Seriously, after a couple days, you'll barely need Tylenol, but do follow the lifting and driving restrictions. Once is not bad at all, but quite enough.

Good luck with putting this behind you before your trip. If it doesn't work out, do look for underwear and shorts that are gently supportive, but not binding, through your midsection, and let someone else schlep the suitcases!