Hernia

[wdt]

Has anyone with a midline incision experienced an incisional or ventral hernia? My husband has the long center (midline) incision from a low anterior resection that showed up while he was still in the hospital. A recent CT scan shows that it is a ventral hernia/incisional hernia with small bowel. It is not strangulated (incarcerated).

If you have experienced this, How long did you have to wait to get it repaired? Did you have any problems related to it - in other words, did it become encarcerated and needed surgery?

Thanks!

[JAZZToo]

Hi - I had a large midline below the navel ventral hernia after a hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Each year it got a little bigger till I looked quite pregnant. Anyway, 8 years later I decided to get it fixed and since I was past 50 I went for a baseline colonoscopy prior to the hernia repair. Big surprise - after I woke from the colonoscopy I was told that I had colon cancer and would need an operation. Never had any symptoms. So instead of a hernia repair I had half my colon removed. The hernia was repaired when closing after the surgery, but the mesh which is important to make sure the hernia doesn't re appear could not be used because of the chance of infection. A few months later it became apparent that I now had two hernias - an umbilical and along the midline incision line above it. I had to wait until after the chemo was finished and the following year I had it repaired. Mesh was used this time and it is now almost 3 years later and my long midline incision scar is holding together nicely with no recurrent hernias. As long as the intestines can be pushed back when lying down, he is unlikely to have strangulation. Strangulation usually occurs when there is a small hernia and a piece of intestine pokes out and can't be pushed back in. That is a medical emergency which requires surgery so that the trapped intestine doesn't die due to lack of blood circulation.

[wdt]

thanks for the good info! I really appreciate it. We too are looking at having to wait until the chemo is complete before he can have it repaired.

[Terry Miller]

I had a colon resection on 4/20/99 at age 49. Two months later I helped move a large oak desk into our house. Three month later I raised the roof on our horse stalls. Six months later I began officiating basketball once again. On 3/29/02 I awoke with the most nauseated feeling I ever had. I thought I would explode. I think my eyes went from green to brown. Long story is that I had a double hernia on either side of my midline incision. My bowel had strangled requiring emergency surgery. My incision was opened, the bowel was tucked back in, my abdomenal wall was repaired, and the mesh (chicken wire) was installed. All has been fine since then. I just wish I had had the foresight to listen to my doctor and take it easy. I look back and I did recognize a problem about 3 weeks before the emergency occured. I thought I could wait until my next visit to address it with my doctor. That was a mistake. I would strongly recommend attention to the problem before it develops into something "bigger and badder". My surgeon told me I was about 3 to 4 hours from having another colon resection. I'm enough of a semi-colon already. Best wishes to your husband on his recovery.
Terry