Hernia After Right-Sided Hemicolectomy

[Lidarose]

Has anyone experienced Hernia after right-sided Hemicolectomy, and if so, what were your symptoms?

Thanx,
Lida

[Candyys03]

I have a small hernia, the size of an orange. It is located at the incision scar where they went in to do my colon surgery on the right side of my abdomen. My intestinal/stomach wall is very thin there.This appeared a few months after surgery.It has not grown and it only bothers me once in a while.My doctor does not want to do anything about it unless it becomes painful.Then he can do surgery to repair it.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hernia/article_em.htm

Candy

[NWgirl]

I had a hernia at the top of my incision from my first surgery (surgery Nov. 2007); it was repaired February 2009. I've just noticed a new one - this one where my ileostomy used to be - I need to call my surgeon to schedule to have it fixed. With both of my hernia's I have no pain - just feel a "ball" shape. The first one actually poked out of my tummy a little, and I could push it back in with my fingers. Kind of weird. Doctors seem to have differing views on hernia's - some say fix them, some say leave them alone. There are various support garments out there if your doctor feels you should not have it fixed. The one I had fixed in February has given me no problems since - knock on wood!

[Lee]

I too have a hernia, rather large around my stoma and that side of stomach area. Belle is correct, Dr(s) have different opinions on fixing these or not. Both my Onc and PCP do not want me to get it fixed unless there is a problem, and for now (thank you God), no problems with it. I wear a special ostomy belt, and this keeps it in place. While my surgeon has seen it once, she did not comment on it and I forgot to ask about it. Supposely lifting heavy items can cause it, but personally I think mine does not like it when I sneeze or cough.

Lee

[JAZZToo]

I had a hernia after my right hemicolectomy. My incision ran from just above the groin area to just under the bra line. Actually it was a double hernia one part above the navel and the other a little below. Mine may have been partly due to having 2 c-sections and a hysterectomy basically along the same north-south line, so my stomach muscles had been weakened by several prior surgeries. It was repaired one year later with mesh - that was 5 years ago and I have had no problems since, except this May when I ran a fever, felt an abdominal mass and turned out to have an abdominal abscess which required surgery to drain it. It was near the mesh, but did not involve it and the mesh did not need to be removed. If I had had the hernia repair without mesh, it probably would have reopened due the size of it, so even though I had the scare in May I am glad it was repaired using mesh and there is only a very small chance that someone would eventually (in my case 5 years later) get an abscess from mesh placed in the body.

JAZZ

[Lidarose]

Thanx for all of your replies.

My concern is that I'm having alot of right-sided pain, stabbing pains near the new hook up of the small intestine to the transverse.

From your replies, it sounds like intestinal hernias don't cause any pain, so that's a relief. I'll be calling my surgeon on Tuesday to report in regarding the pain, and am hoping it is just feces moving through my newly "arranged" colon that is causing the pain. I am 3 weeks post-op now, but still experiencing mucho pain, that I'm afraid my Neuropathy may be feeding into. I suspect my recovery will take longer than most because of the Neuropathy factor.

Sooo very glad to have this forum to discuss my fears when they arise!

Thanx again,
Lida

[Lee]

From what my Onc. told me, unless there is pain or blockage, leave the hernia alone (ie, no surgery). Since you are 3 weeks post op, yes the pain you are feeling could be associated with post op healing. I would talk to your surgeon about it. It took awhile for me to be able to all foods again. I remember eating a pizza about 2 1-2 weeks following my surgery and thought I would die after wards, it would be 6 weeks before I tried it again. Some times I can feel food passing just before output, I'm assuming this is a result of radiation damage for me.

Honestly it was 4 weeks post op before I felt something even remotely normal, 6 weeks before I started feeling normal. 6-8 weeks is normal. I was not allow to drive for 3 weeks following my surgery.

Talk to your surgeon, but give yourself time to heal, this really is major surgery.

Lee

[Lidarose]

Thank you, Lee, I appreciate your response. From what you're saying then, I'm about where I should be, as far as recuperation is concerned. Great relief to know I'm in the ballpark!

Lida

[JAZZToo]

Lida

I think the right-sided pain is part of the healing process. I had that too and every time I would mention it to my surgeon he said don't worry it will go away and it did after several months. Another cause for right sided pain - if your gall bladder was removed along with the right side of the colon, if you ingest too many fatty foods, it can cause a little biliary colic until the body adjusts.

As for as the hernia - I had no pain from it but my clothes looked awful - I had to wear loose blouses to camouflage what appeared to be very much like a pregnant stomach, although it wasn't. Being quite overweight didn't help either.

Give yourself time - like Lee said - three weeks out post surgery is still a time of recuperation from the insult your body has withstood undergoing surgery. It takes about 6 weeks for the cut muscles to heal and I hope you are eating plenty of protein since your energy requirements after surgery are about 1.5 to l.8 times what they would normally be in order for your body to repair and mend itself. This is no time to be restricting calorie intake or dieting.

Take care of yourself,

JAZZ

[Lidarose]

I hear you, JAZZ, and I will overview my protein intake! Thanx for all the good advice!

Atb,
Lida