Yet another hernia surgery
Hello you lovely lot! Firstly thank you for so many wonderful messages of love and support, it means so much!
Secondly, I thought I’d take this time to explain a bit more about what’s gone on for the past week.
So last year, the tell tale lump appeared on my stomach, it was over the old stoma scar and I knew straight away it was another hernia. It hadn’t even been a year since the last hernia op and so I was really disappointed.
To be fair though, the hernias that we’re fixed in the surgery in 2016 were in the vertical scar through my belly button and also a parastomal hernia behind my stoma and these seemed to have held tight. This new one was just above my stoma in the old scar.
I had some scans last summer and the hernia was confirmed but I wasn’t ready to go ahead with another surgery. I was having a difficult time with me mental health and it all just felt too much.
Towards the end of last year, the hernia was causing more and more issues, I was getting leaks as it pulled my tummy out of shape, it was drawing my stoma inside my body and so getting bags to hold was a nightmare and it was painful.
I had my pre op appointment on 4th January 2018 and then was booked in for 12th March for the surgery. There was a blip where it was postponed till the 14th but then it reverted back to the original date.
I went in on Monday at 7am and was first up on the list. I spoke to the anaesthetic and to Mr Brown about what would happen and then went down to the operating theatre.
The anasthetists commented on how calm I was and how steady my heart rate was, which I found funny. I suppose after so many ops, you do get used to it and that unknown fear and worry is lessened. I also have such trust of the team in Sheffield that I knew I’d be looked after.
I came around a while later and though I wasn’t in pain, I was getting this feeling that I get after surgery, I think it’s a mix of the drugs, the anaesthetic, the adrenaline and being unconscious and I lay there feeling upset, panicky and tearful for no real reason!
I saw Mr Brown who confirmed that the hernia had gone down to my current stoma and as moving and resiting it is such a massive op that he had stitched it closed and meshed it again. This is a bit of a blow but honestly I was glad to wake up to the simple surgery recovery rather than a major op.
I just hope these fixes will hold now, the thought of more surgery is honestly too much to bear and so fingers crossed, this extra mesh will hold everything in place!
I was allowed home that evening, I HATE staying in hospital and I know I recover better at home in my own surroundings and so I was thrilled to get back to the kids and Timm.
I always forget just how much a general anaesthetic takes it out of you and I’ve slept pretty much for 3 days, though today I am starting to feel so much better and a lot more human.
Thanks again for so many lovely messages , from both family and friends and also readers of the blog. Each one means so much, especially when I haven’t even heard from my own mother so I’m feeling pretty shit! So it’s amazing to read so many supportive and caring messages and they honestly do help me a lot.
I have 2-3 weeks off work now and have spent the first week asleep! Timm is looking after me along with my kids and my big sis Lisa has FaceTimed me every day to chat which is fab. I hope I’ll be up to visitors in the next few days and can start to catch up with friends.
I need to be really careful for a few months to allow everything to fully heal, then the plan is to find a personal trainer with experience of abdominal surgeries and hernias to start to help me to rebuild some strength and feel strong, solid and able for the future.
Till then I’ll be found reading magazines, drinking tea and watching Netflix! Catch me on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Much love
Sam xxx
I am glad you are doing better. I am also glad that you didn’t have to have a major surgery again. On the 17th of February, I had to have a complete do over of my ileostomy. It was emergency surgery again! I got my original surgery on July 12th of 2017 when I had to be rushed to the hospital with what seemed to be apendacitis. It turned out to be very serious and my whole colon was removed because it had died in under 24 hours. I was just 12 days in to a broken metatarsal base bone in my left foot from a bad fall in Salt Lake City where I had gone to see the throat doctor for a post op on surgery I had at the VA hospital on June 7th. On the 25th of June, the day before my post op, I fell over a broken piece of sidewalk while walking back to the motel from supper. I laid there, on the ground until a nice Hispanic couple picked me up and helped me back to the motel. From there, I took a cab to the VA emergency room where the doctor told me I broke my foot. The next day, I saw the foot doctor who cancelled my flight home to Montana and stated I would be having surgery to put a screw in my foot. I called my hubby and told him he had to come and pick me up on June 30th because they loaded me down with a tone of equipment. I was released on the 29th to the motel and waited for him. We stayed there the night of the 30th and went home on the 1st of July. I was ordered “no weight bearing on the foot for 90 days.” I ended up sleeping on the main floor on a bed my hubby brought down from our cabin. Then it happened, just after eating supper that my hubby cooked for me, I began having massive pain on my right side. We waited a few hours but around 11pm he took me to the hospital. They did two CAT scans and the second on showed something very wrong with my colon. I went into surgery immediately. The last thing I said to the doctor was “Don’t give me one of those bags. I just won’t be able to live with it.” I woke up with “Maxine” on my side and the doctor was trying to explain that if he hadn’t of done it I would have died. He said I was within three minutes of passing away. It was a sobering thought to say the least. I was in ICU for two and a half days and then moved to regular surgery floor. So for the next 5 to 6 months, I got used to Maxine but no mater what I ate or drank, I had tremendous pain. It did not go away. Everything seemed to get stuck and I was in and out of the hospital. Finally, on February 17th I was in the ER for yet my 6th time. They took a detailed CAT scan again and I had another issue. No food or liquid was getting through the stoma. Maybe just a very small amount of air. My intestines were backing up and becoming close to breaking open. Off I went again, emergency surgery! So when I saw the doctor on Monday after the surgery, he stated that I had the worst stricture he had ever seen in his career. He said it was pin hole size. He also said I was full of adhesions and he had to cut many of them out. So here I sit, staples in my gut but Maxine is working fantastic. It was really difficult with the first surgery when I couldn’t walk. I had a knee scooter which helped but going up and down the stairs outside of my house and to get to the shower was pure hell! At least I can walk this time. I get the staples out next Tuesday and I can’t wait!! The doctor thinks I will be able to finally eat some decent food for once. I lost 3/4 of my hair after the first surgery but haven’t lost any this time. I truly hope by now you are starting to be up and around. There was a chance I could have been rehooked up but the doctor now says I am not a candidate for that anymore. Frankly, I don’t want to be cut on anymore. 2017 sucked and I just want to get better now and have a life. I am sending prayers from the US to you. Get well soon!
Hi Sam
I am so happy that the surgery went well for you and that you are home and recovering. I am now 4 weeks post hernia operation with mesh and I am still in pain. I saw the surgeon who said he put many tacks in the mesh to hold it to the abdominal wall and that is where all the nerve endings are located so that’s why it hurts so much. I am hoping to never have to repeat this again.
When I am better, I am going to look into reformer pilates which is meant to be excellent for strength and bone health.
Please take it easy and don’t lift anything!!
Thoughts and best wishes from Sydney, Australia.
Glad it all went well. Also happy for you that it was minor op and not major one. Keeping everything crossed for you that this is the last op for a very very very long time.
Hi, Just been reading your story i.m having the same problem. I should be going to the hospital for my op soon. Not looking forward to it as its not a year since I had the last one done. This time he can,t do keyhole so he is opening me up, the op doesn’t bother me its the time it takes to get over it. The stoma nurse has sorted the hernia belts for me so I just started using them. Are you ok now, I know it takes it out of you every time this happens. hope you are well and you don’t have any more problems. Pauline