“Support group”? Intentional pun, right? 
Yep, this is my first colonoscopy, so that’s another life experience I can cross off the list. If they provide me with some photos, I could send out the worst possible Christmas cards this year.
I had a hernia at age six. At the time, I had no idea what a hernia was, and I still don’t know how I got it.
I have 2 inguinal hernias and a small kidney stone too. A hat trick. Getting hernias repaired , stone will probably pass on it’s own. No pain from it .,
I had various required surgeries last year (2021): Lower back spinal fusion (L5 to Sacrum) in January; Inguinal Hernia repair in March, then my first colonoscopy in April or May.
The lower back business was absolutely required, as I had a badly herniated disk that pressed on the sciatic nerve, pretty much preventing me from sitting or standing for 5-6 months.
During recovery from that, I noticed my hernia was acting up, making walking and other exercise painful, so it had to be fixed too. Months later, I still feel an occasional twinge related to the hernia or its repair, but the back related issues are felt much less often. I guess hernia repair might be more of a long term issue, fighting back the soft tissues’ steady degradation.
Interestingly, I also have a midline hernia, mild and not painful, that my doc said might go away on its own if /when I get in better shape.
Meanwhile, my dad and little brother both had hernias on the side, in the middle of the abdomen, that needed to be fixed with meshes.
I take these three examples to be different types of hernias, since they affect different areas of the abdomen.
I’m baaaack!
Hope all of you hernia “veterans” have been doing okay since we last visited this thread. I now have a date set for my third (!) hernia repair surgery: February 13, 2024. Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Even better, they will also be repairing a very small inguinal hernia on my right side. Maybe I should have them reupholster my entire abdominal wall while they’re in there. (Something tasteful, of course.)
This time I’m going for the fancy-schmancy robotic surgery. I guess doing it that way may give better results than regular surgery or standard laparoscopic surgery. Hopefully the third time is the charm.
Everybody stay well…
Finally had my hernia repair surgery on Tuesday morning. I guess I was on the table quite a bit longer than expected. In addition to repairing two hernias robotically, the surgeon had to put in some extra time “chipping away” the old surgical mesh. (Those were his words.) Woke up groggy and sore, so no surprise there. Was eventually able to pee before leaving the hospital for the hourlong trip home.
Took some oxycodone and acetaminophen and got some sleep overnight. Pain wasn’t too bad yesterday, but a lot of bloating and abdominal stiffness. Alternated between ibuprophen and acetaminophen during the day and had one oxycodone overnight. Took several colace tablets during the day and pushing plenty of liquids. Hoping I’ll get some results from that sometime soon. Going to try staying off the opioids tonight if at all possible.
Might try working from home next week, but I’m not making any promises. I’ve got sick time to cover another week, so what the hell.
Six weeks from now I’m hoping to be mostly recovered, but I’ll be a lot more careful this time around. Wish me luck!
Hope your recovery is going well. My repair from August 2021 seems to be holding up. I’ve had some other (mostly just mildly annoying, not medically serious) issues but generally in the best health I’ve been in the past 4-5 years.
So far, so good. Didn’t take any oxycodone overnight and stuck with acetaminophen and the occasional cold pack on the belly. The old “plumbing” finally started working again, too, so things are looking up. Hoping to lay down in our bed for a little while this afternoon to stretch out a bit.
Glad your repair has been holding up for you! I’m hoping to have a similar outcome, too.
Stay well!
FWIW, I would consider some form of physical rehab, even if mild, to increase core strength. It should prevent pain or other issues related to the hernia, and frankly, it could help with a lot of other issues such as sore back. I started my program about 6 months ago (long overdue, but nobody among my medical helpers even suggested it). Am feeling a lot better, less sore, better posture, less ibuprofen…etc.
I’ve got a Total Gym that’s been sitting in our basement for a few years that I might try using again. I think there are some low-impact exercises that I can do on it that might help me build up some core strength. Thanks for putting that idea out there!
I’ve got to say that I’m still getting a lot of pain on the side where my hernia was repaired for the third time. Probably to be expected, but I’m a bit bummed about that. I’ll probably sit at my desk for a while tomorrow to see how well I can tolerate working from home or if I might need to burn a little more sick time.
First day back at the office. So far, so good. Took a quick break to take a leisurely 2-block walk outside. Didn’t do too bad, but I was surprised that I had gotten slightly winded. I think that part of this might be because I think my vocal cords are a little bruised and swollen from being intubated. My voice is slightly hoarse, but nothing too troubling.
I’m hoping that in a few days that I’ll be able to sleep on my side again. I’m still a bit too tender to do that.