Incisional Hernia repair

 Because I was one of the "10%" who converted to an open RNY, I developed an incisional hernia.  I kept having to put off the repair due to major family crises (seems like one every year!)

I'm finally on the schedule for April 4.  It will be an open repair, rather than laparoscopic.  Anyone have similar surgery? what could I expect for healing time?

Oh man, do I know THAT song!  I have had FOUR hernia repair surgeries in my life - one for an umbilical hernia I developed with pregnancy #1, the second actually became a bowel obstruction, a third developed at the top of my c-section incision and ALSO became obstructed, and the last was two and a half years ago (gave myself that one spinning furiously down the tubing hill at Elm Creek...)  All but the first were open.

I would say that the recovery for the first three wasn't bad at all.  The last one was huge - I had to have some tumors and my ovaries removed, so that was what got the ball rolling.  I KNEW I had the hernia, it just didn't bother me much for a year and a half.  But when I knew I would be opened up anyway, I talked to the doc about getting that fixed at the same time.  They ended up bringing in Dr. Jones, who did my RNY - he put a mesh panel from my hip bones to my ribcage to be sure my guts would stay where they belong!  And the dear man also made 5 lbs of panni flubber go away, too.  So THAT recovery sucked.  But it was well worth it.

So I would guess your recovery will be fairly mild.  And I wouldn't wish a bowel obstruction on ANYONE, so it's best to get it taken care of before that can happen!

Good luck to you  :)

Thanks, Darla.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will feel well enough to go the annual women's retreat the following weekend-- assuming I can ride with someone. 

 How did this go for you?  I'm tentatively looking at a repair sometime in the next year.  I've been working on some body building and of course my body took this chance to do this.  I guess the fat loss probably didn't help.  I run at least 25 miles a week (was up to 45 but took some time off) and the body building to go with it and so I'm really not looking forward to the recovery.

Thank you for any feedback you can give.

Carol, the hernia repair went very well!  In fact, the surgeon was able to do a laparoscopic repair, and I was only in the hospital overnight.
At 8 weeks post op, I hardly felt like I had surgery- except when trying to sit up from lying on my back.  Now, I can do that easily.

 Thank you for replying!  I was kind of dreading it but your post put me at ease.  I go in for my surgery consult this coming Monday.  We'll see what the surgeon has to say.