Who has had success with a Hernia Repair (Mesh Installed)

I have a fairly large incisional hernia to the left of my midline. I had open RNY in 2006 in Houston, Texas and within a year had come unsewn or ripped in the inside. I have to constantly push the bowels back in and since Dec of 2016 I have lost another 70 lbs (a whole other story) and now this alien is so much more prominent. I saw a surgeon yesterday and have CT scans to do Monday. I will have the repair performed in late September and I was wondering, if anyone has any comments about the mesh method that is used nowadays.

He said that without the mesh, you really aren't repairing the hernia. I know that I had the hernia before the RNY (left over from perforated colon resection) and it was simply re-stitched when the bariatric surgeon came out the abdomen and like I said, that all come lose within a year.

This doctors says that after I recover, I should be able to function normally and that he has had patients in 20's return to the gym after installing the mesh for a hernia repair. As a side note, he will use the di Vinci robot technology to perform the procedure with. (www.davincisurgery.com).

Any comments or experiences you with to share here in public or you can message me.

I am at 205 lbs from an all time high of 390 in 2006. In early 2007 I had gotten down to 211 but never become active enough to perpetuate the weight loss. Last December I began walking and I cut out gluten products and mostly anything white, like bread, potatoes, sugars, rice, etc and honestly in 8 months it was relatively easy to lose this 70 lbs.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff W Waldrop

Southwest Louisiana

No hernia to speak of but I am a DaVinci patient. As my surgeon liked to tell me "Robots don't get tired"

honestly I think my surgery would have been cancelled that day if it wasn't for the robot. My surgeon had an emergency surgery he had to do before me and so my noon surgery became 5pm and his 3rd procedure of the day.

My best advice is try not to look at it too much.

Thanks, Scott.

Jeff W Waldrop

I have had 3 hernias repaired. The last one mesh was used and although not painful I 'know' where the mesh is. That hernia hasn't come back but anew one popped up again. I also had open. Good luck. It really was an easy surgery, I went home the same morning

I can frequently answer "yes" to every problem or surgery there is...wait...all except the problem of getting too far under goal. Anyway, my DH and I got matching umbilical hernias from stupidly pulling up by hand hundreds of feet of old, buried-in-the-earth sheep fencing on our farm. My always thin DH's hernia was small and didn't require mesh. After my repair, I mentioned to the doctor it was worrisome a foreign object like mesh was left. His comment was, "the mesh will make your umbilical area stronger than ever before." That was in the 1990's and not a stitch of issue.

OK, I saw a surgeon yesterday after CT Imaging was done on Monday morning and this is much worse then I initially thought.

I have not one hernia but 5. I was opened completely in 1999 for Colon Resection and provided with a colostomy (for 4 months). That would explain two cuts into the abdominal wall. As stated the colostomy was short term and I was re-opened after 4 months and piped back up like normal. All was good.

In May of 2006 I elected to have RNY Bypass and surgery was performed on a Monday Morning. It was done "OPEN". By Wednesday, I was evaluated for complications and opened again (4th time) and leak was repaired.

So midline has been cut open 4 times and small 2" incision were colostomy was.

I was shocked yesterday when he showed me the CT image. Now I am in panic mode. Do I need a second opinion. What if I don't do anything? Will repairing with Mesh cause more problems that I can't anticipate?

He plans to preform the repair with the DiVinci robotics but will open me wide again, if necessary.

The surgeon even went so far as to use the term: "SWISS CHEESE"

I am open to any comments from anyone who has experienced a similar situation or experience with mesh.

Jeff W Waldrop

Not sure if this is really similar, but I can share my experience.

During my RNY, the surgeon found and stitch repaired a mid-line umbilical hernia.

That repair eventually needed "fixed" again ...and grew.

In addition, I had a very severe midline incisional hernia that had incarcerated my small intestine. It was so large, that it looked like an alien was emerging from the center right of my stomach.

When my surgeon went in, he found more (but less severe) hernias.

Since I had the mesh repairs, my stomach is amazing. I have had no side-effects or problems (fingers crossed) in the 1.5 years since. They assure me that I can do more abdominal strength training -- but I am leery...

I will say the recovery was crappy, but you know what you are in for since you've had so many abdominal surgeries.

Thanks KAT, you are encouraging to me. I know I need to do this but things always go bad for me during surgery.

Congrats BTW on your weight loss journey, that is impressive. I could never get that little script to work for me should where I am on the weight scale in my signature.

So I have to revert to the following

All Time High Weight: 410.00. Weight now: 202.00

Congrats to you, too!

I wish you the same great results that I've had.