Question:
Severe Abdominal Pain- Hernia or Scar Tissue?

I have RNY bypass surgery on 9-2-08. I've lost 108 pounds so far. I'm very pleased with the results and feel good most of the time or at least much better than I did a year ago. I'm having abdominal pain, though. A couple months ago I spoke with the PA from my surgeon's office. I was having some constipation issues and pain so I was told to take stool softeners daily and a fiber supplement in addition to following the proper diet, of course. That helped some, but every few weeks I have abdominal pains near my belly button incision that double me over in intensity. The pain is sometimes sharp and takes my breath away and other times is not so pronounced yet is very crampy and uncomfotable. I have been able to feel a hard bulge in the area near my belly button when I press down. I still have a large stomach so it doesn't seem like a hernia is protruding or at least its tough to tell. I did go to Urgent Care last night. The dr on duty thinks this isn't a hernia because when I pushed against her hand the bulge stayed firm and wasn't pliant like apparently a hernia is. The thought now is that it may be scar tissue/adhesions causing my pain. I have had multiple surgeries in various parts of my abdomen so this is definately a possibility. I had 2 C-sections and one ab surgery to remove Endometriosis. All of those surgeries ended up with infection after and further treatment. Anyway. I'm in a fair amount of pain just sitting here, but the pain is horrible if the area is pressed against. I have an appt tomorrow afternoon (8-18) with my surgeon's PA. I don't expect any quick answers, but I figure I need to work on getting this issue resolved. I need to know if this is a pain I have to live with forever or if something can be done. Has anyone had similar issues? Thank you for your time and have a great day. Lisa    — Lisa B. (posted on August 17, 2009)

August 17, 2009
It possible it could be an ulcer maybe? I watch youtube massagegoddess who does vids and updates on everything since her gastric bypass and keeps us updated on everything that she goes through and from what you said, is exactly what she went through recently. Ask your doctor to check for an ulcer. Bette safe than sorry. best of luck
   — michelle caballero

August 17, 2009
You shouldn't have that kind of pain that isn't "something" Glad they are going to check you out good. Hope you feel better, and they find the problem soon!
   — lesleigh07

August 17, 2009
I'm glad you have an appt. with your surgeon. I went for months with a similar pain. Mine was to the left(my left) of my belly button. It hurt bad and was felt like spasms. My gastro dr. had a CT Scan done but it didn't show anything. So I continued on. It didn't matter what I ate, anything could upset it and I'd be in bed in misery. My stomach would even be tender to the touch the next day. Well, it was coming more and more frequent and hubby said I really needed to call the surgeon because something had to be wrong. This was about 5 months after seeing the gastro dr. so I lived with it for awhile which wasn't good. When I saw my surgeon, he immediately said internal hernia and scheduled me for surgery! It's not like your typical protruding hernia, it's the intestine pushing into an area inside where your surgery was. The spasms and pain were the food trying to get past the intestine blockage where it was caught in the scar. I wish I had gone to my surgeon originally and saved months of pain. They know our bodies best! Good luck to you.
   — Cindy H.

August 17, 2009
Thank you for your responses. I appreciate it. Cindy-Were you in pain after you ate most anything or just sometimes? My pain isn't constant, but seems to get real bad every few weeks. I haven't pinpointed it to a certain type of food yet, but I'll try to be more conscious of that. I have wondered about an internal hernia. I hate the idea of another surgery and do hope it doesn't come to that, but if its necessary then so be it. I have so much scar tissue/adhesions already that another surgery would add to it more. I do hope to find some answers soon. Thank you again!
   — Lisa B.

August 18, 2009
Lisa, I wasn't in constant pain either but towards the end it was more frequent. I got where I was afraid to eat because I never knew when it was going to happen. It didn't matter what I ate, if the bowel was in the internal hernia, it would hurt. Even oatmeal one time gave me misery. It's because the bowel is bent and the food is trying to pass through. Doesn't matter what kind of food. I haven't had a bit of trouble since the surgery. Good luck today!
   — Cindy H.

August 18, 2009
Hi Lisa! I'm glad to hear you're going to see your surgeon. I had a similar experience. I ended up in the ER of a local hospital (not the one where I had my surgery, and not one that has any real experience with rny patients). They did a CT and decided it was probably just scar tissue. I took a CD of the CT to my surgeon who found my hernia. Good luck with this. You'll be in my prayers. Noreen :)
   — dnoreenh