Question:
Will abdominal exercise pre-op lessen the poss. of a hernia?

My insurer will only approve Open RNY and I'm concerned about the risk of having a hernia. Will doing abdominal exercies to strengthen muscles help minimize the risk of having a hernia? (On the other hand, if I get a hernia, it would go a long way towards getting a semi-free TT he he)    — antiques55 (posted on May 15, 2003)

May 15, 2003
A hernia is a protrusion of an organ or tissue through an abnormal opening in the body. Most hernias occur when a piece of intestine slips through a weakness in the abdominal wall, creating a bulge you can see and feel. There is about a 5% chance of developing a hernia after any abdominal surgury, and can be fixed several different ways. When I asked my own surgen the same question, he said that doing ab exersizes will decrease the likelyhood of developing one, but according to him, anytime someone has been opend, he/she still runs the risk of getting one. If you do develop one, then most likely your insurance will pay for it.(If your like me, the less out of my pocket the better he he ;) ) Good luck, and God Bless. 3 weeks out, and down 23 lbs.
   — mellyhudel