Question:
My hernia doesn't hurt me, but looks like a cantaloupe is in the middle

of my stomach. Anyone else have similar experiences?    — Judy W. (posted on April 14, 2003)

April 14, 2003
Yep -- had the exact same thing until about 3 weeks ago when I got it surgically repaired. I used to jokingly tell folks that I was smuggling softballs in the front of my pants. Mine didn't bother me for a very long time and I chose to leave it alone. Several months ago, it started giving me problems (everything from mild abdominal "twinges" to a full-scale belly ache). The theory is that as I was getting smaller, I was giving the intestine less room to shift and keep itself from kinking. That's the biggest concern when it comes to a hernia. If you start kinking the intestine, you can give yourself some major health problems. Anyway,I had mine taken care of. I stayed overnight in the hospital. Pain was much less than with WLS -- hardest thing was getting in and out of bed. I wore an abdominal binder and had a drain for about a week. When he took the drain out, I opted to leave the binder off -- strictly my choice but I was more comfortable without it. Missed 3 weeks of work and had my first day back today. So far, so good.........no problems. Good luck!
   — Pam S.

April 14, 2003
I also have a large hernia. Mine is in the lower part of my stomach because it is the result of my c-section two years ago. Mine has not caused me any pain, and my family doctor had me go in for testing to make sure that my bowl was not twisted or obstructed in any way. Since it is not causing any problems, my surgeon has suggested that I wait to have it repaired. She said the more weight I lose, the better the chances of the hernia repair being successful. I guess in extremely overweight patients it is much more likely that the repair will not last and will have to be redone at some point. I am hoping to wait until it is tummy tuck time to do the hernia repair. That way I can avoid an extra hospital bill. My doctor has said that if the hernia starts to cause problems we will need to go ahead and do the reapir at that time.
   — Jenny S.

April 14, 2003
I also have a large hernia. Mine is in the lower part of my stomach because it is the result of my c-section two years ago. Mine has not caused me any pain, and my family doctor had me go in for testing to make sure that my bowl was not twisted or obstructed in any way. Since it is not causing any problems, my surgeon has suggested that I wait to have it repaired. She said the more weight I lose, the better the chances of the hernia repair being successful. I guess in extremely overweight patients it is much more likely that the repair will not last and will have to be redone at some point. I am hoping to wait until it is tummy tuck time to do the hernia repair. That way I can avoid an extra hospital bill. My doctor has said that if the hernia starts to cause problems we will need to go ahead and do the reapir at that time.
   — Jenny S.