>----- Original Message -----
From: "Marilyn" <haven49gal@aol.com>
To: "Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS" <adhesions@dns.obgyn.net>
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 10:46 PM
Subject: Incisional Hernia
> I am 64 years old and have always been a healthy and vigorous person. In
> February of this year I underwent a complete abdominal hysterectomy
> because of a very large, benign ovarian cyst that I never even knew was
> there. I felt really good about 2 weeks following surgery and returned
> to my normal routine despite all advice that at least 4-6 weeks of light
> activity was required to recuperate. I strained myself and wound up
> with a rather large incisional hernia which began to show itself on my
> lower left abdomen about 6 weeks after surgery. I was referred to a
> surgeon who specializes in hernia repairs, both open and laparoscopic.
> The herniation was in the lower part of the incision, almost to the
> pubic bone. Surgery was performed on July 18th.....he tried the
> laparoscopic way first, but there were too many adhesions from the
> hysterectomy and the hernia itself, so he had to open the prior incision
> to make the repair. When he came to see me in the recovery room, he
> told me it was an "excellent repair" and that I had wonderful tissue to
> work with.
>
> Unfortunately, an ileus (intestinal paralysis) developed the day after
> surgery while I was still in the hospital which caused me to violently
> wretch and throw up continuously. A nasogastric tube was inserted to
> relieve this condition and after 4 days the ileus resolved and the tube
> was removed. I spent 8 days in the hospital. My doctor checked me
> daily and I could see that he was not happy when he checked my abdomen.
> He sent me for a CT scan which revealed that the repair had failed, most
> likely due to the violent heaving I experienced. He said it only takes
> "one stitch" to unravel the whole thing. In addition to this failure, I
> also wound up with an enormous hematoma at the site of the
laparoscopic
> incision. It is still oozing heavily and I have to change the dressing
> twice daily. A repeat hernia repair will have to be performed, but my
> doctor says this can't be done for a few months as everything inside
> must settle down. Now, I've started to experience terrible pain, not
> just from the hernia and the hematoma, but if I cough, sneeze or laugh
> hard I get this excruciating pain across my mid-section (at the level of
> my belly button). If I don't wear the abdominal binder, I can't walk
> for more than a couple of minutes without pain. I notice that when I
> place my hand under my hernia (size of a cantaloupe) and lift up my
> entire belly, the pain goes away somewhat.
>
> It seems that everything that can go wrong with a hernia repair did go
> wrong. Now I'm wondering about this terrible mid-section
pain....could
> this be adhesions, especially since my intestines are now bulging out
> again? I am seeing the surgeon on Thursday (he sees me every 2 weeks)
> and I will, of course, consult him about this pain, but I'm wondering if
> anyone else has had a similar experience. Thanks.
>
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