Oof, I'm sorry to hear about that ☹️ I know that several members have had at least one of those, but I'm not sure if any have done both. Hopefully, if they have, they'll chime in.

I'm glad that your medical team is doing the tests and extensive prep! Sounds like you'll be well cared for.

As they say, it never rains, but it pours. I’m sorry that you’re dealing with all of this. I’ve never had a hiatal hernia, but I have had surgery for a parastoma hernia. Mine was a bit more complicated simply because I asked for biological mesh instead of synthetic mesh, but it was done by laparoscopy. So I spent the night in hospital, and home the next day. I know you’ve been told that a hernia belt won’t do any good, but would it feel supportive? It won’t fix the hernia, but would it be more comfortable?

Good luck as you prepare for these procedures. Surgery is never any fun, but I hope they’re both laparoscopic. 

Laurie

I have a small hiatal hernia but they did not suggest to fix mine.

I did Have parastomal hernia repair with mesh and the surgery and recovery were not bad at all. It took care of that problem. No more feeling of weight pulling on me anymore and stomach flat again. 

Hi... I'm so sorry to hear if these Hernias! Not fun at all especially needing surgery.  I had an Umbilical hernia eons ago & once that was fixed it helped with a lot of tummy muscle issues. 

Now, I'm pretty sure I have a Hiatal Hernia but there's so much scar tissue I'm not sure they'd operate. I've adjusted my eating of food types, fluids and even position I eat in to adjust to its discomforts... ha, discomforts! On top of the symptoms,  I get these wild burps that I call inside out burps bcuz it sounds like I'm sucking air in when I burp, and they can be long.  Its usually very sudden and makes a sort of loud growly sound. The burps hurt too.  I eat very slowly & i have to lay on a slant to eat or I can't eat much food to satisfy and the heartburn and pain when & after swallowing feel like there's bruising when I swallow. 

Do you know when your surgery is? Id be interested to hear your symptoms of the Hiatal hernia.  I'm sorry I never replied to now.  It's  been busy and I was needed for my Moms dementia care before you posted this but I did read it.  I HOPE the surgeries take care of these issues for you & that no more crop up! Stay strong and intentional. 

It looks like I will be having another hernia repair in the near future. A CT scan just confirmed it. A had a repair about 3 years ago, with biological mesh, because of concerns I had about synthetic mesh. My surgeon wants to send me to a hernia specialist, which I appreciate. I’m not sure how long that will take, especially since I will be away for awhile. I’m not thrilled about having another surgery, but I know it needs to be done, and I’m grateful that it should be done laparoscopically. Sigh.

Laurie

@tigerlily so sorry to hear you have to go through another surgery. It will be worth it once done and all healed up though. 

@tigerlily Argh! I'm sorry to hear the news, Laurie.

Did the repair "fail", or has a new hernia formed?

@veganostomy It appears that the original repair failed. I was told that biological mesh will eventually be incorporated into my body, so maybe it isn’t strong enough to last. It will be an interesting discussion with the hernia specialist. I was hoping to go to the Shouldice Clinic for my previous repair, but when I looked into what procedures they do, unfortunately parastomal hernia isn’t on the list. They have such a good success rate, but now I wonder if that’s because they don’t do procedures that are more likely to fail. I don’t actually know, to be fair. I will likely opt for synthetic mesh this time; we’ll see what the surgeon recommends and why. Maybe she has just learned a brand new technique that is foolproof. Here’s hoping.🤞Anyway, I don’t expect it will happen before summer, which is fine because I will need to get my garden whipped into shape first.

Laurie

@tigerlily I wish you all the best. I'm glad that you'll be working with the best of the best, and it's entirely possible that they'll be able to fix any type of hernia, including yours!

 Prior to my recent stoma relocation, about 4 years ago,  I had the sugar baker method and used propalyne mesh which is synthetic. Beware though with propalyne has it high incident for adhesions. There are many types of mesh though. Coated/ uncoated etc...

 I was also told my mesh would eventually go into the body. The sugar baker method supports the area underneath the stoma  

It worked amazingly well. My tummy area was tight. I just had this stoma relocation though and they had to doctor up what they cut into and my  new stoma area is not supported right now so in the near future I may have to go back in for another mesh surgery. 

Most important thing after mesh hernia surgery is to not think your fixed for good and lifting heavier than 25 pounds forever my doc told me. 

I uploaded a Pic here so you can see the difference in the keyhole method and the sugar baker method.Sugar baker  #B is on the right. Will give you more questions to ask surgeon. 

@chelly Thank you for that screenshot! It's pretty amazing to see, especially when you consider that is all inside of a person's body!

@chelly thanks for this explanation and photo. I never knew what a Sugarbaker was. You can see how it supports the stoma better than the keyhole method. I will do some research before I see the surgeon, and I will have lots of questions. I can see that I will have to be more diligent about wearing a hernia belt, and also about what I can and cannot lift; 25 pounds isn’t very much. 😕

Laurie

@veganostomy your welcome.  Yes, I was online looking for the perfect example and I ran across that Pic.

@tigerlily Hi, yea, I figured I'd share what I've  learned in my experience of hernia surgery as to give you more questions for your doctor to make the best decision for you. 

I think mine is coming back now since they cut into my mesh and relocated the stoma. They totally disconnected that sugar baker repair and patched it up since they took that stoma down.  I made an appt but he will most likely make me wait for a real long while since I just had surgery. 

I finally spoke to my new hernia surgeon this morning. I just assumed that I’d be heading for surgery soon, but she cautioned against rushing it. She told me that since parastomal hernias are so common, and because a hernia is necessarily created by the stoma, it is not uncommon to see hernias fail. She said that a hernia repair that lasts 4-5 years is considered fantastic. Since I am in year 4 for my repair, and have not had any obstructions, and my CT scan doesn’t show signs of imminent incarceration, she recommended a wait and see for now. She said that every subsequent hernia repair gets more difficult because of scar tissue and the original location becoming unusable, forcing the surgeon to move the stoma - then you’re left with 2 weak spots. I already have a long abdominal scar from a long ago ectopic rupture, so that adds to the weakness. She showed us my CT scan, and explained that the abdominus rectus muscles actually pull away from each other, which is not helpful when you’re trying to keep a stoma contained between them. The hope is that scar tissue created by the hernia repair keeps the hole from enlarging, but it doesn’t always work that way. She has offered to do the repair if I want it done anyway, but I think I’m going to wait. I will see her again next winter/spring, or sooner if I start having obstructions, in which case she may want to proceed. I hate how the hernia protrudes, but maybe that’s the least of my concerns.😕 We really like this surgeon, but my husband thinks she’s twelve. Frankly, everyone looks twelve anymore. Except us.

Laurie

@tigerlily i think that that's a very smart move to do the wait and watch. Yes, these doctors know exactly what they're talking about. That's exactly what I did at the start of my parastomal hernia is we waited and watched and then when I had the bowel obstruction is when they started fixing things. I'm pretty sure this is what most surgeons go for. 

Haha, yes everyone looks twelve to me now too.  

My hiatal hernia surgery last December and the recovery have not been easy but things are going in a positive direction. Hope the surgeon will tell me recovery is complete when I see him in June; next - I hope - will be seeing the surgeon who does parastomal hernia repair. Both surgeons work in the same office and communicate with each other, a good thing. Very thankful for the medical facilities where I live; I have met many people who have to travel here.

@tigerlily I think the conservative approach here seems balanced between risk and reward. As long as things are stable, I also think waiting is a good plan.

Posted by: @tigerlily

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We really like this surgeon, but my husband thinks she’s twelve. Frankly, everyone looks twelve anymore. Except us.

LOL! This is so true. Anyone younger than 30 looks like a teenager to me. 🤣 

@veganostomy..  So very true! Last year when they had to get an IV in me & start antibiotics & fluids running,  this very young (alright & good looking didnt hurt much)  Doctor leans over my face to make sure I was understanding him & he tells me he needed to drill a hole in my bone below the knee and start a "large bore" IV,   I admit to wondering & wanting to know if he had graduated highschool yet as he looked so young!!  These teenage Doctors!! Little did I fully realize that he was saving my life that day & honestly, when I learned all those "teenagers" did for me in my desperate blue hour of need , I'm very grateful for those young minds. Bring them on!! lol!