Hernia Surgery Aftermath

[AnaKhouri]

Tomorrow my husband is having surgery to fix two hernias (they are his intestines, I don't remember what that kind is called). I myself have had two abdominal surgeries (c-sections). In some ways I think his will be easier since they don't have to cut through muscle, but it might be worse in other ways because they have to put in a mesh and I bet that feels weird at first.

His boss is a bodybuilder and many of his bodybuilder friends have had hernias fixed. He told Husband that the kind he has is the most painful to recover from (thanks Boss...) so now Husband is a bundle of anxiety and dread.

Does anyone know what to expect when he comes home tomorrow? We know he can't lift stuff, will probably have pain medication, and can't work or drive for a week. What should I do to make him more comfortable? Will he be hungry at all? How long before he can sit up? Does he need to drink Gatorade or something (this is the extent of my medical knowledge- when sick, drink Gatorade and orange juice)?

[AccountingDrone]

Lower abdomen, like a bikini c-section? I think that is inguinal. Up higher in the muscle belt between stomach and chest cavity is hiatal hernia [you stomach tries to join your lungs up in your chest. Not good.] Here is a sort of cheat sheet for what the different types and locations possible are.

Who knew your body parts liked roaming around so much!

[Geek King]

And here is another list of hernias to lift hubbies spirits.

Best of luck to him on the recovery!

[csquared]

I had a hernia repair, groin, both sides, in December 2012. Arthroscopic, with mesh. Left me with four scars, one you can barely see. Two of them were reused when the appendix ruptured.

My recovery was complicated by the two other procedures that I had done that week. I had to come off my blood thinners, so I had a Colonoscopy on Monday, Hemorrhoidectomy on Tuesday and the Hernia repair Wednesday. Think gas, bloating, constipation and don't use your stomach muscles. Even with that, I was off the pain meds in a couple of days. I am glad that I had it taken care of.

As with any abdominal surgery, give it time to heal. They will probably recommend 4-6 weeks of no exertion.

Hoping for a speedy recovery.

[AnaKhouri]

Thanks all! Apparently they have to pump the abdominal cavity full of air and that causes a lot of pain before it leaks out, I guess.

[wolfie]

can't work or drive for a week.

My brother had a lower-abdomen hernia repair done, and it took more than 15 years before he could work or drive. Of course, he was around 6 months old when he had the operation - YMMV.

[Arucard]

I had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair. Basically I noticed the area under my pubes bulging where it shouldn't. It's the kind of hernia where there's a natural hole for the intestines to go through, not a tear in the abdominal wall.

The air pumping thing means he's having it done laparoscopically, so three small incisions to go in, and mesh to hold the intestines in is placed inside.

In my experience, I was able to hobble out of the hospital the next day, took a week off work, then was back. I was able to catch the tram, but had to sit down on it, couldn't walk fast, and accidentaly stepping off the station to the road instead of taking the ramp down was a painful idea. It was a few weeks before I felt mostly normal, and a couple of months before I was willing to get back to normalish exercise.

For the first few days, it's just hard finding a comfortable way to sleep. Moving around isn't too bad, but getting in and out of chairs is a royal pain. Nothing special for diet or anything is needed, apart for muscle pain, he'll be perfectly normal.

The caveat to that is in regards to bowel movements. The anaesthetic and followup painkillers (endone for me) have a binding effect, and I didn't start taking laxatives until after the surgery (coloxil and senna). If I'd started the day before the surgery, it would have been a lot better, but as it was, I didn't have a bowel movement for days, and for the whole last day it felt like I had a rock poking its head out from inside before I could go.

[wolfie]

The caveat to that is in regards to bowel movements. The anaesthetic and followup painkillers (endone for me) have a binding effect

From what I've heard, ALL opiates/opiods have that effect. One thing I read about was that back in the mid 19th century (article I read dealt with a military hospital during the U.S. civil war), a doctor making his rounds would have a ball of opium in one pocket and a ball of "blue mass" (some mercury compound) in the other, and ask the patients about their bowels. If they said "loose", he'd give them some opium. If they said "tight", he'd give them some "blue mass".

[AnaKhouri]

Thanks guys! The surgery went well. He was in quite a bit of pain but that seems to be getting better. He says his lower back hurts; I'm not sure if that's because of the pumped-in air or if he's holding himself funny when he walks.

It seems many of the issues (constipation etc) are similar for c-sections and hernia surgery (anything where they rummage around your intestines, I suppose) so I've been able to help ad give advice, which is nice.

[greek_jester]

Thanks guys! The surgery went well. He was in quite a bit of pain but that seems to be getting better. He says his lower back hurts; I'm not sure if that's because of the pumped-in air or if he's holding himself funny when he walks.

As a decades long back pain sufferer (being too busty sucks horribly), feel free to pass on these tips:

1) When sitting, try to sit upright with proper posture (baby the operation wound first, of course!); this means back reasonably straight (roll the shoulders back instead of hunched forwards), and chin no lower than his Adam's apple. If the chair leans too far back for him to sit properly upright, pad it up with proper pillows (to support the whole back) and a smaller cushion fitted low in the hollow of his back to support the area that hurts.

2) When sleeping, what position does he sleep in?

a) If he sleeps flat on his back, he will need either a folded blanket or a few flattish large cushions to raise his lower legs a couple of inches. This will reduce pressure on his lower back as the weight of his legs won't be dragging on his lower back muscles. Also, make sure that he doesn't have too many pillows under his head; they should only be used to bring his head up until it is in the "proper posture" position.

b) If he sleeps on his side, again make sure that there aren't too many pillows under his head, as this will force his head to the side in an unnatural angle. This time a blanket folded several times or a flattish pillow/large cushion should be put between his legs between his knees and his ankles. This will stop the weight of his upper leg pulling on his lower back muscles.

c) If he sleeps on his front I have nothing. I haven't been able to sleep on my front properly since I was 12. Best guess would be use pillows and cushions to get his spine as close to proper posture as is reasonably possible, although that would be difficult with the head needing to be turned to the side to avoid smothering.

3) Take a hot bath. It sounds old-fashioned, but the heat helps to relax the muscles in the same way putting a hot pack on the area will, while also using pleasantly-scented bath additives to relax the mind, causing a knock-on effect on the muscles. The trick is to ensure that his back is properly supported in the bath to avoid extra strain (spare towels folded up work, although the extra washing sucks). To ensure that he doesn't let the muscles cool too quickly when getting out (this will make them go into spasm and hurt worse) I've found letting a wheat pack cool until it's roughly the temperature of the water, then immediately tying it to my back with a towel as I get myself out helps. A bit of a tricky balancing act, so he may need help with that.

4) Check with your doctor/pharmacist first before trying this one as there may be interactions with painkillers; try ibuprofen (or equivalent anti-inflammatory) cream directly over the sore area to help force the muscle to relax. Do not use in combination with a hot pack as they usually include a painkiller which may mask a scald from the hot pack.

Actually, I really need to dig my hot pack out as I've been a bit bad about the proper posture thing today and all this talk of back pain has made my own start twinging...

[Arucard]

The pumped-in air usually isn't a problem. If it causes discomfort, it's usually either in the scrotum (gas get trapped there for a while) or up around the shoulders, and I've heard from people who have had that happen that it's very uncomfortable for a few days. Usually it'll just keep the abdomen bloated for a while.