Experiences with hernia after ostomy: Irrigation effects?

Hello everyone, well I received the verdict of the scan of my belly .... and indeed I have a hernia around my stoma ..... grrrrrrr ...

I am quite tired, after an ostomy, the year after an operation for a pilonidal sinus (it hurts like ....) and this year a hernia .... will it ever end ???? ....

Well there, I let off steam ... thank you for reading me :) good.

Now I would like to have your experiences on the after operation of a hernia,

after how long have you been able to irrigate your stoma? Difficulty walking? Back to work after how long ??

I'm waiting for all your answers because they can surely help me get through.

Please please help me :)

Thank you, thank you very much

Danielle from Quebec, Canada

Hello everyone,

I have a question: have since you irrigated your ostomy noticed that your belly has grown?

I find that it has grown a lot especially where my stoma is on the left side :( :(

I must admit that it worries me a little, I'm trying to lose weight but my stomach remains big.

Can this have to do with irrigation you think ??

Merci

Danielle :)

Hello everyone, well I received the verdict of the scan of my belly .... and indeed I have a hernia around my stoma ..... grrrrrrr ...

I am quite tired, after an ostomy, the year after an operation for a pilonidal sinus (it hurts like ....) and this year a hernia .... will it ever end ???? ....

Well there, I let off steam ... thank you for reading me :) good.

Now I would like to have your experiences on the after operation of a hernia,

after how long have you been able to irrigate your stoma? Difficulty walking? Back to work after how long ??

I'm waiting for all your answers because they can surely help me get through.

Please please help me :)

Thank you, thank you very much

Danielle from Quebec, Canada

Possible hernia as it's more stoma side? Hernias don't always cause any problems... just worth looking into to rule it out.

Danielle, it does sound like a hernia if it is mostly on the stoma side. Best to consult your surgeon or ostomy nurse.

Laurie

Merci, thank you Laurie. I will :)

Merci, thank you Panther. :)

Yes Danielle, as the other respondents have said, if you have a bulge behind your stoma it is more than likely a parastomal hernia.

Unfortunately, it will more than likely interfere with your irrigating.

Probably best to seek some professional advice.

Good luck.

V.J.

It might not interfere with irrigation. I also have a hernia, and two surgeons have told me that it shouldn't interfere with irrigation. I have found that to be the case, although I don't irrigate all that often. So, there is hope for Danielle, but you're right - she does need to get medical advice. We will keep our fingers crossed for her.

Laurie

Thank you everyone, I saw my doctor today for another problem and she has sculpted my stoma and gives me a rush appointment for a scan of my stoma where there is a hernia.

I'm scared but that's life :)

Thank you everyone, I saw my doctor today for another problem and she has sculpted my stoma and gives me a rush appointment for a scan of my stoma where there is a hernia.

I'm scared but that's life :)

Hi, I'm Marsha, and I have had my ileostomy for over 55 years. But it took 3 surgeries (when I was 15 2x and then again when I was 19). I lost a lot of weight at first, and then because of steroids, gained a lot of weight, and then lost a lot when they took me off the steroids and did the second surgery. I was also in a back brace at the time. So my body/stomach muscles really took a beating. I had an incisional hernia, and the base of the incision, where they had the drain... By the time I was 20, despite a loss of weight, my belly was flabby, with a loss of muscle tone. That never got better... And then I had two pregnancies, which stretched out my damaged skin and lower belly muscles even more. It's good that you went to the doctor and took all the scans and tests you need to. My stoma is on the right, but I have lived with a really big incisional hernia on the left side of my scar for more than 20 years. More like thirty, if I think back. All it does is get "bigger". I was concerned about increasing the damage if/when I exercised, and different doctors have different suggestions. Some say, don't worry about it, others say, wear some kind of support. I've done nothing about it because at my age (now 72) none of them want me to undergo any surgery. I keep thinking that the "seam will eventually split", but so far, other than some physiological weakness (no sit-ups), it's not causing any problems. Sometimes, the body changes are just a result of the surgery. Best of luck. Marsha

Merci. Thank you, Immarsh.

What a story you have. You are a positive woman :):).

Hi Danielle,

As you know, I have been irrigating for several years and my stomach on both sides goes up and down with my weight but do not feel it has ever varied due to irrigation. Even when I have irrigated with 1500 cc's and not gotten a great return, it has not felt like it expanded my stomach area.
Sounds like you have done the right thing in seeing your doctor. Hope the scan can answer your concerns!

Take care, my friend,

Puppyluv

Help me to understand please!!!!!!!!

Since how many years do you do irrigation please????

Because I just read from the Canadian Society for Intestinal Research:

.......People who have a colostomy and parastomal hernia, and who manage their stoma with irrigation,

may need to stop irrigations permanently. Irrigations can worsen symptoms and cause other complications.

You can consult your SI to discuss the possibility of changing to a regular ostomy appliance.......

What do you think??

Merci

Danielle

Danielle, nbsp

You could consult 10 doctors and get 10 different answers to this question. Ultimately, I don't think anyone really knows the answer. When I asked Dr. Zane Cohen, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto (one of the best colorectal surgeons in the country, according to my own colorectal surgeon), he told me that irrigation will not cause a hernia. Does Dr. Cohen have the definitive answer? Who knows? There are so many ways in which one can get a hernia, it is impossible to know what caused yours. nbsp

Laurie

Danielle, my colostomy is almost 5 years old, and I started irrigation about 3 years ago. I don't irrigate all that often. If I am going out for the evening, or if I have a busy day planned, I will irrigate the night before.

Laurie

Help me to understand please!!!!!!!!

Since how many years do you do irrigation please????

Because I just read from the Canadian Society for Intestinal Research:

....... People who have a colostomy and parastomal hernia, and who manage their stoma with irrigation,

may need to stop irrigations permanently. Irrigations can worsen symptoms and cause other complications.

You can consult your SI to discuss the possibility of changing to a regular ostomy appliance.......

What do you think??

Merci

Danielle.

Yes Danielle, I too have read that irrigation is not for those with a parastomal hernia.

I gave myself the hernia by attempting to lift weights without proper protection/support for my stomach area.

The parastomal hernia definitely interferes with the irrigation process...water going in and faeces "returning".

I rarely achieve a full evacuation, something I managed to do most of the time before "the bulge".

It is doubtful if irrigation can worsen symptoms or cause other complications but I could be wrong.

To finish, I will be continuing to irrigate for many years to come. It has been my saviour.

Keep well.

V.J.

Hello folks, I haven't been on in a long, long time but I have continued with irrigation daily for 5 years now. At times I have had issues with pulling pain and not feeling like I am getting cleaned out. Back in July, I started to have a lot of pain throughout the day (feeling like really bad gas pain and bloating) and also trouble with water in and out. Long story short, after lots of doc appointments who don't understand or even know what irrigation is, I finally got a CT done and a hernia is the verdict. I am having Sugarbaker surgery in a few weeks as long as I don't end up with a full blockage before then. The belief is that the hernia is partially blocking the irrigation process both going in and water and stool out. My problem is I need to stop irrigating for a while to hopefully buy me some time (according to doc) because I have been trying to lose weight and have, in fact, lost 17 lbs. but it got worse as I lost. Doc says that when the fat goes down, the hernia fills in the new space available. For this reason, he would like me to get to an acceptable weight for me and then do the process as long as we get it done within about 8 weeks or sooner if more blockage happens. Sooo, my question is: How do I stop irrigating? I have tried 3 times and get to 36 hours or so and no stool at all. Of course, I am so uncomfortable at that point, I irrigate to at least get things going but then experience the same the next time. Is there a process I should be following to stop? After 5 years, my body is very trained to wait for me to irrigate and then of course there's the hernia causing trouble. Any ideas? Thank you in advance, I am hoping to be able to go back to irrigating as it gives me freedom and I still teach. I can't imagine not irrigating and continuing to teach so a lot is riding on me being able to go back to irrigation in the future. I have enjoyed reading posts today as it has been too long since I have been on this site.

Carol