Is This a Parastomal Hernia? Seeking Advice After Resuming Weight Training

As soon as my surgeon lifted restrictions, I began weight training again. I only use a punch belt and have no pain or trouble. I ordered a more supportive, wider belt for future exercise. Anyway, my stoma sits on the center of a softball-sized circular protrusion. Is that what a parastomal hernia is?

I love weight training, but I'm afraid of a hernia!

Please keep us posted.

I had been doing pushups regularly before surgery, so I'm not sure if that helped because they still sliced through the muscles. Checking YouTube videos, I came across hernias. My surgeon or home health ostomy nurses never mentioned them. I guess a large percentage of them are non-problematic. I'm just not sure if I have one or not. I never feel strained and never use weight that I can't do at least 15 reps. Sad, but it seems your stoma education is up to yourself.

Sounds to me that you have a parastomal hernia. However, I do not have one, and there are plenty of people here who do. I am sure some of them will answer this.

Daniel

Even though I was down many pounds (weighed 102) and not gaining any weight for over a year, as I watched the area around my stoma grow into a small boob, I went to a surgeon and he said it was a parastomal hernia. The only thing I was told after surgery was, "Do not lift anything heavy." Neither surgeon I saw following the surgery advised me about hernias. I'm not sure if a heads-up regarding this common fact would have helped me. The second surgeon said, "Oh, these are common." I almost surely would have been more careful with my "condition" had I known of this possibility. So here is yet another good reason to take heed regarding warnings from ostomates on this site.

Experience almost always outweighs these surgeons' book learning. Probably not one of them has the on-the-job experiences of an ostomate. Neither surgeon (the one who did my surgery in Wisconsin) nor the follow-up surgeon (back home in Florida) mentioned a hernia to me. I am guessing they didn't want to freak me out further, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but feel this info upfront would be most important and helpful. — JB

Yep... the mound under or adjacent to your stoma may be a parastomal hernia. Very common. Nearly impossible to prevent.

An ostomy itself is a controlled hernia. My surgeon and ostomy nurse didn't mention hernias to me. I learned about it online. You can try support belts, but it's unsure if they can prevent a hernia.

Mine looks like a little boob. It causes a rather unsightly bulge in my shirt. From time to time, I wear a Nu-Hope support belt. It makes the bulge slightly smaller, but belt pressure pushes my wafer down, damaging the skin around the stoma base. So, I mostly just let it all hang out. Screw it.

Must watch out for intestine strangulation. If the stoma color fades to gray, hotfoot it to an emergency room at a hospital. Don't go to an urgent care center.

You will discover a strange lack of "information sharing" from your surgeon and some ostomy nurses. I had a hole pop open at the bottom of my surgical cut shortly after surgery. It freaked me out. My surgeon told me how to heal it but never mentioned the word "fistula." And he was the head of wound care at my hospital. I discovered this fistula business happens quite frequently. You'd think he could have told me. I thought my insides would soon be outside joining my stoma.

Take care and good luck!

Sounds like what I have, and I know mine is a hernia. The worst part is a person can get one by simply coughing or sneezing and it has nothing to do with lifting anything. Some can live their whole life without getting one, and others (like me) get one pretty fast. Personally, unless it gets huge or hinders my stoma (output), I won't have it fixed anytime soon.

Hi O,

My stoma (ileo) sits on a small mound and is not a hernia. I know this because after I had a reversal, the mound was gone. Then I went back to another stoma in the same location and the mound is back; it is simply a mound caused by no support in the abdominal wall at that location. I also weight train but am careful not to go crazy with it, and I use a cheap 10" elastic belt when training for support. I try to train the muscle in isolation rather than stressing my abdomen in an all-out assault.

G-Day Ostoberry,

I got a parastomal hernia about a year after the stoma operation, and before it got any worse, which it can or will, I had it operated on and now all is well. All I can recommend to anyone with a stoma is you do weight training at your own risk. You have had your operation to fix what must have been a problem, so the last thing you want to be doing is giving yourself another problem. Regards, Iggie

Hi Ostoberry, when I had my surgery 30 some years ago for an ileostomy, I was given a book about colostomies and that was the extent of training to have an ostomy. The real learning came a few days later when I had to change the appliance and pouch.

Hi Ostoberry, how are you doing? When I had my surgery 3 years ago for a colostomy, I was given a handout about colostomies and that was for the expert training to an ostomate. The real learning came a few days later when I had to change the appliance and pouch. I hope you recover quickly and the pain will all be a distant memory soon! Will be watching for your updates! Best wishes and take care. What is your email for me to email you about some things and talk more? Best regards.

Just want to say thanks for the replies and support. I'm not having any problems and keep learning every day. Medicare pays for most supplies, but I've been trying other accessories. Amazon has everything. I had a few minor leaks while exercising. I had some sample barrier extenders from Hollister and used them on my last change. They are great, so I plan to use them when I plan to be more active. They are a little pricey, so I'll try some cheaper brands from Amazon and hope they work as well.

Hernias are potentiated with increased intra-abdominal pressure. Belts may not prevent hernias if you are seriously lifting weights. Considering your new anatomy, you might have to back off of weight training. I concur that it is likely you have a parastomal hernia. There are hernia belts that you can use that a WOCN nurse can fit for you.

I have a stoma hernia and have had two surgeries, but it's back again. I'm wondering what to do about it. Should I move the stoma to the right side?

Hey Brooklyn,

My surgeon said this about relocating a stoma: "You just transfer the problem. You'll most likely get a hernia there too."

Surgical peristomal hernia repair has a poor success rate. If mine gets bigger, I'll probably try for a repair and stoma revision.

Unless you enjoy spending time in a hospital, enduring pain, and waiting to heal to get back to your life, I think not. I, for one, am cautious of any medical procedures that are invasive and involve scalpels in general. My personal attitude is to avoid hospitals unless I am in severe pain. Just my opinion.

Hi Iggie, you had yours repaired. I have 3 large hernias and 2 very small ones. They have said meshing is possible. Did they relocate your bag?

G'day Mark, when I had the operation they moved the stoma just a small amount, but I also had two surgeons working at once. One for the stoma and the other to remove 2/3 of my right kidney because of cancer. I hope the photo does not upset some people, but it's to let you have the full story. Regards, Iggie

It's good to show your after-surgery photo.

An old saying:

A picture tells a thousand words.

This was mine. I was shocked when I woke up. Tell me, do they reopen old scars when resting the bag and doing hernias?

Yes, they can open old scars; otherwise, we would look like a patchwork quilt.

Mark, my surgeon told me mesh can cause bacteria, so check it out.

Regards, Iggie

This is now 5 hernias after 7 months after surgery. Never sent home with a post-op belt. Now got to have it all done again. I would understand if I didn't listen, didn't lift anything, but did come from the hospital with a cold, so was coughing a lot. I think that may be the cause.

Howdy Mark,

Oh, the memories... Especially the drain.

I kind of had a feeling what I would wake up to see when I was in recovery after surgery. But I did NOT like the drain tube. Especially when the good doctor pulled it out.

Thanks to you and Iggie for sharing your photos. Really helps others who are about to have surgery have an idea of what to expect. And for those of us who already underwent surgery... brings back the memories.

Oh yes, the drain. I thought it was never gonna end. My toes did curl a bit lol.

G'day Mark, I hope you're going to get that fixed. Regards, Iggie

Well, I'm hoping so. I think the surgeon has gone nuts, to be honest. He states I'm 5 ft 8 in tall and weigh 13 stone. He wants me down to 9 stone before he will consider the operation. That's a ridiculous weight. I have spoken to my local GP, and he says 11.3 is my weight, no less. So, I'm not sure if the operation is too big or whether the surgeon just doesn't want to do the op. I have to see him in his clinic on the 9th of January, so I will keep you posted. I can't lose that much weight; it won't be healthy.

5'8" and 126 pounds? Is your surgeon from Mars? That's bordering on emaciation, even if you have a small bone structure.

Yep, that's what I thought, so in my eyes, there has to be a reason. Like I said in a previous post, I just think he doesn't want to do the operation. To be fair, where I am in the UK, the other week I was at the hospital with a friend. The doctor said to us there were 300 beds short in wards and 189 patients in corridors awaiting beds. So, it's a bed shortage. We'll never know. I will wait and see, but this has been a difficult year. So, I'm alive, new year, deal with it, new start. What will be, will be. There are so many more people out there less fortunate than me.