Questions About Life After Hernia Repair Surgery

So I have these hernias that they are going to have to fix with mesh. What I am wondering is, does that mean I will never be able to lift weights again? Or is it just while healing I shouldn't? Anyone else here had hernia repair surgery? What is the recovery time like? And once recovered, can you return to normal activity or is it a no-go for life? I really don't want to get more hernias, and I also don't want to tempt the mesh to harm other organs. I was talking to my friend last night, and she was saying maybe I should not lift weights ever again. But I was saying once I am healed from the surgery, shouldn't I be 100% again? And she was saying with each abdominal surgery, my stomach muscles are going to be weaker and weaker, and so it will be more likely that I will get another hernia. Since the three I have are along my scar from my first major surgery (when they took out my large intestines), that area is going to remain weak. If that is the case, what is the point of the mesh being put in? I do know the surgeon told me that you can only heal to 75% from any abdominal surgery. So if that is true of my first surgery, what percent will it be for an additional surgery? I feel like what people are saying to me is that I should expect more hernias in my future as my guts will just keep trying to push out. And now I have a hard spot above my stoma that sticks out when I am standing up, which is not exactly where they told me the hernias are located. I am so confused.

Lee

You'll never be 100% again; you have a stoma. Everything I've read on hernia repair is that it doesn't have the best long-term results, meaning you can get more hernias. I'm waiting as long as possible to get mine fixed.

I am not the one putting my surgery off. It's the surgeon who is delaying it. But first, the gallbladder surgery, which isn't until the end of February. Then I have to wait at least a month before she is willing to put me under again to do the hernia repair. I am just feeling kind of hopeless. Like I know this can be an ongoing process. I just don't know if it is all worth it. She told me I can't wait a long time to get the three hernias fixed because of complications, yet she doesn't want to do it right away. So is it urgent or not? I feel like I am getting mixed messages. She also told me just because she is fixing these three doesn't mean there will not be more in the future. So it is a double-edged sword. Fixing it could lead to more, and not fixing it could lead to a life-threatening situation.

Lee

Never said you were putting it off. And yes, you have it pretty much all figured out. Each has pros/cons.

Oh, I wasn't saying you were saying I was putting it off, what you said was you were putting it off. I was just responding to that for myself. Sorry for the mix-up.

Lee

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I have gone through the exact same thing. Initial ileostomy in 1995 because of ulcerative colitis. Three midline hernias appeared in 2021. I had been taking Silver Sneakers classes at the gym, but evidently, they were too much pressure. Those hernias were fixed with surgery. I went back to Silver Sneakers classes because I thought I was all fixed. Now I have a hernia coming up next to my stoma, which I suspect you do too. The types of food I can eat have shrunken down to pasta, mashed potatoes, chicken, toast, and pureed vegetables. Otherwise, I get a blockage. I'm scheduled for hernia repair surgery next month. I know I will never again be as I was before my first surgery, but at least I'm still alive at 69. I am hopeful that this upcoming surgery will be it for a long time and my ability to eat a wider variety of things will improve.

I know you don't want to hear it, but any weightlifting that puts pressure on your abdominal area is not recommended for those who've had the abdominal surgeries that we have had. Actually, it's recommended that you not lift anything weightier than a gallon of milk. Even using my favorite leg press machine at the gym is off-limits.

I totally understand the limits to the foods that you can eat. I always say my stoma is a pastatarian (as opposed to a vegetarian) because he only seems to like pasta. I puree my veggies too. It makes them less appealing but better digested. For the longest time, my diet has been V8, soup, pasta, chicken, and potatoes. I recently added fish sticks, which has gone okay except for that one time I had a bad stomach pain after eating them. I am wondering if it wasn't trying to be a blockage. I drank a lot of water, and the pain went away, but it was scary when it was happening. I kept thinking, should I go be seen in the ER or wait for it to pass? Eventually, it did pass though. Oh, you are a fan of the leg press? I love that machine. Before I was told not to, I was pressing 80 pounds, 100 reps with each leg, and then with both legs. Then, when I saw my doc for the results of my CT, I was told I should absolutely not be doing that or anything at the gym but the bikes. So now I have resolved myself to doing 12 to 13 miles at a time on the bike and feeling mad that I can't do the weights. I give longing looks to the machines as I pass them by.

Lee