Recurrent Hernias Post-Colostomy Surgery - Seeking Advice

I received my colostomy in September 2016 and immediately afterward had a hernia. In 2022, the hernia had gotten larger, not only that, but there were 2 more that developed. So in May, I had hernia surgery with a whole lot of mesh placed. Since then, one of the hernias has returned with a vengeance and keeps getting larger! Of all the surgeries that I've had, the hernia surgery was the worst! Does anyone have something similar that has happened to them? I already know that eventually, I'll have to have another! I hate that!!! I am so over surgeries!!! I will avoid them at all costs!!! Right now, it just makes a very uncomfortable living situation.

Hi Life,

Have you talked to your doctors about why you're so susceptible to these hernias? The reason I ask is because hernia repair can be done with a variety of mesh materials, and which mesh they use for the repair depends on a lot of factors, including what the surgeon has the most experience with. But that factor may be contradictory to what material they should be using. If it were me, the first thing I'd do is try to find out why I'm having all these hernias, then find out what the best material is for my situation, and then find someone who specializes in using that material. I'm not sure what big surgical centers you have near you, but if Mayo has a satellite office anywhere close, I'd suggest you consult with them for their opinion. What you're going through doesn't sound like fun and shouldn't be that hard to correct.

;O)

Thank you for your support. I had never thought of that! There are very few doctors that I haven't seen in my area; most of them are part of a large conglomerate. I do love the doctor I'm seeing now, and he has his own practice. For the most part, the way I see it is that surgery just seems to make things worse for me. It seems to be never-ending. Next week, I plan on asking to have another CAT scan to see if it has gotten larger in just 3 months. I don't know what else to do.

Are you wearing an appropriate support belt? I recently began wearing one all the time I'm active. When I wake up, on goes the belt. It only comes off when I'm lying on my sofa or going to bed at night. Then I wear a bag retention belt all night.

I use Nu-Hope hernia support belts. High quality and comfortable.

Does containing my hernia with a belt prevent the damn thing from getting worse? I really don't know. My single, parastomal hernia is not too big, seems stable.

I'm 18 months post-op. I know it has gotten slightly bigger based on how my wafer and bag fit. That's why I began wearing a support belt all the time. Time will tell.

I certainly do NOT want to undergo a surgical "fix" unless the hernia begins to affect my stoma's operation.

If your insurance allows it, maybe research hernia surgeons out of your area. I live 10 minutes away from world-class medical care, Hoag Hospital. One of the main reasons my wife and I remain in California.

I survived my medical adventure 18 months ago because my surgeon was not only an excellent general surgeon but also an excellent hernia repair surgeon too. After 3 weeks in the hospital, getting weaker and sicker...I was told by my infection doctor: Undergo emergency exploratory surgery right away... or most likely die. The 4 powerful antibiotics I had taken for 3 weeks were not stopping the infections at all, and they would soon develop resistance. So at 7:00 pm that night, I underwent 7 hours of emergency exploratory surgery.

What happened: 20 years ago, I had 2 inguinal hernias successfully repaired with mesh. Over time, both meshes migrated and adhered to my bladder and colon. The mesh on my colon had wrapped around it, causing 2 punctures. Allowing stool to leak into my abdomen. Causing Sepsis, Peritonitis, and C Diff infections. My surgeon told me later how lucky I was. He had to remove every bit of both meshes. Since he was an experienced hernia repair surgeon, he knew exactly how to separate the mesh pieces without causing further damage to my bladder and remaining healthy colon. After all mesh was excised, he removed 12 1/2 inches of damaged colon and put in a colostomy. He also saved my bladder from being punctured.

He explained later... that if he was just a general surgeon, after opening me up and seeing all the tangled, adhered mesh, he would have closed me up and sent me to recovery. And I probably wouldn't be here today.

Hi Life,

  I hear you. Hernias occur when there's a weak spot, tear, or opening in an abdominal muscle or the tissue connecting them. When we get an ostomy, they obviously create a weak spot in our abdomen by the incision they make. The same thing goes for laparoscopic surgery, or any time an incision is made. So, developing a hernia at or near the ostomy site is a very real possibility, as many have found out. But developing three hernias in that region might suggest something else going on with your abdomen. The area can be weak for a couple of reasons, but it is most likely because of some type of repetitive stress on the muscles or tissue. If you can find the reason for what's causing the weak areas, then you can stop it from recurring in the future. It may not be that simple, but with today's advanced scanning technology, they should be able to tell you what's going on with the muscles and tissue in that area. Otherwise, you're just patching holes on a sinking boat... and another will appear shortly after they fix the current ones. Most surgeons are only concerned with the fixing part, as that's what they do. They're like car mechanics... you break it... they fix it. They aren't concerned about how you drive or if you don't break it again... it's just more income for them. And I don't mean to sound callous about surgeons, as many are fine folks... but it is a job and they focus on what they do best, which is fixing, not diagnosing. It's up to your gastroenterologist to figure out what's going on... and gastroenterologists aren't experts when it comes to abdominal muscles and tissue... so you might want to ask who is when you're talking to your doctor... and schedule a consult with them.

;O)

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Very good w30bob.

I totally agree with you, they are in it for the money! I don't think I made it clear as to when they occurred. Colostomy in October of 2016, within months a hernia developed. Had miscellaneous CT scans between then and 2021. Somewhere in there, I developed another hernia, and eventually ended up with three. Had the hernia surgery in May 2021, within a year one came back and is getting larger. I don't want any more surgeries; I'm way over all the doctors! I'll only do it if it becomes an emergency. Sticking to that plan.

He's so clever, that brother of mine.