Umbilical Hernia (Part 2)

I met with the surgeon yesterday and have the surgery scheduled for Monday morning. I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so I would have less time to stress over it and so I would be mostly better for Adrianna’s birthday on April 20th. I also chose a day when Adrianna goes to childcare so Greg won’t have to take care of an active 11 month old for 5 hours at the hospital.

Upon examination, the surgeon mentioned that he felt two bumps. I had felt the second one too, but it has never given me any problems so I never felt the need to complain about it. The surgeon said it could be a separate hernia, but more likely it is another piece of tissue from the same one that is just pushed over to the side. Either way, he is going to repair it too. He also said that my hernia is already too big to simply just stitch up, so I will need a little larger incision. No big deal. I have so many stretch marks on my stomach, not to mention flabby skin from being stretched during pregnancy and the extra pounds I need to shed, that I don’t plan on wearing a bikini or crop-top ever again. The surgeon will also be using a piece of plastic mesh to cover the hole where the tissue is being pushed out, since simple stitches wouldn’t do in this case. Bummer. So they are going to push all the tissue back in and then stitch the plastic mesh over the hole so the tissue cannot get pushed back out. Gross.

I am getting pretty nervous. Although it is a relatively minor, out-patient procedure, it will be my first surgery and my first time being “put-under.” Last night as I lay in bed, I started thinking about the scary things that could go wrong when put under that type of anesthetic. I know it is rare, but it is still pretty frightnening. The scariest part for me is thinking about how if something happened to me, Adrianna would grow up not knowing me, her mother, who loves her more than anything. That makes me extremely sad. I am tearing up now, so on to the next subject!

I asked the doctor if this hernia would reoccur when I go through the whole labor and childbirth for my next child. He said that while recurrence is always a possibility, it is rare, so I am hoping for the best.

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3 Responses

  1. Janis says:

    Everything will go fine, we are a healthy bunch! And it will be over before you know it.

  2. Hi, I noticed you had an umbilical hernia repaired. I also had surgery on June 22nd. I’m healing quite nicely, I think, but I’m wondering if you could tell me if you had a “bump” or whatnot where your incision is? I feel pretty good except that I have this bump… my steri-strips are still on, but I’ve stopped taking any sort of pain medication.

    Anyway, just hoping you can share your experience.

    Thank you in advance,
    Meredith Greer
    Saratoga Springs, UT

  3. Amber says:

    Hi Meredith,

    I did have a bump where my incision was. It felt like a hard bump for a month or two, but it didn’t cause me pain or anything. My doctor told me to expect it, that it was normal to have it, and that it would lessen with time, which it has. I can still feel a small lump there if I press on it, but it is hardly noticeable at all now. My belly button itself still looks kinda funny from the incision, but oh well. I am not brave enough to wear bikinis anymore anyways. 🙂

    If you have a post-op appointment with your doctor, I would check up with him/her to make sure that everything is okay. I am betting that what you are feeling is normal though.

    Thanks for stopping by. Hope your recovery continues to go well.

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