I developed two hernias during labor with Adrianna, which I had repaired a year later in April 2006. I developed two more noticeable hernias during my pregnancy with Bree in 2009.
The hernias are pouches formed from the inner lining of your abdominal wall that pushes through a hole at the belly button. Fatty tissue is then pushed through this hole, producing a lump. Usually the fat can be pushed back in. For the most part, they didn’t caused a lot of pain on an everyday basis. But if I was very active on any given day, including any type of exercise or even a vigorous house cleaning, I would pay for it in pain the next day. Sometimes I would feel discomfort after a large meal. But they did pose a health risk since internal organs (mainly the intestines) *could* make their way through and become stuck, which is very dangerous.
I decided to find a different surgeon for this surgery than the one I’d used last time, because I felt the first surgeon back in 2006 wasn’t very personable or willing to really talk things through with me. (My family practice doctor agreed with my decision; she said that that surgeon treats the doctors in their practice like children too.)
So I visited another surgeon that my doctor’s office works with. The experience was horrible! The doctor was an ass. Sorry, but he totally was. He acted appalled that I would bring children into an office for a simple consultation. I am a stay-at-home mom and I don’t have family in town; I bring my girls with me to appointments all the time and it has never been a problem before. He even asked me if I could leave them in the waiting room while I went back to the exam room. Seriously?! Leave my 21 month old in the waiting room! You’ve got to be kidding me. I told him no. So he “allowed” me to bring them back to the exam room. After his protest, you would think that the exam room was an operating room or something, but no, it was a typical, boring doctor’s exam room. He took maybe 1 minute to look at my hernias and then told me he wanted to continue the rest of the consultation in the waiting room since there weren’t any other patients there. Okay?… So he talked another minute or so to me and the whole time, it looked like he was inching toward the door to escape me and my children. Who, by the way, were being just fine. Although Bree did start working on one of the WORST diapers in weeks right about this time…
So as the doctor escaped, he told me the receptionist could answer any remaining questions. And then he fled. The receptionist was as sweet as could be. I scheduled a date for the surgery but went home in tears.
Thankfully, I decided to get 2nd opinion. My doctor had given me the name of another surgeon whom she had not met but had heard good things about. So I called and made an appointment. This new guy was 150% better, in my opinion. He spent a lot of time examining the hernias and talking to me. He proposed two different ways he could surgically repair them and also detailed which one he’d recommend and why. He then explained how they would be repaired in detail. I am a person who appreciates details.
When the surgeon mentioned that he would recommend repairing them with a laparoscope instead of using just one incision above the hernias near the belly button (which is what I had the first time), I started to get excited. Laparoscopes mean smaller incisions and less pain, right? Well, the surgeon stopped me right there and said that the less pain wouldn’t apply in my case though since they have to insert and staple mesh (to cover the holes) over the weak areas caused by the hernias, and that would still be painful. Bummer.
I am so thankful for the painkillers and for my patient husband who has been taking good care of me. I can’t do anything that requires my abdominal muscles, which means he has to help me with the most basic of tasks, including getting in and out of bed or off the couch.
Also thankful for the wonderful women in my MOPS group who have been keeping my family well-fed while I recuperate!
