Hiatal hernia repair during lap band surgery

[isit5yet 37]

Hi all,

I was banded yesterday, and during the surgery my physician also repaired a hiatal hernia. Has anyone else had this done too? I'm experiencing more pain my diaphragm, which I think has more to do with the hernia repair than the actual banding. It sucks. I can't sneeze or cough without screaming out in pain, which is tough since I have horrible allergies and sneeze a lot. Also, for some reason, my ab muscles are twitching. It's so weird.

What kind of pain did you all have right after surgery and how long did it last? For me it's mostly the skin incisions being held by dermabond and my diaphragm.

[amberakamom 13]

My surgeon said he repaired a large hernia. My pain was only bad for about 3 days.

[changing 2]

I had my hernia repaired also.I am just sore from where the port and the incisions are.It does hurt for me to cough.I was banded on Tuesday.The pain is much better on today.

[Brandi-My Story 0]

I was banded Wednesday 02/16/2011 and I too had a hernia and I've been in extreme pain down in my stomach area, I haven't been able to cough or hiccup without being in extreme pain and my throat is severly sore I'm guessing from the tube and I have phlegm that I keep trying to get up and it just hurts worse, I havent been able to get nothing down since wednesday but a half a bottle of Water and a few sips of broth, I finally was able to get some chicken noodle Soup down a few bites that is and it was like heaven, I really hope all this is worth it cause this is alot more than I expected and was told to expect I know everyones body is different but I guess I was hoping for alot less pain.

[TKW 501]

Yeah, they repaired one on me too. My surgeon said 8 out of his 10 have a hiatal hernia! I was lucky, no pain to my knowledge. The "gas" pain was all I could concentrate on!

[Silvermystique 1]

Yup, I had one I didn't even know about, and my surgeon fixed it. Do you find that it hurts to hiccup?

[Dave_NW 92]

I had a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired during my band surgery in December. I was sore like crazy for several weeks. If I felt the urge to cough, I found it was easier to stand up, and try to get "under" the cough. Once I got the excess lung fluids out (leftover from surgery), I had more control over coughing. Within a short time the hard pain stopped, and it was only a matter of the stitches healing up. I was back to normal within a relative few weeks.

One very, VERY positive beneft: I have had ZERO acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, GERD, or whatever you want to call it, since surgery. No matter what I eat, those days are gone. It's AWESOME!

Hang in there. Sip liquids till you feel you're going to float, don't eat anything you shouldn't, and walk a lot. It's the best three things you can do for yourself in the first few days after surgery.

Dave

[isit5yet 37]

Brandi.. I'm in the same boat. I'd give anything to cough right now

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm just keeping on the pain meds every four hours and sipping on liquids. I just feel like my breath is taken away with the hernia fix.

I was banded Wednesday 02/16/2011 and I too had a hernia and I've been in extreme pain down in my stomach area, I haven't been able to cough or hiccup without being in extreme pain and my throat is severly sore I'm guessing from the tube and I have phlegm that I keep trying to get up and it just hurts worse, I havent been able to get nothing down since wednesday but a half a bottle of Water and a few sips of broth, I finally was able to get some chicken noodle Soup down a few bites that is and it was like heaven, I really hope all this is worth it cause this is alot more than I expected and was told to expect I know everyones body is different but I guess I was hoping for alot less pain.

[Jess55 97]

I had a hiatal hernia repair too. I only was in pain the first two days after that, just a bit of discomfort nothing bad at all.

[MrsHumphreys 1]

I, too, had the hiatal hernia repair during my surgery. I was suprised to find this later that day after I was back at home! I experienced a lot more pain than I had expected and prepared for, and I think that was mostly because of the extra repair they did on the hernia. The worst was over in about 5 days for me. Hope you're feeling better!

[zachbuckeye3 0]

I, too, had the hiatal hernia repair during my surgery. I was suprised to find this later that day after I was back at home! I experienced a lot more pain than I had expected and prepared for, and I think that was mostly because of the extra repair they did on the hernia. The worst was over in about 5 days for me. Hope you're feeling better!

I was banded on Monday 2/14/11 and I had a severe hernia repair. I've been on nexium for 4 months pre-surgery. I usually have a high tolerance to pain but this is over the top. I am surprised I still feel so much pain even with drinking the liquids and taking the pain meds. I hope it passes soon!

[dk4k 15]

I figured out that the lingering soreness I was feeling after surgery was from the hernia repair. But like DaveNW said, I have had NO heartburn since then. I had been suffering from a lot of heartburn in the 6 - 12 months before surgery. So it is worth the temporary extra pain!

[MizDiz 0]

I also had a hernia repaired - one I didn't know I even had! It took me a bit longer to recover (maybe an extra day or two) but other than that, it didn't bother me. From what I've read on the boards, it is quite common.

[rhya2k 31]

Hi I was also just banded this week on Wed and and had hiatal hernia repair and i heard my hernia was bigger than the surgeoon thought. I had a tight feeling in my upper chest and yes it does hurt to cough, sneeze and not being able to not burp was hard, but now on my 4th day and I feel so much better, off the pain meds and the only thing that is really bothering me is my port incision, if you notice anything out of the ordinary i would call your surgeon, it also helps to use the spirometer they should of gave you to open up the sacs in your longs to a faster recovry, good luck!

Hi all,

I was banded yesterday, and during the surgery my physician also repaired a hiatal hernia. Has anyone else had this done too? I'm experiencing more pain my diaphragm, which I think has more to do with the hernia repair than the actual banding. It sucks. I can't sneeze or cough without screaming out in pain, which is tough since I have horrible allergies and sneeze a lot. Also, for some reason, my ab muscles are twitching. It's so weird.

What kind of pain did you all have right after surgery and how long did it last? For me it's mostly the skin incisions being held by dermabond and my diaphragm.

[rhya2k 31]

I never had heartburn so weird!

I figured out that the lingering soreness I was feeling after surgery was from the hernia repair. But like DaveNW said, I have had NO heartburn since then. I had been suffering from a lot of heartburn in the 6 - 12 months before surgery. So it is worth the temporary extra pain!