Anyone else for the bonus plate of band + hiatal hernia?

[KelliW 0]

Hi. I was banded just last week... August 10. When I woke up in recovery, I found out I'd also had a "huge" hiatal hernia repaired. I'm in a lot of pain and was struggling with vomiting for a few days. That of course PANICS me more than anything. Would love to hear from others who dealt with recovering from the bonus plate. I've really been struggling with the hernia component of this... The port pain's nothing relative to the pressure and spasms I'm having around my esophagus/diaphragm. I'm also finding it hard to differentiate band vs. hernia.... Thanks for any feedback/encouragement. Kelli

[Jeannine 0]

Hi! I too woke up with not one, but 2 hernias! The surgeon could not believe that I had been going along like this with no symptoms! My recovery has been extremely un-remarkable. I was banded on June 30th and the only thing the extra surgeries has impeeded me on is that I am not allowed to do any upper body strenght training or exercising yet until after my next visit to the surgeon.

Hang in there. I feel very good and even better than I did before surgery.

jeannine

[waterlily1072 5]

I had a hiatal hernia as well. Only thing I can tell diffrent was I was in a lot more pain than others seemed to be. But I did not have any nausea from it and I was told that anything I felt up to doing was ok, except heavy lifting. I looked at it as a bonus, a free surgery

[Kayford 0]

Hi. I was banded just last week... August 10. When I woke up in recovery, I found out I'd also had a "huge" hiatal hernia repaired. I'm in a lot of pain and was struggling with vomiting for a few days. That of course PANICS me more than anything. Would love to hear from others who dealt with recovering from the bonus plate. I've really been struggling with the hernia component of this... The port pain's nothing relative to the pressure and spasms I'm having around my esophagus/diaphragm. I'm also finding it hard to differentiate band vs. hernia.... Thanks for any feedback/encouragement. Kelli

Hi Kelli, I was banded last NOVin TJ Mexico by Dr. Ariel Ortiz. I had a hiatal hernia repaired with the band placement. Dr. Ortiz asked me about reflux in a preop visit and I said not much. I realize now that I really did have quite a bid of reflux.

NOW- I never have indigestion type symptom's. I had one pain shot right after surgery and that was it and did not experience any hernia repair related pain. I know that probably does not make you feel any better does it?

I had a great experience. I had very little port pain, no gas pains, a little pain in my shoulder that was gone in 24 hours. It just seems we are all so different.

Did you ask the doc about your pain? I wish I knew more about it. I just wanted to let you know that I did not experience what you are going thru. Hang in there. Maybe when you get thru this pain you will not have any reflux and will get to enjoy that bonus benefit.

Kay

[NervousNellie 0]

Hello,

I too got the 2 for 1 special. I was banded on Aug.9,2006. I had more pain immediately post op in the hospital. the surgeon said it was due to the esophageal spasm. Although, he said he would take care of the hernia if he thought it was necessary before surgery.

Prior to surgery, I had reflux problems, heart burn every day. But my doctor had put me on Prevacid and that cured the acid indigestion.

Since surgery, I have not had any reflux. I never even took One prevacid post op. So, thats great! Off one medicine. I am now 8 days post op. I don't have any pains or vomiting. Sometimes, I can't burp when I need to. But, I'm doing good. Heck, I even went out last nite and pulled some crabgrass out of my landscaping and other stray plants out of my garden. You know everyone is different. I thank the Lord everyday for such an uneventful recovery. I pray that you too will become pain free soon. Take care and remember everyone on this site is glad they had this done. Thats what I tell myself over and over again. Maybe one day it will sink in HA HA!

[Bettina 0]

Hi. I was banded just last week... August 10. When I woke up in recovery, I found out I'd also had a "huge" hiatal hernia repaired. I'm in a lot of pain and was struggling with vomiting for a few days. That of course PANICS me more than anything. Would love to hear from others who dealt with recovering from the bonus plate. I've really been struggling with the hernia component of this... The port pain's nothing relative to the pressure and spasms I'm having around my esophagus/diaphragm. I'm also finding it hard to differentiate band vs. hernia.... Thanks for any feedback/encouragement. Kelli

its normal....

http://www.askmrhealth.com/diseases_ailments/hiatal_hernia.htm

[leatha_g 4]

On my second banding(after slip), I had a hiatal hernia AND an umbilical hernia repaired. I really couldn't tell anything different about the hiatal hernia but that umbilical thing HURT!

[Iluvharleys 15]

I had both done at the same time. My doctor wouldn't band me if I didn't, and I am glad it was at the same time and not two different ones!

[Veggestyle 0]

I received my tests results back from the motility and esophagram tests, and all was well except for a "very small" hiatal hernia. Would someone be able to give me some more information on this? Also, how does a small hiatal hernia affect your health and your lapband?? I spoke with the bariatric coordinator about this and she know very little about it. I was told that it would be fixed during the lapban surgery...:mad:

[leatha_g 4]

It's good to have it fixed. I doubt you'll notice the difference, but un-repaired hiatal hernias seem to correspond with slippage later on in some cases, so I'd do it first time around, just as a precaution.

[Happy2BMe 0]

hi,

I was just banded 8/30/06 and have been having reflux problems for years. I was also just diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus which is a pre-cancerous condition of the esophagus due to chronic reflux. My doc thought I only had a small hiatal hernia but after surgery came out and told my husband that the hernia was much larger than he thought it was initially. What was the most wierd was that the first thing I noticed when I woke up was the fact that I no longer felt like my stomach was in my chest! I am 2 days out and am having gas pains and pain in the port area but have had absolutely no reflux! Wonderful!

[joliesmom 0]

I was also banded by Dr Ortiz and after surgery he told my husband I got the 3 for 1 surgery. He repaired a hiatel hernia and a diaphragmatic hernia. He asked my husband if I had any chest pain or shortness of breath because he said I had a "fistful of intestines" in my pleural cavity. For the record I attributed the shortness of breath to being fat. I received one injection for nausea post op and never had any other problems or pain. I did feel tightness at times but that was all.

[BJean 16]

Holey Frijoles! I've been looking everywhere to find someone who has had the 2 for 1 special! Although I'm paying $2300. extra for the hernia repair. (Now ain't that special!) Doc says my hernia is small. However, I have had it for 20 years. So I've been so frantic:nervous trying to find someone who had been through both things at once before I have the surgery.

I am not great on the computer so I must have just missed KelliW's subject line. This has been most helpful to see that most of you haven't had any real problems post-op or down the road. Except, of course, KelliW.

I had been told prior to the pre-op Upper GI xrays, that if my hernia turned out to be a large one, the LB was not for me. So for your surgeon to have come upon it during surgery must have been out of the ordinary. Of course most of these docs don't all have the same approach.

It is probably not too surprising that you have more work to do to get everything you had done all healed nicely. At least there's lots of support here and encouraging words. I am sure going to be thinking about you and wishing you well!!

Be sure to call the doc if you start vomiting.:nervous

[KelliW 0]

Thanks for the encouragement! I am 3 1/2 weeks out and feeling so much better. I'm on the "mushies" diet and still trying to differentiate between band and hernia repair in learning to eat with the band. I occasionally get the "golf ball in my chest" feeling after a few bites of some foods but I am not seeing a pattern in terms of chewing, rate, amount, etc. With that said, I don't think I'll be eating eggs anytime soon... I stopped vomiting (wretching, but no food coming up) once I found a way to get the pain med/muscle relaxant down. I have had a few instances of PB-ing (I think that's what it is... the golf ball, then the food comes back up but there's no wretching) on the mushies. I may wait an additional week before starting solids.

Thanks again for the encouragement. Kelli

[sueol 0]

I too have just been diagnosed with a small sliding hiatal hernia. I don't know much about it and I hope my surgeon Dr. Robinson of Boston will still consider me a good candidate for the surgery. Guess it is more common than I thought.