Hiatal Hernia Repair

[Bob2013 326]

During my pre op surgeon visits when they were going over the surgery and what to expect, one of the things they told me was during the surgery if I had a hiatal hernia that they would repair it while they were doing the sleeve. Is this common practice?

As it turned out I did have a pretty severe hiatal hernia which explained much of my issues pre surgery with acid reflux. Now post surgery I have had no acid reflux at all. Not the slightest bit of heartburn. I am pretty sure this is due to the hernia repair.

On that note I really recommend to everyone who is going for the sleeve or band to ask about this and make sure while the surgeon is in there that they do the repair if there is a hernia present. I see so many people who still have acid reflux after being sleeved and it makes me wonder if the surgeons are not fixing a problem that is right there and easily fixed.

[Recycled 2,182]

A competent Surgeon will tell you that they always check for any hernias and repair them as needed during the surgery. But I do agree with reinforcing their routine procedure with the reminder you want them to check and repair any found. (kinda covers that legal side of the instructions)

I knew pre-op about my hiatal hernia and ended up getting an umbilical hernia repaired also, that I had no idea about. So, I'm sure the surgeon's are typically on their game.

Added note: It's great that you presently have no gerd or acid reflux, however even with hiatal repairs, acid reflux or heartburn can be a side effect of sleeve surgerys.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Recycled

[Iambeautiful 100]

Hi, I also had a small hiatal hernia prior to surgery which was found when he done a EGD. Any patient that answers yes to the question of 'have you ever had gastric reflux' is made to have the EGD test done prior to surgery with my doctor. I am glad he discovered it and was able to repair it during the sleeve surgery. I have to remind you that gastric reflux seems to be more common with sleeve patients after surgery. Even though I had the Hiatal hernia repair, I woke up with gastric reflux last night and it was a little scary. I took two tums and then took my Prilosec. I am on Prilosec every day for six months now....... It helps to sleep with three or four pillows to prevent aspiration should you have gastric reflux. I also have to remember to not eat past eight at night. Eating late can lead to gastric reflux during the night. I am going to talk to the nurse tomorrow about it..... it is a little upsetting. I know what i did wrong I ate too late and drank a lot of Water before i went to bed. I only ate cottage cheese..... it's not like i ate anything acidy.....

During my pre op surgeon visits when they were going over the surgery and what to expect, one of the things they told me was during the surgery if I had a hiatal hernia that they would repair it while they were doing the sleeve. Is this common practice?

As it turned out I did have a pretty severe hiatal hernia which explained much of my issues pre surgery with acid reflux. Now post surgery I have had no acid reflux at all. Not the slightest bit of heartburn. I am pretty sure this is due to the hernia repair.

On that note I really recommend to everyone who is going for the sleeve or band to ask about this and make sure while the surgeon is in there that they do the repair if there is a hernia present. I see so many people who still have acid reflux after being sleeved and it makes me wonder if the surgeons are not fixing a problem that is right there and easily fixed.

[Bob2013 326]

Prior to surgery I could not eat for a minimum of 4 hours before bed or I was guaranteed to wake up aspirating. Now although I still avoid eating before bed, when I have eaten close to bedtime, I have no issues.

Maybe for me, the removal of the extra stomach was the key to controlling my reflux. Guess I got lucky.

[moonchild41 2]

The hiatal hernia repair is what helped me pay for my surgery. My doctor checked for it first, and since it was there, my insurance paid for that surgery.. we piggy backed my sleeve because insurance doesn't cover that.

[DestinClair1983 72]

I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia prior to surgery on one of the tests my surgeon had me do. I completely forgot to ask before the surgery if they were going to repair it, and when I asked about it post-op in the hospital, they said they had no record of a hiatal hernia repair. I hope it doesn't cause me too many problems in the future where I will need surgery to get it fixed when he could've killed 2 birds with one stone during my sleeve surgery.

[jmgtexas 21]

I had a large hernia , I kept asking my surgeon if he would be able to take care of it and he said he'd see how things were once he got inside. He ended up repairing multiple hernias and adhesions as well as the VGS - all with laproscope. Two days after surgery I felt better than I had in years. My abdomen was green and purple with bruising for several days, but that's clearing up . It will be awhile before I head back to the gym for anything but tread mill, but I still have a better range of motion and less pain than I had pre-op.

Edited March 16, 2014 by jmgtexas

[Gina1010 86]

Mine was repaired during my sleeve... Best decision ever!

[lmaher718 38]

<p>During my pre op surgeon visits when they were going over the surgery and what to expect, one of the things they told me was during the surgery if I had a hiatal hernia that they would repair it while they were doing the sleeve. Is this common practice? </p> <p> </p> <p>As it turned out I did have a pretty severe hiatal hernia which explained much of my issues pre surgery with acid reflux. Now post surgery I have had no acid reflux at all. Not the slightest bit of heartburn. I am pretty sure this is due to the hernia repair.</p> <p> </p> <p>On that note I really recommend to everyone who is going for the sleeve or band to ask about this and make sure while the surgeon is in there that they do the repair if there is a hernia present. I see so many people who still have acid reflux after being sleeved and it makes me wonder if the surgeons are not fixing a problem that is right there and easily fixed. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

My doctor said I have a small hiatal hernia and will repair once in... Did it slow your recovery???

[Bob2013 326]

@@lmaher718 I really dont think it slows recovery. All they do it stitch the opening so its tighter. There is no cutting or removal of any tissue. Its sort of like a button hole on your shirt thats too big and the button keeps popping out. The fix is just making the button hold a little smaller. I do think it adds to the restriction which is a good thing.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Bob, thanks for that explanation of the hiatal hernia surgery.

My husband has one, and its effects are getting worse (he gets food stuck every other day, while he's eating).

He thinks the surgery is very complicated and dangerous. I expect he "learned" this information about hiatal hernia surgery about 40 years ago. From what everyone else is saying here, the HH surgery is a piece of cake these days.

Comments?

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I have one and my surgeon said he would fix it, too. I think of it as sort of like the timing belt on my car. While he is under the hood he might as well fix what he sees!

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

During my pre op surgeon visits when they were going over the surgery and what to expect, one of the things they told me was during the surgery if I had a hiatal hernia that they would repair it while they were doing the sleeve. Is this common practice?

As it turned out I did have a pretty severe hiatal hernia which explained much of my issues pre surgery with acid reflux. Now post surgery I have had no acid reflux at all. Not the slightest bit of heartburn. I am pretty sure this is due to the hernia repair.

On that note I really recommend to everyone who is going for the sleeve or band to ask about this and make sure while the surgeon is in there that they do the repair if there is a hernia present. I see so many people who still have acid reflux after being sleeved and it makes me wonder if the surgeons are not fixing a problem that is right there and easily fixed.

We did not ask, we both had hiatal hernias and they were both repaired when in surgery. Choosing a competent surgeon solves the problem.

[Bob2013 326]

Bob, thanks for that explanation of the hiatal hernia surgery.

My husband has one, and its effects are getting worse (he gets food stuck every other day, while he's eating).

He thinks the surgery is very complicated and dangerous. I expect he "learned" this information about hiatal hernia surgery about 40 years ago. From what everyone else is saying here, the HH surgery is a piece of cake these days.

Comments?

The difference between 40 years ago and today is laproscopic surgery. While any surgery has its risks, Laproscopic decreases the risks quite a bit. And considering the future possible complications caused by a untreated hiatal hernia, esophageal cancer or ulcers and the surgery to fix them, getting it fixed seems logical.