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8 months after major hiatus hernia op and stomach still tight

Posted , 4 users are following.

ilovepodge
ilovepodge

I had a major open HH op on 11th February this year.  I had a giant

paraesophageal hernia and gastric volvulus.  It was pretty bad and I had to have an open op which meant a huge scar.  Wound was infected and it took ages to heal. I also had a tube in my stomach which was left in too long (took nearly five months as they missed my follow up appointment).  I've recovered pretty well and eating properly with no upset and I'm working and swimming but my stomach is still really tight around the middle and it is fairly hard to the touch.  It doesnt hurt - infact along the scar tissue it feels like plastic but it feels really weird if I roll over in bed or if I cough or laugh or sneeze!  When I'm pushing or straining it feels like it might burst (daft I know)...what this long ramble is leading to is do you think this is normal?  And has anyone any information they might want to share! 

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • TheToad
    TheToad ilovepodge

    Posted

    I'm a bit like you. You might have read in other posts that I had a large incisional hernia  op leaving a 22cm scar, part of which became infected followed  by cellulitis. It is still hard under most of the scar but Dr's say it's scar tissue and the bulge left is fat. The op was 11 months ago. I'll be interested in any replies you get, as I still worry a little. 
  • rich78909
    rich78909 ilovepodge

    Posted

    Hi. I have been visiting my gp now for the last 3 or 4 years with various symptoms and she had diagnosed a possible sliding hiatus hernia.

    If you don't mind me asking, what were your symptoms before the operation?

    I have been taking omeprazal and sometimes it seems to work but only reduces symptoms. The constant worry of this is taking a toll on my outlook on life, I am 36 and cannot imagine the rest of my life with the pains etc.

    Rich

    • ilovepodge
      ilovepodge rich78909

      Posted

      Ok - how long have you got??

      It started with me getting really dizzy after eating and sometimes passing out. Then it went to getting really bad pain after eating (not all the time). My right arm and shoulder would really, really hurt and I would only get relief when I was physically sick. It got to the stage where I couldn't eat anything without feeling physically ill and the pain was so bad that they gave me morphine on several occasions.

      To be frank - as tight as my tummy is and as nasty as the scar looks - being able to eat is fantastic and eating without pain is something to celebrate!!

      Took a lot of urging to get me there though!

    • rich78909
      rich78909 ilovepodge

      Posted

      Wow. Poor you. I get a lot of back, shouldervand chest pain. I haven't been sick but tend to burp quite a bit and get a feeling like I've swallowed a small piano! Also a sharp stabbing like pain just below my sternum. I've had blood tests, helicobacter tests, chest xray, and breathing tests....all normal. I swear the gp thinks I'm a nutter! How long did you have to go before you had a definitive diagnosis??

    • ilovepodge
      ilovepodge rich78909

      Posted

      I guess it was partly my fault. I knew something was up back in February 2014 but I had had major life saving surgery in October 2012 which involved broken sternums and all sorts of fun! I was so fed up with medical precedures that I sort of ignored my symptoms and hoped they would go away. I knew I had a hernia but the doctors didn't seem to be that concerned and, eventually, I realised that it just wasn't normal!

      I had a barium swallow and that turned everything up! A top surgeon got his hands on my case and it was all systems go!! I was seen in November and scheduled for December but I was sick and ended up having it in Feb. It wasn't a picnic by any means and I was in pain for a long time...as I said originally I am still experiencing tightness and numbness but I'm still here and that is all that matters in the long run!

    • iannufc
      iannufc rich78909

      Posted

      I have the same as you, I'm 35, do you get any reflux as well as the burping? Have you tried any of the self correcting techniques?
    • rich78909
      rich78909 iannufc

      Posted

      Hi.

      No I haven't heard of self correcting techniques.....tell me more!

      I am due to go for endoscopy next week. Have you had endoscopy?

      And yes, plenty of burping and reflux along with pain in the sternum area and back

    • iannufc
      iannufc rich78909

      Posted

      You've probably heard of the water drinking one. What I used to do was drink 2 pints of warm water (on an empty stomach) stretch your arms out by your side and jump about. I used my kids trampoline lol...that helped. I even tried a chiropractor which was a huge waste of time.

      Yeah I had the endoscopy last August, they did it when I first went to hospital because I couldnt stop being sick, they put the camera down there and found a small hernia. I have reflux and burping but no sternum pain although my sternum makes cracking sounds sometimes

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