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Pain 3 Months Since Abdominal Open Hernia Surgery

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mylighthouse
mylighthouse

Hello,

I had open abdominal hernia surgery on June 6. It was for a large incisional hernia that formed a year or so after my colon resection.

I am still having pain. I do have a seroma in my abdomen that requires draining every week.  Sometimes the fluid is between 1 to 2 liters each time. I know that I have some pain associated with that. 

The main pain that has really been bothering the past several days is a pain that is a little higher in my stomach area (not in the seroma area). The only way I know how to describe it: it feels like muscle pain... very painful and it hurts worse when I sit up, move around, walk, etc, although it also hurts when laying down--just not as bad as it does when moving around. This severe pain is almost as painful as it was at the very beginning (right after surgery). I do know that this area is the area where the original hernia was, and where the mesh repair was done.

I am wondering about other people's experiences with pain a few months after abdominal hernia surgery. What did your pain feel like and what was the outcome? Did your doctor say it was normal to have the pain?

I have had 2 open abdominal surgeries, the colon resection was very bad. I have also had 2 laproscopic abdominal surgeries. I have lots of scar tissue from that and the hernia surgery. My doctor did tell me that scar tissue will cause pain. He also said that I might have pain for the rest of my life because of the major surgeries and that I might need to stay on tramadol for treatment. I was really kind of shocked. The tramadol taken with tylenol does help the pain a little, but I can't imagine staying on it for years to come.

Please share your thoughts/experiences.  Thank you in advance.

Shelley

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • judith14588
    judith14588 mylighthouse

    Posted

    I had three open abdominal surgeries.  The first with an appendix rupture on a cruise ship and the 5 hour surgery done in the Azores.  Then one incesional hernia surgery done without mesh which didn't last.  The third was incesional hernia surgery done with large mesh.  I had the same pain.  Colorectal surgeon said that I had three surgeries in the same location that it would take 6 months for full recovery.  He was correct.  About 8 months after last surgery in May 2016, I started having pain in that area.  I had a berium swallow X-ray which revealed that I was flowing quite well.  I was turned over to a Gastroenterologist who said I probably had Post Infectious IBS.  I tried every probiotic and nothing helped.  He put me on Xifaxan which is an antiobiotic that just targets the gut. It didn't help.  The pain was in a band above my navel.  In about June I started getting pain below my navel and to the right.  July 22nd I had an small intestinal obstruction and was in the hospital for 3 day with an NG tube.  The CT scan showed the loops of intestines in the lower right area where adhesions created loops in my small intestines.  

    Sept 1st I had laparoscopic adhesions Lysis surgery.  The Doc cut out the adhesions forming the loops and also found my mesh above my navel was attached to my omentum in a strip.  He snipped that away as well.  Through all this I did have to retire.  

    This is a little over a week after surgery.  The lower pain is gone.  Strip above navel has pain at times.  This is because of the surgery and the trauma to my intestines during surgery. The doc is confident that this has cured it.

    Shelley, the point here is that indeed this is a sticky wicket.  Perhaps you are a candidate for surgery.  If you are in the UK or Canada don't expect to get the Lysis surgery as it isn't done to often there.  It is don't  a lot in my area off Nor California.  

    • mylighthouse
      mylighthouse judith14588

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply, Judith.  Appreciate your sharing your story with me.

      You brought up the adhesions and your experience with that.  I know that when my surgeon did my hernia surgery in early June, he said he did cut away a lot of scar tissue and some adhesions. I read a lot about adhesions prior to my hernia surgery, as I had pretty bad pain after my colon resection in 2015 all the way up to my hernia surgery. From what I read about adhesions, I had convinced myself that adhesions may be the main culprit for my pain prior to surgery. After learning that the surgeon cut away some adhesions, I guess that was the case.

      I had laproscopic WLS (gastric sleeve) in Nov 2016. My doctor said he couldn't operate on the hernia until I lost 80-100 pounds, so I had the gastric sleeve.  Lost 100 pounds then had the hernia surgery 7 months later. Since the November surgery, I have had severe, chronic constipation.  I see a gastro doctor and she has tried 2 different constipation meds with me.  She says I have IBS with constipation. I am currently taking LInzess (for 3 months now) and also take Miralax twice a day.  It is not helping.  Sometimes I only have a bowel movement twice a week.  The reason I bring this up, is because when I was reading about adhesions, I saw where other people seem to think their severe constipation issues are related to their prior abdominal surgeries and believe that it might be due to adhesions.  Have you dealt with the bowel issues with your adhesions?  

      I have actually been to the emergence room about 3 times since my hernia surgery. They did CT scans, x rays, etc every time I've been. Everything looked good, but they said my colon was very full. I am concerned about getting an obstruction in the future.  Also concerned about the adhesions cutting circulation or something like that.

      My surgeon hasn't talked about adhesions being the source of my pain. He has said that scar tissue might cause me pain for the rest of my life.

      Did your adhesions cause a stabbing and steady and pulling pain in your surgical area? Mine is a constant, ongoing pain. The main reason I am concerned is that I am hurting worse now that I was a month ago. I don't get much exercise because the more I move around, the worse my abdominal/surgery area hurts. So there is absolutely no way that I have done anything to get another hernia.  I have been taking it easy since my June 6th surgery. 

      Thank you,

      Shelley

      p.s. I am in the US as well.

    • judith14588
      judith14588 mylighthouse

      Posted

      My problem with my bowls is the opposite.  Constipation or the runs are present with adhesions.  With yours the adhesions stops your progress.  With me, the adhesions makes the area smaller and squishes the bowl so it comes out in the runs.  Kind of like stepping on a garden hose.  It makes the water come out less but faster.  After the surgery I still have the runs at times.  I do understand that I am still in a healing mode however.  

      Yes the pain does get worse as the adhesions grow.   Adhesions cannot be seen by anything but a laparoscopic diagnostic.  Mine was detected by loops of intestines viewed on a CT scan.  There is a lot of bad press about mesh.  There was an area where my mesh was involved.  There was also an area where the mesh was not involved.  

      Let us know how you do with the surgeon.  I hope you get to the bottom of your pain.  Take care.

  • phil17356
    phil17356 mylighthouse

    Posted

    My case is similar to yours. I had a twisted gut at the end of November 2015, small bowel resection, hernia became apparent March/April 2016, went for open hernia repair on 4th May 2017.

    I did a lot of research and decided that, after hearing many unfortunate and sad stories, I did not want the use of mesh at all. I avoided mesh because there seemed to be many reports of people suffering long term chronic pain. When I went for the initial assessment with the consultant he said he was surprised that anyone still used mesh for the repair of ventral hernias. He recommended using a component release technique where one of the abdominal muscle layers is detached from it’s anchor point on the flank. This releases some of the tension on the aponeurosis enabling them to be pulled together and sutured tension free. Apparently almost all ventral hernias go through the linea alba, that sort of seam that goes up the middle of the tummy forming part of the so called 6-pack, which i where the aponeurosis meet.

    I am still recovering and being cautious about lifting heavy objects and I am aware of being carved about in my abdomen but have had very little pain. That’s not to say I don’t have any problems. Very soon after the surgery I had a sneezing fit and later on was violently sick a few times and I think this weakened the hernia repair. By and large the repair is still holding but at the top end I think it has parted a bit as I can feel a hole or weakness but nothing pokes through and it doesn’t bulge if I cough so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

    As for your situation, it has not been very long since the surgery and it will take time to settle down. I know that many people have successful repairs using mesh but I wonder if the mesh is causing at least part of your pain.

    One thing is certain, you should not be in the position of having to take painkillers for the rest of your life.

    I hope that your situation improves soon.

    Regards,

    Phil.

    • judith14588
      judith14588 phil17356

      Posted

      I had that same surgery, Phil, in Sept 2015.  This was 4 months after my huge appendix rupture and abdominal cleanout.  The doc said my ab muscles were really strong so it should work.  In May 2016 I had the 4 hour mesh surgery both open and laparoscopic.  I guess the non mesh way was good, but mine didn't hold.  This mesh is holding strong.  My adhesions were both mesh related and non-mesh related.  

    • mylighthouse
      mylighthouse phil17356

      Posted

      Hello Phil,

      Thank you for your reply to my post and for sharing your experience with me.

      Very interesting about the technique that was used and not using the mesh for your surgery.

      I didn't have many concerns about the mesh before my surgery, and to be honest, I still don't.  Probably because I haven't read much about it (by choice). I actually had 2 incisional abdominal hernias that formed into one huge one. My colon resection was in Dec 2015 and after it I spent 2 months in the hospital. Unfortunately, after the first open surgery for the colon resection, I burst open inside and they had to open me back up (thank goodness I was still in the hospital --10 days later). So I had 2 open surgeries 10 days apart. My doctor said he just knew that I was going to get a hernia later down the road. The hernias themselves actually cause me a great deal of pain and a lot of down time, so I really haven't been feeling well at all since I came down with severe and very persistent diverticulitis back in late 2015 which soon led to the bowel resection.

      I am glad to hear that you are doing better. I realize that it's only been 3 months since my hernia surgery, but the main concern for me is that I am hurting really bad. I felt better a month ago than I do now. As I mentioned above in response to Judith, perhaps adhesions in the abdominal region are causing the pain.

      I really don't know what to do.  I will see my surgeon in a few days to have the fluid in my abdomen drained. I think I will ask him about the possibility of adhesions as well as the possibility of the mesh being the cause of the pain.

      Thanks again,

      Shelley

       

  • phil17356
    phil17356 mylighthouse

    Posted

    Hi Shelley, Judith,

    Wow, you guys seem to be going through a much worse time than I am. Just saying "I'm sorry to hear that." just sounds trite and insincere. Never the less I do feel immense empathy for you both and hope that your individual circumstances improve soon.

    I guess that once one has been under the surgeon’s knife one is never the same again. I’m certainly not expecting to be able to do all the gung-ho stuff (at least that’s how my partner describes it!) involving lifting or other physical exertion that I used to do.

    Maybe that’s the wrong attitude and we should all of us strive to do whatever we have a mind to do even if some folk think it is fool hardy. Look at those people who have been told they would never walk again and in the end do or Stephen Hawking who was told he wouldn’t live past his 20’s.

    Having said all that I did have repairs to inguinal hernias both sides a very long time ago and after convalescence I have had no pain and I have almost completely forgotten about the affair. I don’t know if mesh was used but it was about 23 years ago so maybe they were just sutured.

    Hey ho, we have to carrry on carrying on, onward and upward, nil carborundum!

    Regards,

    Phil

  • judith14588
    judith14588 mylighthouse

    Posted

    Well, Phil, since you don't have a mesh, you need to always be careful not to stress those sutures.  This could be for a long time it not forever. 

    About a year after returning from the Azores I came down with PTSD. In working with my Therapist I would say that this should not be affecting me....look at Steven Hawkings and people with MS.  My Therapist would say that they aren't me. We need to look at ourselves as we take situations in our own way. 

    Take me care and be careful. I guess your partner has to do the lion's share of the work....oh well😳😜

  • kellie_86816
    kellie_86816 mylighthouse

    Posted

    I had surgery Dec 13th 2017

    It was a double hernia repair. One LARGE hernia on my lower left abdominal area and the second my belly button. I was told the hernias are from a back surgery April 24th. They went in through my abdomen and back for this surgery . As for my hernia repair 2 weeks ago I started having belly button pain and since I have begun having consistent pain where the large hernia was repaired in lower abdomen. My surgeon used laparoscopic method with mesh. I am in just as much and more times then not more pain then I had before my surgery. I have an appointment Feb 27 with my surgeon to go over my pain.

    I was told at my 6 wk post op everything was perfect even though I reported pain at that time. "healing process" I was told. 3 months out and pain is worse. Hoping for good outcome / info on Feb 27

    • mylighthouse
      mylighthouse kellie_86816

      Posted

      So sorry to hear that you are in much worse pain at 3 months post op. I was in a lot of pain at that point post op as well, but it finally got better about 6 months post op or so. I am doing a lot better pain wise for all of my open surgery/nerve pain, as I am on 1800mg gabapentin and 600mg tramadol a day.

      Now dealing with old issues related tk the first open surgery(bowel resection). Colonoscopy tomorrow morning. Not to stray or detract from the subject which is hand for you--hernia repair pain issues.

      Thankful to move past hernia issues, but like I said, with me, it took a good 6 months to move past the pain.

      I hope all is healing properly in your case, and wish you the very best at your upcoming doctor's appointment. I wish you the best!

      -Shelley

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