A Tale Of Two Hernias....

I should warn you this post has photo's of my hernia. I'm fully dressed, but it's not pretty...

I started having babies 21 years ago, and after no.1 baby I was left with a gap between my stomach muscles which allows everything through to form a ridge between my boobs and belly button when I raise my head if I'm lying down. I was young and naive, and I just believed that was what happened to every new Mum. I was blissfully ignorant until after no.5 baby when a new lump appeared beside my belly button. I noticed that I had a pencil sized hole, which I could poke the lump into, and then actually my finger. I realised this must be a hernia, and told my GP at my 6 week check.

In fact the gap left between my stomach muscles is a Diverticulation or Diastasis and shouldn't have happened, but is relatively common and not treated, but the lump by my belly button was a Paraumbilical Hernia.

More than a little annoyingly, my local authority had decided not to do Hernia operations until they become really bad, so I watched my tiny little lump and pencil-sized hole grow over the next 2 years, before my GP eventually referred me to surgery.

Hernia 1 - 23rd October 2012

I only just made it to my planned operation. By the time it came around I'd been vomiting after every meal for a couple of weeks. I couldn't eat regular sized meals, I was in a lot of pain. I was told that my Hernia needed a mesh to repair it, and the operation would be around 2 hours.

When I came out of surgery it had been far less than 1 hour, and when my Surgeon came around he told me 'a couple of stitches fixed it, no need for a mesh'. I was pleasantly surprised I'd had less intervention than required.

Fast forward and here I am exactly 2 1/2 years later....

Hernia 2 - 28 April 2015

A couple of stitches didn't fix it for very long. General consensus seems to be anything larger than 3cm needs a mesh. In fact it was only 3 weeks before I saw the telltale signs around my belly button and knew it was returning. Other things in my life got in the way since then, but I eventually went to my GP a month ago, and got an instant referral to a Surgeon. Then I got flu and was very poorly with a nasty cough for nearly 2 weeks. My already broken stomach muscles couldn't cope with the coughing.

Today I got a phone call I wasn't expecting and I have been told my operation should be next week....wow. So soon. Thank heavens.

So I'll be taking another little break next week all being well, and then in theory I'll have 6 weeks recuperating to make my blog awesome and catch up on the bazillions of posts I've always wanted to write (yeah, right)....and then I will be able to wear clothes with waistbands again!! Just the small matter of surgery first....