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What Causes Bloating, Constipation And Loss Of Appetite When Suffering From Abdominal Hernia?

Posted on Wed, 19 Feb 2014

Question: Hi this may be a bit lengthy, I had an AILF DONE ON L5/S1 last Dec 2012 about amonth after I developed a ventral hernia that took 7 Drs and 3 hospitals ans 3 Ct Scans and 7 MONTHS to diagnose what I already knew! Anyway, had the hernia surgery fixed or so it thought.. I actually had 2 hernias also a small umbilical hernia. I had the hernia surgery July 23,2013 open surgery with fixing"mommy" pouch as well while in there. Well the week of Sept 20 I noticed yet Another bulge in the EXACT SAME PLACE hernia was "fixed" I called immediately and saw my surgeon who then blew me off and said everything was totally normal. Had CT scan that I NEVER AHEARD BACK EITHER WAY FROM HIM but his SECRETARY was kind enough to look it over and tell me there was nothing there!! I do NOT trust CT SCANS AT ALL considering it was missed 3 times By 3 Hospitals! I have copies of all ct scans and now have the operative reports because at my appt to tell him I think something is wrong I found out he used a TOTALKY DIFFERENT MESH!! He was supposed to use STRATTICE mesh and said he would undernno circumstances even do the surgery if he couldn't Use that STRATTICE!! I only just found that out at that appt to let him know I thought something was wrong after the surgery!!! ALLL OF MY SYMPTOMS ARE BACK from before the surgery... OAIN,BLOATING,CONSTIPATION,LOSS OF APPETITE,GAINED20lbs I 3 months AGAIN eating basically 1 meal a day, black tarry stools occasionally, bulge at same exact hernia sight!!! Looking for any insight what might be going on? I have a 100%track record with self diagnosing myself as I have had A lot of medical issues over the years, but my faith in Drs is completely gone now! I do have an spot with a dr friend of my mothers who is head of surgery where I live and I'm only seeing him because he is a close friend of my moms and took out my appendix years ago cad a favor. Sorry so long. Thank you for your time. Any insight would be great! I just want to know this IS NOT IN MY HEAD.. I know it's not lol:)

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (12 hours later)

Brief Answer: Hernia is diagnosed clinically... Detailed Answer: Hi, I went through the details with diligence. Abdominal hernia is a condition that is diagnosed clinically. Ultrasound scan and CT scan are investigative tools to support the diagnosis of hernia. If the lump enlarges (and becomes prominent when you cough), then it is most likely to be a recurring hernia. Hernia lumps become prominent when intraabdominal pressure is raised. You can also feel for the cough impulse transmitted through this lump if it is indeed hernia. And most cases the lump can be reduced with manipulation. If you don't find any of those clinical signs, then I wouldn't suspect hernia recurrence. It may be related to other conditions such as GERD and peptic ulcers. I would order for upper GI endoscopy along with complete hemogram and thyroid profile check in such cases. You can consult the surgeon, the friend of your mother and he/she will know about these tests. Hope this helped you. Let me know if you need clarifications. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Prasad J (4 hours later)

Thank you for getting Back to me. Yes it bulges out with coughing and "straining" not that I'm doing much of that lol but is reducible when laying down just like last time. I will speak to the surgeon about your suggestions next week and hopefully get some answers as he is my last hope! I trust NO Drs AT ALL at this point but do consider your advice helpful and at least you listened to what I said. thanks again. XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Hope you get your problem solved soon.. Detailed Answer: Medical opinion can differ; but I believe problems can be solved with timely informed decisions. Talk to the surgeons about your symptoms and discuss about reducibility and cough impulse. These two aspects should be sufficient to arouse suspicion about recurrent hernia. Until you see the surgeon next week, if the symptoms trouble you, try proton pump inhibitor like prilosec otc once every day. It should help you. Worsening sign is increase in frequency and amount of dark tarry stool. That needs immediate medical attention at the ER. Hope this helped. Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar