Hernias
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Hernias
May 2005
Hi,
I am asking for a friend whose four-year-old needs a hernia
operation. Has anyone had any experience with a pediatric
surgeon in the Bay Area?
Thanks,
Jodi
My daughter had an inguinal hernia and had surgery at 13 months
at Oakland Children's Hospital with Dr. Karen Cartwright.
I highly recommend her. We had a very good impression of her,
she was always available and nice and the surgery went very well.
The procedure took about an hour; we were allowed to stay with
her when they put her to sleep, then she was in the recovery room
for about an hour (with us) and then we went home. She was well
and running the same night. Now (after 6 months) we can hardly
see the scar.
Barbara
April 2005
I delivered my second child on March 2nd via repeat cesarean
section. Over the last few weeks I have noticed a tennis ball
sized lump in my abdomen that my OB thinks may be a hernia. It
is not by my incision nor is it by my belly button. She
referred me out for an ultrasound which I will have later this
month. Assuming it is a hernia, does any one have any
suggestions or recommendations about when I should get it
repaired and who I should get to do the repair? I have a three
year old daughter and a newborn son. The idea of not picking
up the baby is out of the question. Also the notion that I
have to prolong not picking up my older child is hard. How
long can I go before I have to get it repaired? Does anyone
have any experience with this? Thanks.
alicia
I was diagnosed with an abdominal hernia about 4 months after my
son was born (#2) - I didn't have a C-section, and my ''bulge'' is
close to my belly button so I think it was a pretty easy
diagnosis. I could also push the bulge back in myself and it
popped out mainly when I was lifting something (e.g., my son).
The Doc I was referred to was great : Frederick Wright on Regent
St. in Berk. 883-9292 - very kind, professional and has kids of
his own - he said as long as I wasn't too bothered there was no
rush to get the surgery - especiually given the no-lifting post-
op situation - he said wait until my son was more independent -
this was a year and a half ago - I'm thinking I'll have surgery
next fall/winter when my son starts daycare and I can get some
help with the post-op time from relatives. I think it's no big
deal to walk around with the hernia so long as you are careful
abotu lifting etc.. I've been every cautious about abdominal
exercize - no crunches, sit-ups etc.. but that's me - not the
Docs advice - also my understanding is that the only danger with
a hernia is if it gets ''pinched'' - that is it pops through the
muscle lining and then get stuck there - so that the tissue
loses blood flow and dies - and you get a massive internal
infection - but the pain associated with the piching is
apparently so incredible that there's no way you can miss it -
you head straight to the ER and they do the operation then - (my
cousin had this happen). I know several people who have had
hernias that they waited years to repair - so it sounds like
it's good to get it done - but no rush and certainly wait until
you can reasonably give yourself the recovery time.Good Luck!
tender tummy mama
September 2004
I am scheduled to have my hernia repaired by Surgeon Bruce
Moorstein. Has anyone had experience with this Doctor? Any
comments would be welcome.
Dr. Moorstein performed an abdominal surgery on me in 1988. He
never pressured me into the surgery and met with me several
times to explore my options and provide information. He did an
excellent job with very good follow up care. He was also very
supportive of my mother (I was an adult) who was far more
distressed by the ordeal than me. Years later, when I had
follow up questions, he got my files out of storage and spoke
with me by phone to answer my questions and address my concerns
(without charge). My experience was very positive.
Elysse
August 2004
Please, please all those out there with hiatal hernia's. I was
diagnosed with one yesterday, after much persuasion on my part
to finally get my doctor to do the diagnostic test for it. I
have had nausea, abdominal upset for years and really bad breath
off and on. She tells me my hernia is ''moderate'' is size. I
haven't had this term ''moderate'' objectively defined as yet. I
prefer to hear from fellow commoners. Please help, tell me your
stories advice, how I should, how you might proceed. (I also
have a ''small'' umbilical hernia non-incarcerated, but the hiatal
hernia is giving me the most trouble.)
Hernias can be treated without surgery. They are a symptom of stress
on the body and can be healed with a holistic approach. If you are
interested about learning more I recommend Dr. Larry Gertler in
Oakland 510 652 2302.
feeling better
When I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia quite a few years ago I was
really freaked at first, as it sounded like something terrible! My
doctor assured me that it was really no big deal and could be treated
successfully with antacids. I had had similar symptoms to yours-
chronic discomfort, bad breath, and also frequent burning sensations
in my throat (gastric reflux). The hernia simply prevents the lower
esophagus from closing completely and stomach acids then cause various
irritations. I have taken Zantac twice a day ever since and have none
of my previous problems (when I ran out of it for a few days my
symptoms returned). Zantac is a benign medication and there is no
problem with taking it on a long term basis and I have had no side
effects from it. My doctor writes me a prescription for it (Kaiser)
and even though it's now over the counter, I get it for a generic
copay. By the way, for those who have Kaiser and don't know this, you
are entitled to a 100 day supply of any medication for one copay. Of
course, this doesn't apply to things like antibiotics that are only
intended for a short term course of treatment.
Cecelia
Actually, taking Zantac to treat the acid reflux from a hiatal
hernia is not completely harmless. Zantac blocks the absorbtion
of vital nutrients like calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin d and the
b vitamins (including folic acid), and long-term use can create
deficiencies.
I had a hiatal hernia for several years, and took zantac for
the first few. After I learned about the nutrient blocking, I
started taking digestive enzymes (plain old live culture
yogurt, or can be found in supplement form, acidophilus, etc)
which helped treat the acidic stomach fairly well. Talk to your
doctor, obviously.
Anonymous
March 2004
I am 22 weeks pregnant and the baby has been diagnosed through
ultrasound to have a diaphragmatic hernia. We have done
research and understand the diagnosis as well as the
difficulties and uncertainties that lie ahead. I am wondering
if there are others out there who are in the same situation or
have had similar experiences, particularly dealing with the
diagnosis during pregnancy. Perhaps there is a bay area support
group for this that we are unaware of? Any information or
feedback would be helpful.
Did anyone answer your post? I didn't, even though we've
been through that diagnosis ourselves, because in our
case we had multiple complications and a sad ending. My
advice is to contact a genetic counselor. She (they are
almost always women) will be able to put you in touch with
all the resources specific to your circumstances. We would
have been lost without our genetic counselor. Our
counselor was Dolores Madden at Alta Bates. She's
wonderful. Kaiser also has several good ones.
Email me privately if you like.
April 2003
My 3-year-old daughter was just diagnosed with a hernia, and we
have a referral to a pediatric surgeon. What are some questions
that will be important to ask him or her? Any advice on how to
prepare a 3-year-old for this surgery? (I am currently living
outside the bay area, so I am not looking for recommendations
for a particular physician). Thanks so much!
Gail
Our son had hernia surgery this past summer when he was 2.5.
He had an inguinal hernia (scrotal) so obviously your
daughter's is different. I don't know how drastically
different the two situations and surgeries are but I spent way
too much time stressing over something that turned out to be no
big deal (especially for my son). He knew that he had a ''bump''
that the doctor was going to fix at a special hospital. That
was about as detailed as we got so as not to create anxiety. I
had my bag packed with a few new presents to make any difficult
times easier and to try and divert him from asking for food or
drink. We had a long wait time between checking in and his
actual surgery so that is when I gave him all the new things to
play with. Luckily we were at a nice children's hospital so
the surgery waiting room had toys and a tv to keep him
entertained. Make sure you get as early a time as possible so
that she doesn't have to go though the day without eating or
drinking. The most difficult part was after his surgery when
he came out of the anesthia. He was disoriented and really
pissed about the iv board he had strapped to his arm (to keep
his iv in). He screamed and struggled with it for about a half
hour but was much better after we took off the board. Kids are
truly amazing- I believe we stayed a few hours after to make
sure he was okay and he played quietly the whole time. When it
was time to go he actually ran out of the hospital and it was
as if nothing had ever happened.
Hopefully your experience will be as smooth as ours was. It
wasn't fun but it wasn't horrible either.
CB
June 2002
Our 9 year old daughter has just developed a hernia and will
probably need surgery. We weren't able to get an appointment
with Dr. Patte Bishop (who has been recommended to us) until
July. Has anyone had any experience with Dr. Karen Cartwright?
Our daughter is very active and we haven't been told to restrict
activity. Has anyone experienced problems with their kids and
hernias before getting them repaired?
Thanks in advance.
My son's hernia was repaired by my favorite pediatric surgeon in
Patte Bishop's group, Dr. Marilyn Butler, very personable and
competant, shouldn't be intimidating to your daughter. Karen
Cartwright is also excellent, but a little more ''gruff''.
The ''Surgi-center'' where they operate at Children's Hospital
worked out great- they put my son in my arms as soon as he
arrived back from surgery and he could start drinking 2 hours
later. Good luck...
anon (mom and MD)
Jan 1999
My 8 month old baby girl has an inguinal hernia that requires surgery. Has
anyone gone through this procedure? It is outpatient so she will be home that
evening; since she is so active I wonder how much abdominal surgery will
affect her. Any information will be valued and appreciated.
Teal
To the person who asked about the Inguinal hernia procedure, our daughter
had one on both sides. She had the surgery when she was 3 1/2 and it was so
much easier than I expected. She had it at Childrens Hospital, Dr. Bishop,
they were all great and they had a superb social worker who explained things
to her and helped calm our fears greatly. She was a little sore that
afternoon, it was out patient, and vomited a little, from the anasthesia but
that is normal. She had the surgery on a Wed. and was back at preschool on
Mon. She actually was pretty much her normal self in about 48 hrs. Kids
are just so amazing. She had 1/2 teasoon of Tylenol for pain once, that was
it. Its a very common procedure and I'm sure your baby will be fine. Our
daughter is also very active and they told us there was nothing she could do
to hurt herself just by moving around, jumping, running etc. Their movements
are naturally slowed down by the soreness. Best of Luck
June 1998
Re: anesthetic for infant's hernia surgery
My son, now a teen, had this surgery when he was 3 month old to repair
an iguinal hernia. This is hole in the lining of the intestine where
the testes descend - it's supposed to close back up before the baby is born
but sometimes it doesn't. The danger is that the intestines can get pushed
out through the hole and then get squeezed off - I was told this is
quite serious. This kind of hernia is very common in boys and the
surgery for it is fairly routine.
My son had the surgery at Kaiser Oakland by a pediatric surgeon
recommended by our pediatrician - can't remember his name now but he
specialized in just this sort of thing. It took 20-30 minutes
and I nursed him while he was still in the recovery room. He did
have a general anesthetic - they use a special one just for babies.
He had "bandaid stitches" - no thread, just something like tape
over the very small incision. they healed in just a few days. It was
quite amazing. He suffered no traumatic effects at all.
An interesting side story - I've heard that iguinal hernias are
inherited. My son's dad had the surgery at the age of one - in
the early 1950's the only surgeon available in his small town in
S. Carolina was the county coroner who left a huge Frankenstein
scar across his abdomen! His mother told me the hernia was discovered
at birth but the doctor wanted to wait till he was one for some
reason, and so he had to wear some sort of truss or bandage his
first year of life, his mother worrying the whole time that he
would push out his intetines every time he cried! His father
also had an iguinal hernia but didn't have the surgery till it
was discovered when he enlisted for WWII!
We haven't had to deal with surgery in our
family but I received an issue of Mothering Magazine that had 2 articles on:
When your child undergoes anesthesia, How children heal from medical
experiences. They are in the Spring 1997 issue. If you have trouble
finding the magazine, I can photocopy the articles for you. Good luck!
Karen
Sept 2000
My almost-6-yr-old complained the other day that his belly
button often hurts when he takes off his shirt -- i.e., an
upward stretching motion. For the first few days of his life
he was fed from a tube through the navel and has [therefore?]
always had an "outie." I believe at the time they might have
even referred to it as "herniated." The doctor told us that
when he was older we could get it "fixed," but since it seemed
only cosmetic and would require general anesthesia, surgery
didn't seem worthwhile to me. If it's painful or related to
other problems, that would be different. Does anyone have
thoughts about or experience with this?
Sept 2000
My sister is about 32 weeks pregnant with her second child
and is experiencing painful lumps on both sides of her groin
(but much more bothersome on one side). Her doc thinks they
might be hernias but isn't sure. Anyone out there experience
anything like this? She is worried that if it is a hernia,
delivery might be tough. Thanks.
Jen
Based on just what you described, if it's not a hernia it
could possibly be swollen (or infected) lymph nodes which
would protrude and can be extremely painful. Someone who can
do Lymphatic Drainage Therapy might be able to help, but if it's
infected she will likely need antibiotics. If your sister
lives in this area I can refer her to a massage therapist who
is very skilled and experienced in LDT.
June
Oct 2001
I have been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. I found some items from a
Web search about this condition.
Questions for my Bay Area neighbors:
1- Can you share any surgical experiences regarding umbilical hernia repair?
How was the recovery time?
2- Has anyone had any experience with the surgeon Catherine Forest?
3- Any other advice for a successful surgical outcome?
Thank you.
I had an inguinal hernia repaired by Catherine Forest earlier this
year. The surgery went well, and the recovery went as predicted -
about a week before I could drive, longer before I could pick up heavy
things, and due to the inactivity, it took awhile to get back up to
speed even when the pain and discomfort were gone.
My tips would be to make sure you really do rest and take enough pain
medication initially. I didn't, and that may have prolonged the
recovery time for myself. And comparing to my cesaerian two years
previously, the hernia was a bit worse in terms of pain and recovery.
I had this surgery at Kaiser in May 2001 after 8 years of holding my belly
button in every time I coughed, laughed, or did a sit up. I am SO-O-O glad
that I decided to do the surgery. However, it was way more serious an
operation than I realized, in terms of recovery and the need for rest. Like
the other person, I recommend that you take the pain medicine. I took it the
first four days, but you need to realize that the medicine will make you
feel better than you actually ARE. You absolutely MUST rest the first week
to 10 days, and not pick up anything for 6 weeks. I prolonged my recovery by
taking the pain medicine and continuing to work very hard at my computer and
doing laundry and such. DON'T. Good luck to you.
Madeleine
My mother (breast cancer) and my niece (abdominal cyst) have had operations
with Dr. Catherine Forest and we were delighted with her both times. Very
competent, kind, and great with follow through. I would go to her in a
second should the need arise. Nancy
Jan 2002
This is a follow-up to my post in October asking about adult hernia repairs.
I had a small umbilical hernia and had asked for input about the surgeon
Catherine Forest and these types of surgeries. I had out-patient surgery at
Alta Bates 2 weeks ago and everything went very well. The staff at Alta
Bates was wonderful, and Dr. Forest did a good job. I went in at 5:30 a.m.
and was home by 1:30 p.m. I was pain-free in less than a week. My experience
may not be the same for others experiencing hernia surgery. I wish anyone
having surgery the best. Thank you to the people who responded about my
post!
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