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Hello,

I am around 8 months post op (all 3 stages were completed in January) and my J-pouch is doing fairly fine. Last week we all got common cold at home and i am still coughing a lot. Not sure if its related, but i seem to have a small bulge around my old stoma location. It pains there when i cough. Its very soft and my skin curves inward right below that. It comes and goes all the time.

Does anyone what this can be. I am posting a pic below, sorry the pic is probably not the best.

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Quick update: Doc and Nurse at CCF reviewed the picture and symptoms. They just said, it can be a very mild hernia and asked me to wear a belt while coughing. But the other update is that the bulge has for all practical purposes vanished. I had a suspicion that was due to gas build up (i felt bloated as well) and took some gas relief tablets. I got rid of the gas and the bulge has slowly just gone away.

I guess i will just keep a close eye for now and begin core exercises soon to avoid any hernias in the future.

@Gom posted:

Quick update: Doc and Nurse at CCF reviewed the picture and symptoms. They just said, it can be a very mild hernia and asked me to wear a belt while coughing. But the other update is that the bulge has for all practical purposes vanished. I had a suspicion that was due to gas build up (i felt bloated as well) and took some gas relief tablets. I got rid of the gas and the bulge has slowly just gone away.

I guess i will just keep a close eye for now and begin core exercises soon to avoid any hernias in the future.

WHAT?!?!?!! THANK GOD!!! A WORK OF GOD!!! LITERALLY!!!

SO HAPPY YOU ARE BETTER

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE!!!

Well, to be honest, a hernia does not just go away like that. That does not mean you should worry. What probably happened is, like you said, there was gas build up and it caused pressure and bloat. But, that would cause more generalized distention if there was no hernia. Yours was very localized and with it being at the stoma site, it was acting exactly like an incisional hernia, and the stoma site is a common location. It is typical for hernias to slip out and in. That is a good thing as it prevents bowel strangulation.

Yours is quite small and can become less noticeable over time as your abdominal muscles get stronger. I would not recommend any heavy weight lifting though. The defect will always be there without a repair. I had an incisional hernia the size of a grapefruit and repair was optional for me as long as I was not having pain associated with it.

Jan

@Jan Dollar posted:

Well, to be honest, a hernia does not just go away like that. That does not mean you should worry. What probably happened is, like you said, there was gas build up and it caused pressure and bloat. But, that would cause more generalized distention if there was no hernia. Yours was very localized and with it being at the stoma site, it was acting exactly like an incisional hernia, and the stoma site is a common location. It is typical for hernias to slip out and in. That is a good thing as it prevents bowel strangulation.

Yours is quite small and can become less noticeable over time as your abdominal muscles get stronger. I would not recommend any heavy weight lifting though. The defect will always be there without a repair. I had an incisional hernia the size of a grapefruit and repair was optional for me as long as I was not having pain associated with it.

Jan

Hi Jan,

thanks for the detailed note. I will get a ct scan regardless. Its quite possible that it is a hernia since i do get some pain there when i cough. But how will i get my muscles to build up safely? If i do opt to repair the hernia, how long should i wait to start exercises to build my core

also, i flew into ccf for all of my 3 stage j pouch procedures from houston. How complicated is a hernia repair? Do i need to go back to ccf or can i get it done locally.

regards

gom

Last edited by Gom

A good local surgeon should be able to perform a hernia repair just fine. That’s also who can advise you about the size and risk of your particular hernia, and what activity you can safely engage in at this point and going forward. A good surgeon won’t be influenced by their personal interest in performing the procedure. A crappy surgeon will simply advise repair without a thoughtful discussion of the no-repair option.  

I agree with Scott. This is a pretty simple procedure. Any general surgeon could do it. You may want one more experienced, just in case something weird occurs, but there is no need to fly to Cleveland. I don’t really know much about exercise, but you mainly do not want to strain your abs. That increases intra abdominal pressure and can expand the hernia. What ever you do, it would be best to use abdominal support while doing it.

My hernia was diagnosed with a physical exam. No CT scan was necessary.

Jan

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