Hernia Concerns After Colostomy: Seeking Advice

Hi, guys, I had my colostomy in October 2024. It works great, but it's really bulging out, seems to be getting worse, and looks like half a baseball under my skin. Researching it, it looks like it's a hernia. Has anybody on here gone through this, and did anybody have it fixed?

OMGosh! Talk about pastoral hernia. I have one as big as a grapefruit. It started right from the start of getting my stoma. So far, no pain. I envy folks whose bags lay nice and flat, and you really can't tell that they have a bag. I look as if I'm half pregnant 😄. I'll never be able to wear slimming clothes. So, put that and a two-piece appliance together, and you get quite a bulge. I know you can have surgery. For now, I've decided not to have hernia surgery because I've read so many stories from patients and medical professionals that it can come back.

I also have a parastomal hernia. Very common for an ostomate. Not considering surgery yet. My advice is to get a hernia belt if you haven't already.

It is repairable. I had mine repaired twice; the first one lasted maybe a year. The second repair has been staying in place since 2004, I think. For the second one, I used a surgeon who had experience in parastoma repairs.

Thank you for your reply. I did get a hernia belt. It helps very little, and in the summer, it's just too hot for me.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

G-Day alleychuck175,

I got a hernia repaired two years ago, and I have had no problem with it at all. I also got most of my right kidney removed at the same time because of cancer. I was told never to get mesh involved, as it can move and become a problem later.

Regards, IGGIE

On May 15th of this year, I had 3 incisional hernias fixed and a parastomal hernia fixed. It was done robotically. It was painful afterward, but I am slowly getting better. It is still sore, but I am doing exercises to help it heal faster. I am walking and riding a stationary bike. The problem I had with the surgery was that my ostomy fell asleep and didn't wake up, causing me to need an NG tube and a trip back to the hospital after I was let out. I was vomiting all the time, and it was not good. My ostomy has a history of not wanting to wake up after anesthesia. It did the same when it was created—NG tube then too. I do not like NG tubes. They are traumatic to get put in, they are sore while they are in, and they hurt to get pulled out. But it is possible to fix a hernia. They do it with mesh. They put mesh inside you, and it holds things down. If you are having trouble with getting your bag on or getting it to stay on, then that is a reason to get it fixed. Usually, otherwise, they take a wait-and-see attitude. You can get a CT scan to see how bad it is. You can talk to your surgeon about it.

So Iggie, did they repair your hernia without mesh? I also have one, and it seems to be getting bigger.

Yes, Rancher, the surgeon didn't use mesh at all, and I am very happy with the repair. His comment was that mesh can move over time inside and cause problems, and it is also subject to infection.

He was an old-school surgeon and said he had done a few jobs to try and move mesh that other surgeons had used.

He also said if you're going to have a hernia repaired, do it early on, as they only get bigger, and that means a bigger operation.

Regards, IGGIE

Thanks, Iggie. Good to know.

You are one of the lucky ones not having a problem with the hernia repair. I'm just not so sure yet if I want to take the chance and have it fail. Should it become bothersome or start hurting, I will then do something about it.

Thank you for the suggestion of not using mesh to have it repaired. I did read about that a while back and definitely won't go that route.

I had to have hernia surgery this past January because my stomach was bulging so much, and I was in a lot of pain. The doctors do not like doing hernia surgery unless you are in a lot of discomfort. My surgery went well, but I am more careful than I ever was because my surgeon told me that I could develop more hernias because of having the surgery.

I have a hernia, and my surgeon refused to fix it. It's noticeable, but I think the original ileostomy surgery was pretty intense and a lot longer than they planned for. I got a mesh support belt and wear one 24/7. The brand is NuHope.