Is This Pain After Colostomy Surgery a Hernia?

So I am 2 months out of surgery with colostomy on lower left abdomen, below belly button. It is where my spare tire is! That side has been significantly larger than the other, and I'm having pain or feeling strain too. It's not all the time, and not debilitating, but it's annoying. Three weeks ago the surgeon said, it was too early for a hernia, to wait out the 3 months, which he says is when everything should settle down.  My stoma nurse said,  the stoma looks great, she didn't detect anything, could be scar tissue, or gas even!  I don't know though. Ive tried gas x, but symptoms still there.  She told me just to wait it out too. Switched to one piece, as hollister 2 piece was hitting my leg when I sat. It has definitely solved that, but pain/strain persists. I've been walking 45 mins a day, and it doesnt hurt bad enough for me not to do that.  After reading some things yesterday, maybe I don't have a hernia yet, but need to prevent one?  Thoughts?  

Hello Bmokind.

Thank you for your post, which sounds as if you are being very sensible in your approach to the early phases of adjustment to having a stoma. 

I think the medics are right to say you need to wait to see if there is a hernia because the swelling and healing pain can take some time to settle down. The comment that 'it is too early for a hernia' seems a bit misleading inasmuch as hernias can develop from the outset but they are hard to detect until much of the normal swelling has diminished.

It is good advice to try to prevent hernias by whatever method you think will help in your case, everybody beeing different.  Personally, I would be very careful about exercise but at the same time know that controlled exercise is usually essential for enhancing the healing process. A hernia belt can be a useful precuationary measure but bear in mind that nothing is foolproof and overdoing things is so easy at times.  It is also a useful precaution to understand the forces involved when lifting everyday things like kettles full of water. There are principles involved in lifting which indicate that people should not stretch out when holding something heavier than their unladened arm. The arm acts like a lever, exerting much more force than the weight of the arm and whatever it is holding on the end would suggest. It is simple things like this that catch people unawares and put strain on weakened muscles elsewhere in the body. It's all a question of being cautious yet sensible in whatever you do and it sounds to me as if you are already there in that regard.

Best wishes

Bill  

Thank you Bill, for the reinforcement and the good information. I will keep doing what I'm doing, and try to have more patience with my body.