I have had stomach issues for most of my life, attributed to IBS. This past April, I was diagnosed with pericardio effusion (fluid around the heart). I was treated with anti-inflamatories and was fine. When I was going into the hospital for a spinal cord stimulator for back pain (I also suffer from Fibromyalgia), I was told the swelling was back when a routine chest X-ray was done. A CT scan revealed a herniated gastric lumen. My gastro doctor followed up with an upper GI and then an endoscopy, and it was found that I had a diaphragmatic hernia, probably congenital. About 2/3 of my stomach had protruded through the hole and was rubbing against my heart, which was very likely the cause of the pericardio effusion. My back surgery was postponed, and I was scheduled for the following Monday for a hernia repair. They used the largest medical patch possible and 30 to 40 titanium staples that will remain inside permanently, several can be felt from the outside as they are against the inside of my rib cage. I was told there was very little space to work with as they could not "sew or attach" to the heart and had to kind of make it up as they went along. I was lucky they were able to do this laparoscopicly. I am now six weeks post-op and still feel as if I have been beaten by a pack of thugs! Since surgery I can't lift or move my right arm, a problem I never had to this severity. The pain, even though I am on a 100 mcg/hr fentanyl patch is at least an 8 at all times in my shoulder and I am having to take Vicodin for breakthrough pain in my abdomen about three to four times a day. I was told it was life threatening if I didn't have the hernia fixed. I feel worse than I was before and wonder if they have left me in worse condition and with a shorter life span as a result!

5 years after having a tram flap reconstruction I developed a bad pain between my waist and the surgical incision. It was decided by the surgeon, that the mesh holding my abdominal wall together had failed, and I would require corrective surgery. After having this procedure I developed pancreatitis, and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. I then was told my gall bladder had to be removed, which it was 2 months later. I have had 2 surgeries in a very short time. I now have quite a distended abdomen, to the point of constant pain after being on my feet for about 2 hours in the morning. The pain hovers around the original site on my left side. My surgeon told me to get used to it. Needless to say, I am very concerned that this hernia has returned.

I have had a hiatal hernia for about 30 years now and its symptoms were always relieved by prescription medications until recently. Then I switched medications several times and still had discomfort. I have a very strange symptom, pain starts in the left chest side and underarm area and then goes down my arm and can also be felt in my back. This pain is quite sharp and will cause you to double over. The way I get it to go away is to raise my left arm and get rid of a lot of gas that seems to have filled my stomach.

I am 32 years old and had a hernia for 9 years. Suddenly, one day, I experienced heavy pain in the area of the hernia, nausea, and back pain. Fourteen hours later, I was rushed to the emergency room. My small intestine got into the hernia, and a piece of my intestine died because of the fact that all blood circulation to the intestine was cut off. I had surgery, but the doctors only removed the piece of dead intestine. After three months, I was told to go back to surgery for the hernia to fill it up with mesh.

I am a 55 year old female. I had twelve inches removed from my large intestines when I was 37 years old. I felt a pain at my shoulder blade and discovered that I was a torn intestine and fluid was in my abdominal cavity which pushed everything up to my shoulder. There's some name for it, but I can't think of it. That was the beginning. After that I had a hernia from the surgical site. Then I had another and another until I've had a total of six "fixed" hernias. They used mesh every time. NOW, after a hysterectomy and gall bladder removal I have a hernia that's larger than a soft ball that hangs from my right abdomen. It is ugly. It is painful. And three very good specialists tell me it is too dangerous to fix. My intestines are almost visible through the hernia wall. The outer skin is different than my other skin. It seems thinner and gets lots of ulcers from rubbing on my clothing. It also gets bleeders, which is what I call them. One little vein starts bleeding. I have been to a specialist just for the ulcers on my hernia. He prescribed an ointment of painkiller mixed with the stuff they put on burn victims sores. Only one pharmacist in town will mix it. The surgeons said if I would rather go back to size 16 from the 3X I have to wear now or risk dying in surgery it was up to me. I just went out and bought a bunch of 3X clothes.