UC and Hernia Surgery: Any Stories, Advice?

Introduction:

I was diagnosed about a year or so ago after giving birth to my second child. I have been on sulfasalazine after a trial with Azacol. After changing to SCD, I have been symptom free and haven’t had a flare since.

Some more about me:

Nothing interesting here. live in Cali, have two kids, and a husband who hunts and fishes in the ocean, so I always have fresh food with no preservatives.

Symptoms:

None unless I don’t take my pills or eat regular food then I get a pang of pain in my tummy and lovely things begin to appear in the toilet bowl.

UC and Hernia Surgery: Any Stories, Advice?

I recently went to see a surgeon for a plastic surgery consult. One area of concern was my belly…let me explain. No matter what I did and how many sit-ups I did I could not lose this weight around my middle. After I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, I found I also had the luck that my stomach would grow every day. Meaning I can start the day with a nearly flat stomach and end the day looking 6 months pregnant. My GI doc (who is an idiot to begin with because he believes drugs not food are the way to success with UC) said that it was excess gas throughout the day and to stop eating gas producing foods. Anyone on the SCD diet knows that fruits and veggies are a main ingredient. So, I would take gas x or other stop gas pills, even though I didn’t have gas. Anyway, the daily stretch of the stomach aside, I still had this muffin top that would not go away, hence the reason I went to the plastic surgeon. He then discovered that my abdominal muscles were split. its a condition called Diastasis Recti and is common among women who have had multiple births and large babies. When we was poking around in this canyon (which is what it looks like if you lay down), he discovered that I had a hernia. Most hernias are protrusions, but in my case, nothing has yet popped out and it is just a big hole. It is an umbilical hernia, which is better than that farther up, but the only repair is surgery. So, I wanted to know if anyone in this vast community of UCers has also had hernia repair and if so how was the outcome? I am concerned about the mesh that is needed for the repair and also about the surgery itself and complications that may arise due to this lovely auto immune disease that we have. I appreciate your help. Thanks! :)

Medications / Supplements:

I take 4 of the lowest dose of sulfasalazine a day and follow the SCD diet. I also cook from many of the grain free books and most lately the “Against All Grain” by fellow Ucer Danielle Walker. Even though her book and others like it use a lot of nut flour, it doesn’t seem to bother me at all and is certainly a nice deviation from SCD, which can get old really quick unless you are inventing new recipes and searching more out.

written by Megan M

submitted in the colitis venting area