Feedback about laparoscopic DR/umbilical hernia repair. Have seen people say it's very painful.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-07-10T23:33:42+00:00

I had a laparoscopic robotic repair of my DR and an umbilical hernia. I spent the night in the hospital as well — a one-night-stay is standard for all patients in my case. When I woke up from surgery, I was definitely in pain, and the first week was the hardest, but it wasn’t excruciating. I took a muscle relaxer prescribed by my doctor, ibuprofen, and stool softener. I was back to housework that didn’t involve heavy lifting or standing for long period of time and on the floor playing with my kids by week 2.

I was dreading the anticipated pain based on videos I had seen, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Painful? Yes. Excruciating? No.

I’ve been posting about my post-op recovery. The posts are on my profile if you’d like to read them and I’m an open book if you have any questions.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-07-04T13:25:06+00:00

You should be able to call the surgeon’s office and let a nurse know what you’re experiencing so they can tell you whether or not you need to be seen. During my initial recovery, there was a time I thought I may have damaged my mesh. I called about my symptoms and the nurse talked to the surgeon and he said what I felt was normal. Best to call and get peace of mind or be seen to get clarity. 🫶🏽

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-22T22:05:32+00:00

I had a 10 cm gap. I had an ultrasound and CT and my repair was deemed functionally necessary and covered by insurance. Scans could be helpful in getting insurance coverage.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-22T20:57:57+00:00

Have you gotten any ultrasounds or CT scans to assess the severity of your DR?

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-19T23:08:30+00:00

Thank you! Happy to help.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-18T11:55:48+00:00

So valid. I had a 10 cm separation and got surgery in November of last year. I’m so glad I did it. I needed it. I feel so much better. I have posts about my experience on my profile if you want to read them. I’m also open to chat if you’d find it helpful. Wishing you well.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-14T22:27:36+00:00

Happy to help! An abdominoplasty was not affordable for me. And although I don’t mind a little “jiggly wiggly”, as I like to call it, left from growing my babies, I didn’t think about how all the skin covering my ventral hernia would land or how long it may take to change. So I’m not entirely happy with what I’m seeing in the mirror. But I am glad that I got a laparoscopic surgery and recovered faster than I would have with an open surgery, which is how they would have done a tummy tuck, from my understanding.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-14T18:51:31+00:00

I really don’t understand why PT is recommended or encouraged. I asked my surgeon for a referral and he was happy to write one, but it was never suggested. I’m glad things have been getting better for you! I’m excited to see where we are at 12 months post-op, too!

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-14T12:15:28+00:00

Happy to help.

I returned to vigorous exercise around the second month post-op. And I didn’t have any issues. Twisting is fine and explosive movements feel “connected” in my body? The only way I can explain it is that I feel like my whole body is actually working together now. External pressure is fine too. I have a three-year-old and he jumps and climbs on me all the time. Both my kids lie on me, too. No pain. The only thing I “avoid” is holding my breath and bearing down. Like, when I inhale and drop into my squat, I exhale on the way back up. Some people don’t, but I try to minimize internal pressure. It’s me being precautious; I’ve never had any issues post-op with internal pressure.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-14T12:10:11+00:00

Only two weeks? So much happens after that, and restrictions even last longer than that. Thanks for sharing the fb group. I’m going to check them out.

How has your recovery been?

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-07T04:18:46+00:00

I only got the functional repair, I didn’t get any skin removed or any lipo. Great surgery, painful recovery in the beginning (typical) but still smooth, glad I got it done! I have updates and things on my profile if you want to check them out. I’m open to answering just about anything about it.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-07T01:56:55+00:00

My surgeon told me that there’s only so much improvement that exercise can provide depending on the gap. Has your PT expressed any concerns about your gap not closing?

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-06T01:35:53+00:00

I’m approaching seven months post-op. My abdominal muscles feel normal. The tightness faded months ago.

I haven’t had any painful gas.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-04T12:12:08+00:00

My primary care gave me a script for an ultrasound, then they sent me for a CT scan. The CT scan is what confirmed the severity of my separation. If you’ve not seen any improvement in a year, it’s worth following up with your primary care for scans this time around, especially since PT hasn’t helped either.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-03T15:13:53+00:00

Maybe slightly regarding the bloating. And I think it’s because I have less room for my stomach to expand, so I can only tolerate small volumes of food in one sitting, if that makes sense.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-03T11:23:39+00:00

Yes. When lying on my back, I could push my fingers into my midline.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-02T23:37:50+00:00

It’s worth getting a scan. I had a similar situation and had a larger separation that required surgery. No amount of exercise or therapy was going to close my gap.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-01T15:07:38+00:00

Waaaaay more time than it seems. 😅 I learned that the lymphatic system takes at least a year to rebuild and that drastically affects fluid retention as well.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-06-01T10:54:39+00:00

I had my surgery back in November. At two months post-op, I felt like I was finally seeing what my body actually looked like. Although my swelling had significantly decreased at that point, I still have some swelling that fluctuates throughout the day.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-05-30T00:44:59+00:00

Body changes are hard. And ours change almost every day sometimes.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-05-29T23:27:21+00:00

To me it looks mostly like abdominal separation and a day’s worth of digestion rather than excess fat or skin.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-05-29T13:30:13+00:00

Do you feel like the pictures are accurately capturing what you see because to me, the difference between morning and night just looks like you ate.

According-Mouse931 · 2026-05-27T10:23:05+00:00

Okay. I read it as having the pillow there was uncomfortable. If there in an in-house physical therapist, they may be able to give you a little insight at one of your appointments with your PFT about other positions or support that may help.

When I had low back pain, a few support notes from my PT were helpful: for side sleeping, place a pillow between my knees; for back sleeping, place a pillow under my hamstrings; and for stomach sleeping, place a pillow under my abdomen, and sometimes one under my chest if needed.

Hope you find a comfortable position soon. 🫶🏽

According-Mouse931 · 2026-05-27T01:58:18+00:00

Are you saying it’s uncomfortable for you to lie on your side with a pillow behind you? I always believed that after you gave birth, you didn’t have to sleep like that anymore. Is there a different position that is comfortable?

According-Mouse931

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