To book an appointment with Dr Rod Borrowdale, call (07) 3910 5150

Umbilical Hernia Repair

Information for pre & post operative care

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What to expect during and after your surgery…

Anaesthetic

You will be having a full general anaesthetic for your surgery. If you have had any issues previously, with post-operative nausea and vomiting, or have drug allergies, or have experienced anaesthetic complications previously, please inform your Anaesthetist prior to surgery, when you are interviewed by them.

The anaesthetist will provide a separate quote prior to surgery for their services.

Your anaesthetist will provide a prescription for post-operative pain relief and nausea, if required.

Operation

During the operation, Dr Borrowdale will place a small incision in your lower or upper belly button. After the hernia sac is removed, he may place a mesh inside your abdomen and close the hernia defect over the mesh with permanent sutures. The belly button will be repositioned, and the skin will be closed with dissolving stitches (sutures). Long-acting local anaesthetic will then be injected around the wound, and a water-proof dressing will be placed over the wound.

Recovery

Following the operation, the recovery nurses next to the theatre, will make you completely comfortable with extra pain relief as needed. You will then either be discharged or kept in hospital overnight.

Dressings

You will have a water-proof dressing on your abdomen. Please leave it until the nurses remove it in 5-7 days. It is completely waterproof, and you can bathe or shower normally after the procedure.

Pain Relief

The following two to three days can be quite sore and you will need some pain relief. You will receive a prescription for *Endone and you can also take ibuprofen (trade name -Nurofen) with food, or paracetamol (Panadol) as required. Please note that Endone can cause constipation…

If you are taking more than one or two Endone a day, we recommend taking one to two Coloxyl tablets with the Endone, or having daily Movicol to prevent constipation. These medications are available over the counter at your pharmacy.

Please be mindful that it is easier and much more comfortable to prevent constipation than to treat it afterwards.

Please discuss any special analgesia issues with the anaesthetist prior to your surgery. 

Driving

You cannot drive yourself home from the hospital. You can drive again when you are moving normally, are no longer taking any opioid pain relief (Endone) and can fully control a vehicle. This time is different for every patient but will usually take a few days.

Work

You should take 5-7 days off work depending on your occupation. For physical labour jobs, you may require longer. Please discuss this with Dr Borrowdale.

Activity

We advise that the best way to recover, after hernia repair surgery, is that you rest for the first 24-48 hours, then gently resume normal activity. The hernia repair will not be damaged by normal everyday activities but avoid significant heavy strain (eg. lifting furniture, heavy boxes etc). Walking, shopping, light cycling on a fixed bike, and light household duties are all reasonable in the first week or two. It is important to get moving after the first couple of days, as this will aid recovery.

Sport

There are no restrictions on sporting activity after 6 weeks. Prior to that, we suggest introducing sporting activities gradually and gently, and to follow the simple rule…if it hurts, don’t do it. It is normal to have the occasional twinges while twisting or straining for the first 3 months, and this will particularly occur when resuming sports, and is nothing to be concerned about.

Nurse

After discharge, please call Northside General Surgeons rooms, ph. (07) 3910 5150 to make an appointment with Dr Borrowdale’s Nurse Practitioner, Elaine. She is available on Fridays. Please make the appointment for the week after your surgery. The nurse will remove your wound dressing and answer any questions that you may have.

Complications & Risks

Umbilical hernia surgery is very safe, and Dr Borrowdale has many years of experience as a specialist surgeon. He performs this operation weekly, throughout the year. Unfortunately, no surgery is risk free.

Complications are rare and can include the following…

  • Internal bleeding
  • Chronic pain
  • Peritonitis
  • Mesh infection
  • Bowel obstruction
  • Adhesions
  • Recurrence of hernia
  • Bowel injury
  • Peritonitis
  • Deep vein thrombosis/ pulmonary embolus
  • Anaesthetic complications

 

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