Possible to have impaction removed and hernia repaired at same time?

I would talk to a couple of Dr’s that do these type of procedures. They can give you the best advice .
Do you have a Gastro Dr?
Can you ask your Primary Care Physician who may refer you to someone?
Best wishes…

I agree with the other comment. Get another opinion. In 17 years of CIC, with a GI, I have had many fecal impactions (large colon) and none were treated by the doctor. I have had 3 partial small intestine blockages (2 cleared up with tons of miralax, 1 landed me in ER and an ng tube). I have had 3 larger impactions in my anus, that required "digital removal)...translated it was my rubber gloved finger that had to dig out enough 💩 so the rest of the 💩 had a hole big enough to fit through. I've had X-rays, at my persistent demands, every 2-5 months for years. Every time it showed that I had a moderate to severe amount of fecal matter in my large colon. You say that you are using tons of laxatives already. You might try a Fleet enema(I tried the salt water enema..NEVER again. Using the enema will help loosen up an impaction if you have one, but starting from the opposite direction as swallowed laxatives. I f you have a thick impaction in your anus, it can plug the holes in the enema tube; you will know cuz the fluid will be on the floor instead of being in your anus. What leads you to believe you have an impaction? I could not really feel the impactions, other than cramping and bloating.
I had an inguinial hernia at 16, had the surgery. Keep a pillow close by, don't let anyone tell any jokes to make you laugh, if you do, squeeze the pillow harder than hard, to help with the pain.
I currently have a hiatal hernia, that standard procedure is to leave it alone until it causes problems, like exploding. So, I will be getting a second opinion.
I am fairly certain that, even if a Dr was going to do something about the fecal impaction, it absolutely wouldn't not be done at the same time as a hernia surgery. The issue, as explained to me, is the difficulty keeping the bazillion bacteria in your colon, out of the surgical site of the hernia. Also, the two issues would be treated by different doctors. Let us know what you find out. I would really like to know. Good luck and don't laugh!!do not cough, sneeze, reach out for something...it's amazing how a tiny incision can cause so much pain. It hurt more than the 2 years I had the hernia.

Thanks for the advice and I hope you are able to have your hiatal hernia repaired soon and with less pain than for the inguinal one! What has it been like after you had the inguinal hernia surgery? I've heard that they make the repair really tight, so much so that at first you even feel like you have to bend over when walking. That makes me super nervous because I know my bowels are unable to move when I wear a pair of pants that are even the least bit tight, and I wonder if this would be the same problem, only permanent and worse. Do you think this is a valid concern?? Right now I am scared stiff. Also, how long did it take you to recover from the surgery? You have been through a lot! I have worried before that I would get a bowel blockage but so far have done ok. I may try an enema soon for the impaction if that's what this is. I will be so excited if that does the trick! I've heard that manually removing impactions yourself is dangerous (could cause injury or infection), but it's not really an option for me anyway since this is higher up in my system. I don't know for sure yet that I have an impaction, but I think I might because I've noticed a rock-hard mass in my belly that my primary care thinks feels like stool, and I have new occasional cramping. Ok, well, thanks so much for the information and I hope you feel better! I'll keep you posted.

In 2021 I had a very large double hernia and an ileostomy from Crohn's fistula. They were able to repair the hernia and reverse the ileostomy all in the same surgery. Two surgeons working together.

WOW! You have a lot going on too. I am going to guess by your name that you're 17, if I am wrong, sorry. I had my hernia for 2 years before surgery. I could push the lump back in the hole, girlfriends thought that was gross and hilarious. I played softball and beach football with the hernia. Good thing to do, maybe not, but I didn't want to be left out and my parents didn't know! lol. My inguinal hernia was 49 years ago, I am 65 now. In the "olden days ", you got hospitalized for 3+- days and at 16, I had zero tolerance to pain, but back then they gave strong pain medication, narcotics, fentanyl,etc were known to be addictive or even abused. The worst part of it all, was visiting friends and family thought it was their job to make you laugh to take your mind off any pain.... hence my comment about the PILLOW, it truly is mandatory...lol
But surgery for inguinal hernias have advanced a lot. In 1980, my baby girl twins had double hernia surgery, we arrived at 6am, home by 8pm. We would have been home earlier but one daughter decided she liked being knocked out and while I was panicking over it, she finally woke up. My baby son had double hernia surgery too, but he was three, and wanted to get back to his normal playful, translated, no fears play, and 6 months later he's back in surgery for a repair. Then my hubby had hernia surgery at the ripe old age of 55, it was outpatient surgery, in @ 7am, home by 1pm. The "tight" that you refer to, is not something I ever heard at any of the surgeries. You will be sensitive and tender, eat very light, drink lots , wear sweats or pjs. Gentle, slow walking will help you not get stiff, also helps with pooping. They generally put a piece of mesh over the hole, as reinforcement, after pushing back into place, whatever piece of your body was out of place. I kept to light eating and lounging around for a week or so, I milked up the time to not have to do any chores at home. The weak stomach lining is what seemed to run in our family. I was told to expect to have hernias again, if I had children. Oh, well, not that I could do anything about that. But at age 20, 8 months pregnant, following the first 4 months of pregnancy vomiting 🤮 10-20x a day, I get told "oh, gosh, you are having twins ". I had lost then gained weight, I was 185 lbs. I had labor for 10 hrs, not too painful cuz the twins were stuck, both heads down, emergency c-section. My son was a normal birth. I am telling you all this, to show you that you really don't have to be scared. I defied all of the odds against me and never had another inguinal hernia. Knowing what I know now about any abdominal surgery, it hurts to strain and straining to poop is a painful and could lead to the hernia repair to fail. I would recommend that you prepare your bowels as if you were having a colonoscopy, in other words, get your bowels EMPTY EMPTY the few days before surgery, then follow the drs instructions for afterwards, probably jello, water, water, add some electrolytes, broth, etc.
Your impaction, I am dying to know how your PCP thinks they could feel 💩 in your stomach? Add that you are having new cramping, with your other symptoms, should be paid attention to. !! Even with my 3 partial small bowel blockages, no dr ever even touched my stomach. 2 of the 3 small bowel problems cleared on their own with lots of miralax and very little solid foods for a week +-. The 3rd one landed me in the ER, it was the cramping that made my hubby call the ambulance. I had CT SCAN and it showed a SBO- small bowel obstruction was forming and still it could not be seen or felt on the outside. The doctor placed a nasal gastric tube up my nose and down my throat to my abdomen. YUCK! I don't ever want one of those things ever again. It sucked air out, so my bowel would untwist, while I got some nutrients through a IV, 3 days later I was home. Ever since I have kept my bowels loose on purpose. This hard mass in your stomach, have you had it X-rayed? if it were me or my children I'd demand a standing and laying down X-ray...that will tell you if your large colon/bowel has fecal matter in it. Very simple, don't wear anything with metal on it and you won't even have to wear a hospital gown. I have had X-rays every 2-4 months for 7+ years, at my polite request, turned not so polite if my GI gave me any sort of guff. I have only had a normal amount of fecal matter in my colon 1x, all of the other times I had/have moderate to severe "fecal load".
When is your hernia surgery scheduled? Is there a medical plan to deal with the mass, fecal impaction and cramping PRIOR to surgery?
I am here, I will answer any questions and fears you have regarding surgery or impaction. I will watch for your reply.
The hernia surgery will be 👍
The potential impaction, mass and cramping is what needs to be addressed, now. Shelley

I'm sorry to hear about your inguinal hernia and the possibility of a fecal impaction. It's completely understandable that you'd want to streamline your treatment process if possible. While I'm not a medical professional, it's worth discussing your concerns and preferences with your healthcare provider. They can provide guidance on whether it's feasible to address both issues in the same procedure and help you find a specialist who can accommodate your needs.

Communication with your healthcare team is key, so don't hesitate to openly discuss your questions and preferences with them. They can provide you with the best advice tailored to your specific situation. Wishing you all the best for a smooth treatment process and a speedy recovery!

Hi Shelley, thanks for your info. I feel better being able to talk to someone who has had hernia surgery before, and it's reassuring to know that a hernia repair can hold up that well! By the way, that's so cool that you have twins! And I'll remember what you said about the pillow and not laughing! I just found out about this hernia so I haven't actually seen a surgeon yet, but I'm working on getting in.
Those blockages sound scary! And that tube must have been nasty. I do hope my cramping doesn't mean anything serious! It hasn't happened much in a few weeks, but it is unusual, and I do sort of wonder if it's related to the mass and will certainly mention it to the doctor. The mass is pretty close to the hernia, so I'm particularly anxious to see what's going on. I had X-rays and ultrasound but they didn't help in figuring out what the mass was, so I'm having an MRI Tuesday that will hopefully be able to shed some light on it. I do know that I am severely backed up and I only wish I had a way of emptying my bowels before the hernia surgery. I am keeping them very loose though. I hope the anesthesia will not cause more of a buildup than I already have because I do feel quite a bit of pressure on the hernia sometimes. Maybe it won't be as bad if I opt for open surgery and am able to have just a local anesthetic?

I kind of get into "mom mode" when sharing with younger people.Everything I say is based on my experiences, I would never want you to feel like I am pushing you, and never ignore your dr A few questions:
Who found your hernia?
Can you push it back thru the hole?
Are you in pain with the hernia?
Regarding 💩, it can't hurt, at all, to use extra miralax, Fleet enema. Have you ever used an enema? If you choose to use it, following the instructions to lie down on your side, keep it in as long as you possibly can. This is critical to allow the enema to work. I count in sets of 20, to keep me focused on the time and distracted from the unpleasant feelings and the strong urge to poop. The rocking helps the strong urge come and go several times. Using the enema will also let you know if you do have 💩 in your anus that wants to be expelled. If this is the case then you will see poop on the enema tip, when you pull it out. I have way too much knowledge on this. LOL!! I. can keep it in longer if I get on my knees and rock back and forth, side to side. I take a pillow in the bathroom to rest my head on.
Describe your build up symptoms.
What do you consider as loose 💩?
The mass, you say it near the hernia..that is in your groin, is this correct?
That is near the anal/anus, impactions usually occur much higher than that. Do you feel you have 💩 near /in the anus? You probably would have fairly intense pressure that you need to poop.
Have you had 💩 that is hard to expel?
You can do a trial run with the enema and miralax anytime, so you don't have to worry about 💩 problems with the surgery.
Non of our family hernias were done with a local, it was always with light weight general anesthesia.
The X-rays you had, where were they focused?
I always get a standing and laying down X-ray, cuz the air/gas changes between the two, giving a better chance to really see the whole large colon and just what is inside. The X-ray is fast and simple.
Good luck, keep me posted, if you want to. Shelley

Hi Shelley,
whew, it's been some week! To answer some of your questions, my PCP found the hernia, and imaging showed that part of my colon is popping through it. I can push it through the hole, and it doesn't generally hurt unless my stool is firm enough to have any form to it, at which point I have sharp pain at the hernia and immediately chug some Miralax, so I'm keeping my stool watery. I worried when Dr. Google said that taking Miralax with a blockage wasn't recommended since the extra water can build up in the colon, but I have no choice and it'll probably be OK anyways since I don't seem to be blocked up too bad. The mass is near the hernia, which is in my groin, but it's on the right side so not near the anus, and my rectum feels empty. (Actually the mass is bigger than the hernia and reaches from my right groin to the middle of my belly.) My X-ray showed a moderate amount of stool, and I knew I was backed up because my abdomen is always pretty distended and my BMs tend to be on the small side. The X-ray, ultrasounds, and MRI all came back normal except for the hernia and backup, though, so it's still a total mystery what this mass is, but I feel it growing fast. I thought for sure it was an impaction since it was so hard - doesn't give at all when I press on it, and I can't budge it by massaging my belly like I can with the rest of my stool - but wouldn't an impaction have shown up in the imaging? Maybe it would have helped if I'd had 2 X-rays, though - I had one standing but not lying down. I'm at a loss. If it is an impaction, though, an enema is probably next. I had one years ago but don't remember it very well. You have way more knowledge on it than I do!

I feel so bad for you. Pushing your colon back thru the opening sounds just like mine...weird huh!! At age 16, I don't remember having any hard bowels. I have read the same info about miralax not being used if: constipation is actually a blockage, not for use longer than 2 weeks, unless dr. says it is ok.
I agree with you, it's given me a bit of anxiety taking it LONG term and in ELEVATED amounts... but like you, what else can we do?
The reason for the 2 X-rays, is the gas in the colon moves up in the colon and gives a more complete picture of what is going on inside.
The Mass: is it on the same side as the hernia, I think it is, but not sure I understood? Was has your doctor said about the Mass? This is the mom and patient talking...THE MASS IS NOT OK, NO MATTER WHAT THE SCANS SAY!!!!
I would do the enema, now. No it's comfortable, yes it's painful. I only use the name brand, FLEET. I layer a few towels on the floor to kneel on, a pillow to lay my forehead on. I put a teeny bit of Vaseline on enema insert, but be careful not to block up the holes. Bend on all fours and insert, squeeze and re-squeeze to get as much of it inside. There will be some left over in the bottle. Then do whatever helps you keep the enema fluid in as long as possible, while still keeping the pain tolerable. I rock back and forth, side to side, I have no idea why this seems helpful to me. When the pressure gets stronger I rock faster, it seems to lower the pressure for a bit. When you do let it rip into the toilet, take a good look at it, look for anything that is odd to you. Keep me posted, if you want to.
I was just in the ER 4 days ago with a heavy fecal load and urinary retention and now I have a catheter I have to carry around for a week +-. If I repeat myself, feel free to tell me I am doing it. Old age sucks, I suggest that you never get old, it's like having a new pain/problem every other day 👎🏼