@lsheerin Good morning. I had a liver transplant almost 6 years ago. I had a surgical hernia that actually opened my entire incision line and the person who told your husband that is correct. The hernia surgery was far worse with way longer recovery then the actual transplant. Mine became almost an emergency because the entire surgical line ripped open. If you could survive without it and wear a hernia belt then I would do that. It is not favourable surgery. I know no surgeries favorable but the hernia surgery I found was way harder to recover. My surgeon did an epidural took 2 days longer than normal for all the freezing to come out. It was probably 6 to 8 months before my bodily functions returned to normal. Take care and God bless.

@lsheerin oh boy I got my hernia after I went back to work as a plumber, it happened a year after my transplant, I was insured for the hernia surgery which entailed way more than I expected 4 days ICU the mesh was 8” x 11” my whole incision. When I woke up from surgery I seriously didn’t know what hit me the pain was insane which wasn’t addressed, it involved 8 small incisions around my whole stomach, the pain of my hernia for 8 months was erased after I healed,, Was it worth it absolutely i swim almost everyday and feel great over 3 1/2 years later, I know that it cost around $150,000 not cheap. My surgery was done by a robot . I still am limited to lifting anything heavy which is okay I’m retired at 66 so not a big deal, I hope your husband gets his fixed in the long run it’s worth it but expect a long recovery from it 6 months month’s at least for me

@lsheerin I can speak to this directly because I just had open ventral hernia surgery on July 9th, which is almost two years after my liver transplant. The idea that incisional hernias caused by a transplant are simply cosmetic is nonsensical. The potential ramifications of not addressing the hernia(s) include:

Bowel obstruction: Intestines get stuck in the hernia. Food cannot pass through.

Strangulation: Blood flow to trapped tissue stops. The tissue dies very fast. This is a life-threatening emergency.

Skin breakdown: The skin over a huge bulge becomes thin. It can break open and cause deep infections.

Organ damage: Organs inside the hernia lose their normal space. They can fail to work right.

Constant pain: Heavy pulling causes daily aches. Moving and breathing become hard.

The key is getting his liver care team to refer him to a surgeon as part of his ongoing care. My insurance company didn't blink an eye and everything was paid for by them.

I was told by many that the surgery would be more painful than the transplant itself but this turned out to be a wildly inaccurate. My surgery lasted for 5.5 hours while they addressed adhesion (separated my abdominal wall from my bowels) and reinforced the entire Chevron incision with the latest mesh.

After the surgery, I was up and walking within hours. I took dilaudid for 36 hours and was able to manage my pain with Tylenol thereafter. The original plan was for me to stay in the hospital for 2 days but it turned into 4 days because it took that long for my bowels to start moving again.

Once I was discharged, I slept in a power assist chair for a little over a week. After that, I was able to get in and out of bed with no assistance. After 2 weeks, I was given permission to start ramping up my cardio with elevated walks on the treadmill and the ability to do upper body workouts at 50%.

Today, my strength and stamina are rapidly improving. My recovery timeframe is 6-8 weeks and I supposedly have no long term limitations. My surgeon was Dr. Dina Podolsky of the NY Presbyterian Hernia Center and she gave me the Cadillac of hernia repairs.