Anyone had robotic Sugarbaker parastomal hernia repair Dr Cima?

Hi @bilbobubble826, and welcome to Connect!

Although I have a small parastomal hernia, I am not a candidate for a repair, as it's not causing me any problems.

Hernias are a hot topic for a lot of ostomates, So I hope someone comes by who has had the procedure to help answer your questions.

Can you tell us something about this procedure? I am not familiar with it.

Hi Susan,
Thanks for responding to my post, Im Interested in hearing about the hot topic issues of hernia and ostomy issues, is that a separate area ? I had to join the ' ostomy and j pouch' section as there was no hernia or more specifically, 'parastomal hernia ' section...
I have a fairly large parastomal hernia and ileostomy and was seen at Mayo in Novembet, its a difficult decision to make because I have no pain or obstruction, but have periods of difficulty with pouching and have to change pouches frequently, when I was seen at Mayo I had alot of parastomal skin problems which have now resolved, Im 66,and wondering if I would really benefit from the surgery or just opening the door to a new set of problems , my hernia formed after laparoscopical revisions, one in May 2016 a d a second one in July 2016 after my ileostomy, ( permanently put in place in July 1996 (after a failed j pouch' in 1989) had retracted and was causing miserable skin problems.
I live near Seattle, you say you are in PNW ?

@susanf8
Thx Susan, is there anywhere to find discussions of these' hot topic '( parastomal hernia)issues with ostomates? I joined the Ostomy and J pouch' page as there was no option to join a parastomal hernia page ? Im trying to hear from anyone who had this surgery with Dr Robert Cima at Mayo Clinic .

@bilbobubble826 there isn't a page on hernias. We have a monthly virtual meeting the first Tuesday of the month, and it often comes up then; that's what I meant when I said "hot topic".

The information for the meetings is here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/events/
I haven't heard of Dr Cima before, and I think this thread is the best way to find someone who also has experience, so hopefully someone will come by.

I'm in the Olympia area, and also had a failed j-pouch, but I didn't develop a hernia until after a stoma revision in 2016.

Hi Susan,
Thankyou for your reply, I will try and join the next online meeting you mentioned .

I had parastomal hernia repair surgery by Dr. Cima on April 10 of this year. I am 76 years old; I have an ileostomy; my total proctocolectomy was in September 2023; my hernia developed about six months after my colon was removed.
Some things I experienced:
• It is a major surgery – 4 to 5 hours on the table.
• I was in the hospital at Mayo for 8 days. It took a while for my digestive system to begin working again. I ate almost nothing (Dr.’s orders) while waiting for my system to kick in. It did and I was able to avoid the nasal-gastric tube.
• Patients must wear an elastic hernia belt all day (not at night) for 6 weeks after the surgery.
• No lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk for 6 weeks.
• Ten weeks before resuming previous exercise routines (Pilates, light weightlifting, etc.)
• Two weeks to resume driving.
• While he was in there, Dr. Cima did a stoma revision. (Before the surgery he advised me that he might do so.) This has sent me on a journey to identify new pouching products. I’m getting there.
• I had an infection adjacent to the stoma several weeks into my recovery. They said it was probably an infected stitch. It cleared up with some modified pouching and antibiotics.

I’m glad I had the surgery. I was concerned that the hernia would grow and due to my age, I did not want to have a major elective surgery 5 or 10 years from now.

@teds Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Very helpful for those of us with parastomal hernias. Mine is small and isn't causing any pouching issues or blockages, so repair is hopefully not in my future.

What issues led to your needing the hernia repair?

@susanf8
The hernia grew to be the size of half of a small grapefruit. Although for me the surgery was definitely elective, here were my concerns:
• I was concerned that the hernia would grow over time.
• I was anxious about doing certain types of exercise, especially exercises designed to build or maintain core strength (important as we grow older).
• I had more leaks and pouching issues as time went on.
• A lot of my clothes no longer fit.
• I’m afraid this is a bit vain, but I did not like the way it looked - it was a noticeable bulge that made me feel self-conscious.
• As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to have this surgery now rather than in my late 70’s or 80’s because I believe the anesthesia and the challenges of the surgery itself could be more problematic at as I got older.

@teds these all seem valid reasons to me (including the "vanity"). Please let us know how you do! I had a stoma revision because of a stricture and pouching issues, and while I am not wild about another surgery, I'm also not crazy about this hernia becoming a problem. So far, so good, but.

Also, thank you again for sharing your experience and perspective!