Hernia Repair

A Boone surgeon helps a recovering cancer patient with an unexpected side effect.

Gerald Johnson was in the midst of his home recovery from a major stomach cancer removal surgery when his wife, Gayla, pointed out something odd protruding from his incision.

“She said something didn’t look right, and I looked down and saw about a 6-inch wide and 2-inch tall knot coming out of my stomach. It just appeared all the sudden. I don’t know if I sneezed or what, but just one day there it was,” says Gerald.

Gerald called his oncologist who con rmed the bulge was likely an incisional hernia. An incisional hernia is a protrusion of tissue that forms at the location of a recent surgical scar. Most incisional hernias don’t cause serious problems, but there is a risk of complications.

“I just had some minor discomfort. But as time went on, it bothered me more and more mentally. It was pretty big on my stomach, and I just felt like I wasn’t healing right. After a little time went by, I made an appointment with Dr. Waliye.”

Hussein Waliye, MD of Boone Health General Surgery, specializes in hernia repair. Dr. Waliye explained to Gerald that in the United States, millions of people undergo open abdominal surgery every year. Out of this, 20 to 30 percent of the patients can form an incisional hernia. Most of these people present with a bulge, but they can also present with pain, small-bowel obstruction, or bowel strangulation. After examining Gerald, Dr. Waliye and Gerald both agreed surgery was the best course of action.

“Dr. Waliye explained everything to me so well. I was nervous about some parts of the surgery, but he put me completely at ease.”

Dr. Waliye says before any incisional hernia surgery, his rst objective is to optimize his patients. is can include weight loss, smoking cessation, or diabetes management. In Gerald’s case, Dr. Waliye ensured that his cancer was in complete remission before performing the surgery.

“Our goal during the operation is to restore normal anatomy and reinforce the hernia repair with mesh to decrease the chance of recurrence,” Dr. Waliye says. “In addition, we will always strive to achieve this goal using a minimally invasive approach if possible. For Mr. Johnson, we ended up doing an open retro muscular repair. He did very well. He was very motivated and was walking the hospital halls even the night of the surgery. He was able to go home the next day.”

Gerald said he was amazed with how quickly he recovered.

“I felt pretty good right away. I wore my recovery belt and took it easy for a while, but I now have no restrictions and am able to live life normally,” says Gerald.

Gerald is also still in full remission from cancer and is doing well. He and Gayla enjoy doing family activities with their two adult children.

“We have gotten through all of this as a family, and we just love to spend time together,” says Gerald. By Madison Loethen

Hussein Waliye, MD Boone Health General Surgery