Hernia after RARP

User

Posted 22 Oct 2025 at 08:47

I am 11 weeks post-op and went to my GP to check some tummy discomfort & he sent me to A&E with a suspected hernia. It turns out I have developed a small umbilical hernia, so I am now on the waiting list for a hernia repair.

I don't know what caused it, but it has knocked my confidence a bit, as I thought I was doing well in recuperation. I started doing gentle exercise and swimming after about 6 weeks and I wonder if it was too soon for me. I have been careful, but clearly not careful enough.

I was begin to feel ready to resume sexual activity with my partner, but now I am concerned I could make the hernia worse while waiting for the repair surgery in about 3-4 months. Discouraging to say the least.

I wonder if anyone else has any experience of hernias after prostatectomy and how it affected them.

User

Posted 22 Oct 2025 at 22:33

Thanks, Adrian.

I don't think I'm ready for penetrative sex, but that isn't the only thing on the menu.

Sometimes I feel aroused enough for pleasuring myself, but I run out of steam and this hernia is now a bit of a set back. If I can't get relaxed enough on my own, then I feel too much pressure with my spouse and I know she will be worried about me not injuring myself.

Trouble is, the desire is there, but my body is letting me down, and that's a hard thing to accept.

User

Posted 11 Jun 2026 at 09:03

Spinone, you can live with a hernia for years, just watch out for it strangulating, this would be painful and require emergency surgery.

I have just had an ingunial hernia fixed, the only real impact was having 6 weeks of no heavy lifting. Hernias never heal themselves so getting them fixed sooner rather than later would be my advice having put up with pain and discomfort from mine for several years!

Re PSA great it's nice and low but make you keep monitoring.

Losing that stone you have put on would be the best thing you can do for your hernia and your PSA!

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User

Posted 22 Oct 2025 at 09:04

Hi Stewart.

Welcome to the forum, mate.

Hernias are quite common after prostatectomy. I think it's got something to do with the operation weakening the abdominal muscles.

Most of the IH (Inguinal Hernia) occurred within the first 2 years with a rate of 14%. Incidence of IH after RARP was significantly associated with surgical experience and incontinence outcomes.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5353804/#:~:text=assisted%20radical%20prostatectomy-,Background,incidence%20of%20IH%20after%20RARP.

About a year after surgery. My wife noticed as I sat up in bed that something seemed to be pushing out from my abdominal region (and sadly it wasn't my penis). It was quite high up, nearer the bottom of the rib cage.

I sent photos to my GP (that's what we do around here) who thought it was unlikely a hernia but some other sort of infliction (can't remember the name but it was long), that a lot of pregnant women often get. I told him that I was definitely not pregnant.

It never caused any problems and has now gone back to normal.

Good luck, mate.👍

On positive note, it's great that after just 11 weeks you were considering sexual activity with your partner. Are you already 'up for it', so to speak. Or was penetrative sex not on the activities list?

Late edit. I've trawled through my patient record and my GP thought my bulge was a Rectus Abdominis Diastasis.

Edited by member 22 Oct 2025 at 23:25 | Reason: Add link

User

Posted 22 Oct 2025 at 13:17

It transpired in our support group a large proportion of the guys had all had hernias post op. The hospital are experimenting now on using horizontal incisions rather than vertical to see if that makes a difference. It transpired that most of the guys had tried to do much too early and the message seems to be less is more and give it 4/5 months before trying to do anything to strenuous.

User

Posted 22 Oct 2025 at 22:33

Thanks, Adrian.

I don't think I'm ready for penetrative sex, but that isn't the only thing on the menu.

Trouble is, the desire is there, but my body is letting me down, and that's a hard thing to accept.

User

Posted 11 Jun 2026 at 06:36

My RARP was 9 months ago and in the last couple of weeks, I've developed a wide bulge above my belly button. I know I've put on about a stone since the operation so I've been putting it down to too much emotional eating

Yesterday the bulge started to hurt. I originally put it down to the fact that I'd been producing this lump, but the discomfort hasn't gone away.

I'm trying to see a GP in the next couple of days because Google AI thinks it sounds like an incisional hernia.

I'm moving house on about a month, so does anyone have any advice on how to live with it? This is at an extremely inconvenient time, but I have to admit I r been doing more lifting than normal.

As for the prostate cancer, I've had PSA tests at 3 different labs, coming up with undetectable (below 0.03), 0.02 twice (surgeon wanted to check at 7.5 months as he didn't like the 0.02) and then at a third lab, 0.025 after 9 months.

User

Posted 11 Jun 2026 at 09:03

Spinone, you can live with a hernia for years, just watch out for it strangulating, this would be painful and require emergency surgery.

Re PSA great it's nice and low but make you keep monitoring.

Losing that stone you have put on would be the best thing you can do for your hernia and your PSA!

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