Mom of four regains active lifestyle after hernia surgery

As the mom of four children under age seven, Michele Benham leads a busy life full of kid-related activities, and nothing much stops her. But after her fourth C-section delivery in February 2021, she started experiencing significant abdominal pain and discomfort.

“I thought this might be from having four C-sections, but I had never felt pain like that after the other three,” Benham says. “When I sneezed or coughed or bent over, I literally felt like my intestines were falling out. I also had a large bulge in the center of my abdomen, so I went to see my OB/GYN, Julene Evans Murage, MD. She suspected a hernia and referred me to Jessica Barton, DO, a general surgeon with St. Mary Surgical Associates Langhorne.

“Dr. Barton also suspected that the bulge was a large hernia and that I might also have some diastasis recti, and she ordered a CT scan. When the results came back, she called me right away to confirm that I did have a very large hernia and recommended surgery. Even though my baby was less than six months old, I didn’t want to wait any longer because the pain and discomfort were really limiting my activities, especially my ability to take care of my kids.”

During surgery at St. Mary Medical Center in July 2021, Dr. Barton repaired the hernia with minimally invasive robotic surgery that involved three very small incisions, each less than a centimeter in size.

“After the surgery, Dr. Barton explained everything in detail so I could fully understand the problem and what she had done to correct it surgically,” Benham says. “She took a lot of time with me and I never felt rushed. She was very personable and I felt very comfortable talking with her and asking questions.”

During her initial six-week recovery period, Benham wasn’t allowed to lift anything, including her young children. But after that, she was able to return to her normal level of physical activities pain-free. “It was very important to me to be able to take care of my kids without inconveniencing other people, even though others were willing to help. I wanted to be able to do it myself as a soon as possible!”

Dr. Barton adds, “To me, the most important goal of hernia surgery is restoring the abdominal wall function so my patients can get back to their normal level of activities. We’re often helping young women who are between age 30 and 40. They’re young and active, they have kids to raise and they’re often working outside the home. Not being able to lift their kids or anything else for the next 50 years just isn’t an option. Hernia repair surgery combined with physical therapy and exercise to regain core strength helps these women get to where they want to be.”

Dr. Barton also says that hernias in women are often under-diagnosed. “Many people think that only men get hernias, which isn’t at all true. Young women who have children are often told that their muscles are just weakened when, in reality, they have a hernia. It is very common for patients who have recently delivered a baby to have a diastasis which causes a big bulge in the middle of the belly. In these cases, women may be advised to start an exercise routine to regain strength of their abdominal wall. But it’s very important to first rule out a hernia.”

“I’m grateful to Dr. Barton for helping me get on with my life and enjoy my kids and other activities again,” Benham says. “She wants to see me periodically throughout this first year following my surgery to make sure everything is going well, and I really appreciate that. So far, everything is great!”