[npritz]

Hi All! My name is nic. I am 26 years old (soon to be 27)and hubby is 28 years old. We have been ttc for about 16 months now with now luck....

I was talking to mum on the phone the other night about everything and she asked me did I tell the oby/gyn about my diaphragmatic hernia that I had when I was a baby. This wasn't picked up until I was 2 months old mind you, I wouldn't burb as a baby and mum went to about 4 different doctors and they all told her she was being a neurotic new mother... the 5th doctor said "right... we need to get her on a plane to brisbane right now for emergency surgey".......... All my stomach etc etc moved up into my chest cavity squashing my heart to about half the size of an egg, then pushed my heart over to my right side.....

What is a diaphragmatic hernia?

The diaphragm is the muscular sheet that separates the chest from the abdomen. A congenital diaphragmatic hernia occurs when the diaphragm does not form properly during pregnancy. A defect or hole in the diaphragm allows the intestine to push through the muscle, squashing the lungs, and preventing the lungs from developing properly. Holes can occur in either side of the diaphragm but they usually occur in the left-hand side. Babies with a diaphragmatic hernia can have breathing and feeding problems. Up to half of babies with a diaphragmatic hernia also have other serious problems, such as heart problems, kidney problems and neural tube defects, such as cleft lip or palate.

How common is a diaphragmatic hernia?

This type of hernia is very rare. It is estimated that a diaphragmatic hernia occurs in one in every 2,500 to 5,000 pregnancies, and most babies with this problem are identified during an antenatal scan. This type of hernia is more common in boys than girls. It can occur as part of a rare group of disorders called Fryns syndrome.

What is the treatment for diaphragmatic hernia?

Your baby will be put on a ventilator or oscillator to help him breathe. An operation under general anaesthetic is needed, usually soon after birth. Surgery to move the intestine back into the abdomen and repair the hole in the diaphragm takes about one to two hours, depending on whether the bowel has also become damaged or twisted. If a patch is needed to repair the hole, a further operation may be needed to replace the patch, as your baby grows.

After surgery, your baby will still need help breathing so he will remain on a ventilator and will be closely monitored. The length of time needed on a ventilator after surgery depends on the level of damage done to the lungs from being squashed by the hernia. It can take a while for your baby's intestines to work properly after surgery, so he may need extra nutrition. Also some babies develop gastro-oesophageal reflux when they are older.

A diaphragmatic hernia can be a life-threatening condition, particularly if the baby has other serious complications as well. Overall survival rates range from 25-60 per cent, depending on whether the baby has only got a relatively straightforward diaphragmatic hernia, or has other additional serious problems.

Anyway......... mum was wondering whether or not maybe they might have kinked my tubes, or cut somewhere where they shouldn't have, or whether there is something blocking my uterus so that the egg can't implant....????

So... I decided to do some research. There is soooo much around about diaphragmatic hernia's in babies and how to treat etc etc but NOTHING on the future. I have tried looking under everything and nothing is happening. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

I am booked in for a laparoscopy on 23rd July... so I guess I shall have to wait until then to find out some stuff........ and let me tell you - i'm not the most patient person in the world, although I do try!

Does anyone know of anyone with the same issues at all? Or can someone point me in the right direction about where to search for information? I am really at a loss here. I would really like to find something on infertility and does it relate to having a diaphragmatic hernia.....


I went down to my doctor last week - following is the story -

I went to dr catalano (my gyn/obyn) on wednesday 23rd july ready to sign papers and go into hospital to have my laparoscopy done. First he made me wait 1 1/2 hrs (he had a coffee break) then he sat there and said "i don't think we shall be able to do it". I asked why not and he said the date of my last period was 3 weeks ago, therefore i might be pregnant". I told him I wasn't as we had only had sex once (i mean come on - what's the likelihood of falling preg now - ). anyway. he said that he should really be doing the operation on around the 1st or 2nd week of my cycle. anyway. he sent me off to have a progesterone level test done, came back to him (had to wait another 45mins), and he said that my progesterone levels were a bit high which might indicate that I was preg or maybe it was just me that my levels were high. He said that he could do the op but was worried that I might be pregnant.

He sat there are told me that it was basically my fault for changing the operation date (which never happened - he originally told me just to ring and schedule a time that was good for me) and that we shouldn't have had sex the month before the operation. He reckons he told me - I DON"T THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean come on, do you really believe I would be that stupid to get emotionally worked up about it then take time off work etc etc if I knew I was doing 100% the right thing?

I ended up in tears in his office and he basically told me that there was no reason to cry - I was absolutley shocked and appallad. He treated me like an absolute idiot. I then left his office after rescheduling for the 6th august.

I went to mums work really upset and she rang another gyn/oby as I was really really really p*ssed off at catalano. Luck must have been on my side as they had one appointment left on saturday 26th july - i booked in. my sister and I decided to get some lunch after this ( i had been starving since 7am and it was now 3pm) I got a phonecall about 2 hours later from Dr Morkzecki's office (where mellie went) and they said we have just had a cancellation can you be here in 10 minutes.

well.... I went back to the hospital where his office was and went to see him. He made me feel sooo good. He made me feel like the most important person he had to see that day. I was soooooo happy with him. I scheduled in with him on 6th august to have the procedure done. He was absolutley horrified when I told him what I had been through with catalano. As I was leaving his office he said to me "nicole - we shall get to the bottom of this".....

Well let me tell you I nearly kissed the bloke I was so happy with him! That's all I have wanted all along - someone to help us have a baby!

anyway so that's the drama..... so Jai and I are driving to townsville sunday/monday then we shall be staying there as my sis is getting married on the 16th.

Will keep you all up to date!

[Laura1490]

Wow that is quite a story... I can't believe after 4 doctors, your mother would think she needs to ask a fifth! That's a little insane!

Keep us updated... i am assuming that you are not pregnant, but let us know if or when you get the surgery done!

Good Luck on your fertility journey!