Restored my quality of life after two major GI surgeries

Prior to October 2022, I was an active 51 year old woman and fitness enthusiast. On October 13th I woke up with strange cramping that rapidly became unbearably painful and had to be rushed to the ER. After an unfortunate misdiagnosis that morning, at Cedars Sinai, I returned at 5am and a CT confirmed a blockage in my small intestine due to a mass. I was prepared for the worst kind of news and underwent emergency open abdominal surgery to resect my small intestine and remove the mass. The surgeons were relieved to find that the “mass” was a rare birth defect known as a Meckels Diverticulum and not something far more insidious. The healing process was long and arduous and even 6 months out I did not feel I had healed completely. I had a strange looking protrusion in my abdomen that was not only uncomfortable but it made wearing clothing difficult and caused all kinds of complications from lower back pain to constipation. My frustration was mounting and I returned to see the surgeon who performed the surgery, a GI and my internist to understand what happened to my body post surgery. They told me I had moderate Diastasis Recti, a separation in my abdominal muscles and should do physical therapy. I trusted them and delved into my PT exercises religiously.

Then, on May 21st, 2023, as if reliving a nightmare, the unthinkable happened. Walking around galleries and boutiques in downtown LA, I felt an intense cramp in my abdomen. Total fear and panic overcame me. How could this be happening again? Didn’t we remove the mass 7 months ago? Within an hour, I found myself curled into a painful ball in the Cedars ER praying I didn’t die right there on the floor. The pain was beyond description. Once again, a CT showed a blockage. This time however, it was due to scar tissue that formed as long strands of adhesions as a result of the first surgery. This blockage was a rare type that would not resolve on its own. For a second time in 7 months, I underwent emergency open abdominal surgery to remove the adhesions strangling my intestines. I was completely demoralized during my hospital stay but I was convinced that those adhesions were possibly the cause of the protrusion in my abdomen that tormented me for 6 months. I hoped this time I would heal properly. But after another grueling recovery, things only worsened. The protrusion grew and so did my symptoms and discomfort. I couldn’t wear any regular pants and was told to wear compression leggings. Leggings and a large sweater became my uniform for months. I felt like crap all the time. Dressing up and going out was such an effort. I couldn’t escape my body. I searched everywhere for answers. Online, friends, and medical professionals. I started listening to Dr Rahban’s podcast on Diastasis Recti and read everything I could about muscle repair surgery. I knew he was speaking the truth when he said that PT couldn’t fix this issue. I was living proof of that! I learned that though abdominal muscle separation is mostly caused by pregnancy, it can be caused by surgery that leads to incisional hernias.

My third GI doctor that year was Dr Charles Frankel. He is the most caring and thoughtful doctor I could ever hope for. Though this is not a review for him, I have to give him and some others a shout out since all of the great care I received was due to his help. He had some imaging done and referred me to Dr Shirin Towfigh, a renown hernia surgeon in LA. Dr Towfigh is in a class of her own. A skilled surgeon with an excellent reputation who goes above and beyond for her patients. My husband joined me for out first consult and I cried when she legitimized my frustrations and explained how it can be repaired through surgery. She was fairly certain the severe incisional hernia needed to be repaired with mesh because after two open surgeries my abdominal wall was so compromised. I heard about mesh and didn’t want to introduce a foreign substance into my body that could lead to other complications, but I thought if it was absolutely necessary I would do whatever it took to put all of this behind me. I asked her if she worked with a plastic surgeon because I wanted the closure to be done with much more expertise and care than in my emergencies surgeries performed by trauma surgeons. While they did save my intestines and my life, they were not too concerned with aesthetics She said she only worked with two. Wouldn’t you know it one of them was none other than Dr Rady Rahban! I knew I had my A team and called his office literally on my way out of her office.

My first consultation with Dr Rahban was interesting. He doesn’t sugar coat anything and will be 100% honest and direct. He studied my medical history and recommend a meshless approach. My issues were more complicated than his usual cases but he still believ ed my muscles could be repaired without mesh or bilateral comments separation. However he respected the fact that my tolerance for failure was extremely low and if Dr Towfigh insisted on using mesh to reinforce the repair he would support that decision. I spent time going back and forth with both doctors until we came up with a compromise and surgical plan. I even met with an experienced and well respected third surgeon to make sure the plan was solid. Ultimately though, I trusted both Dr Rahban and Dr Towfigh to work together for the best outcome for me that was possible from a medical and aesthetic perspective.

On February 14th, that is precisely what happened. Both skilled surgeons opened me up for a third time in 18 months and reassessed the plan. The abdominal separation was smaller than the CT revealed and after ensuring my small intestines were free from adhesions, Dr Towfigh gave Dr Rahban the green light to perform the meshless muscle repair. The surgery went better than expected. Dr Towfigh was able to assure me I wouldn’t end up in the ER ever again with a blockage due to adhesions, and Dr Rahban expertly restored my muscles so that the large painful protrusion in my abdomen was finally gone! Even though the recovery was even harder than the first two I gladly endured the pain knowing that this third and corrective surgery was going to give me relief.

I am 8 weeks post op and still healing but I am moving around much better now and able to wear my clothes again for the first time in 18 months! I look forward to seeing the final result when my scar has healed and my muscles have completely relaxed. My recovery is taking a little longer than most straightforward abdominoplasty surgeries, but I am well on my way to getting back to the active, strong and confident woman I was before this unfortunate sequence of events began. I am extremely fortunate to have had access to such excellent care. Dr Rahban is a perfectionist with a true commitment to excellence. He is honest and very straightforward in his communications. Having surgery is scary, especially for someone with a history like mine, but I had complete faith in him to provide me with the most optimum result possible. I am immensely grateful to Dr Rahban and Dr Towfigh for restoring my quality of life.