I was naive. I thought hernias were something old men got in their groin. At a stretch I could imagine a young man getting a sports injury that led to a hernia. How wrong I was.

I have been off-line for months as I have felt really rough due to an incisional hernia in my abdomen. I now understand that it is a result of the hysterectomy I had almost five years ago. It left a weakness/place not properly healed inside me which I knew nothing about. Now I am facing another operation to fix the hernia.

Yesterday when I saw my surgeon he said that 10% of stomach area operations lead to a hernia. Ten percent! Why did no one warn me of the possibility? If had known I would have been more careful about lifting heavy objects...too late now.

The possibility of a hernia as a result of an operation was information I hope you will pass on so that any other person can ask questions about their risks.