Toddler Gets Back to Playing After Successful Hernia Surgery
July 30, 2024
At almost 5 years old, Emine “Emi” Morton had strong opinions about when she was tired and when she should go to bed. “She has a large vocabulary, but the word ‘tired’ is not in it,” says her dad, David.
One night in early November 2023, Emi most definitely was not interested in getting ready for a bath or for bed and was in a full-on tantrum when her mother noticed a bulge on Emi’s right side, between the top of her thigh and her lower abdomen.
Emi’s mom, Aylin Bilgutay, M.D., is a pediatric urologist at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and she knew immediately what that bulge meant: her daughter had an inguinal hernia. An inguinal hernia is when an organ, commonly the intestine or even an ovary, pushes through a weakness or opening in the abdominal wall.
Causes of Inguinal Hernias
Inguinal hernias in children are most often caused when openings in the abdominal wall that should have closed before birth don’t. These hernias may be detected after birth, but sometimes, like in Emi’s case, they don’t become noticeable until later.
To be sure her daughter had an inguinal hernia, Dr. Bilgutay had Emi do some maneuvers that caused the bulge to show itself. “I knew it was not an emergency, but I knew it needed to be fixed,” Dr. Bilgutay says. “Of course, I immediately talked to everybody in my office.”
After discussing options with her colleagues and family, Emi’s parents took her to see Thomas Vates, M.D., one of Dr. Bilgutay’s pediatric urology colleagues and the division chief for pediatric urology at The Children’s Hospital.
“It was strange going into a doctor’s office of someone you know,” David says. “But Dr. Vates treated me like any other parent who does not work in the medical field. His whole energy—his body language, the way he phrased questions—was a very calming, ‘everything’s going to be all right’ experience.”
Dr. Vates had Emi blow up a balloon so the bulge would pop out. She wasn’t in any pain, but surgery to repair the hernia was confirmed as needed.
“While inguinal hernias are less common in girls than boys, hernias in children are one of the more common things that we see,” says Dr. Vates. “They’re usually not emergencies, but they can cause problems down the road.”
Those problems include incarceration, when something, like the intestine or an ovary, gets trapped in the hernia sac, which can lead to vascular compromise, or what’s called a strangulated hernia—which can be life-threatening.
Bouncing Back After Hernia Surgery
On the day of the surgery, just before Thanksgiving, the hospital’s child life staff set Emi up with toys to keep her busy and distracted before the procedure began. “She thought it was great fun,” says Dr. Bilgutay. “She really wasn’t stressed at all.”
And neither was Emi’s mother. “I knew she was in good hands,” Dr. Bilgutay says. “I left the building to go to my office as soon as she went into the surgery—that’s how much I was not worried.”
Emi’s dad waited for her to wake up in the recovery room after surgery. “As soon as Emi woke up, there was a nurse there checking on things, offering an ice pop and answering questions,” David says. “In a situation where you’re in a vulnerable spot, the team was totally and completely supportive.”
Four hours later, Emi was home and acting like she hadn’t just had surgery, her parents say. She even insisted on going to school the next day.
With the hernia repaired, Emi has no restrictions on playing sports or other activities, says Dr. Vates. “She should be able to do whatever she wants to do in the future,” he says.
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Thomas Vates, M.D.
- To make an appointment with a pediatric urologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about pediatric urology care at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
