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- Jon Knudsen lost 90 pounds to qualify for less-invasive hernia surgery.
- Dr. Morrell emphasized weight loss improves surgical outcomes especially for hernia repairs.
- Knudsen's weight loss also improved his diabetes blood pressure cholesterol and energy levels.
SOUTH JORDAN — For years, Jon Knudsen lived with a painful umbilical hernia after two separate injuries.
The auto mechanic first hurt himself while moving an elliptical exercise machine into his home, then reinjured the area years later after a fall while bowling.
"I just lived with it for a very long time," he said.
Knudsen was referred to Dr. David Morrell, a surgeon specializing in complex abdominal wall reconstruction, including hernia repairs at Intermountain Healthcare.
"Hernias are a very common disease. They reflect a weakness or hole within the layers of the abdominal wall that allows internal tissues, such as fat or intestines, to protrude through," Morrell said.
More than 1 million hernia surgeries are performed in the U.S. each year.
But before Knudsen could have surgery, he needed to lose weight first.
Morrell said losing weight before surgery can improve outcomes, especially for hernia repair, and obesity is the leading preventable risk factor for a hernia repair to fail.
"The closer you can get to a regular weight, the more likely you are to have a good outcome following surgery," Morrell said.
Knudsen was referred to Intermountain Healthcare's Center for Obesity and Related Diseases, where he worked with Dr. Jennwood Chen to make lifestyle changes and started a GLP-1 medication as part of his weight-loss plan.
"Obesity affects all kinds of health outcomes," said Chen, the medical director for the Center for Obesity and Related Diseases. "Your long-term success really is based on lifestyle modification."
The center takes a comprehensive approach to weight loss, helping patients understand treatment options, including lifestyle changes, medications and surgical options based on their health history and goals.
After losing 60 pounds, Knudsen returned to Morrell, who told him he could perform a less-invasive hernia repair with a shorter recovery if he lost another 20 to 30 pounds. Otherwise, he would need a more invasive procedure with a longer recovery.
"That was an additional motivation to keep losing the weight and get it down, so that we could do the smallest, easiest, most successful type of surgery there was," Knudsen said.
In total, he lost 90 pounds over seven months.
"By bringing his weight down that far, that gave me many more options to manage his hernia," Morrell said.
That weight loss allowed Morrell to perform a less-invasive repair with smaller incisions, a shorter operation and a faster recovery.
Today, Knudsen said the benefits have gone far beyond his hernia repair. He no longer needs insulin for his diabetes, his blood pressure is lower, his cholesterol has improved and he has more energy than before.
"There were so many other health benefits besides just the ugly belly button," he said. "To see the results was simply amazing."
