Pain near my belly button

[sr71blackbird]

Dr. Steve, I have a weird feeling under my skin near my belly button. It is about 2 inches to the right and an inch above it. If I caress the area, I can feel an area that seems to be a depression, almost like a 2 inch rip under the skin and it hurts when I caress this area. It is not a very bad pain, but it does not seem normal either and it is not anywhere else. I find myself rubbing it periodically and it kind of scares me. I explained it to my dermatologist and he felt the area but did not notice the depression and offered no real explanation to what it could be. Could there be a tear in my fat or muscle or a hernia of some sort that might explain this? I see no moles at this area, but there are moles a few inches away. Some of them are large and I have him look at them once a year. Also, there was a time I was heavy, then lost a lot weight and then gained most of it back. I do not do any weight training. I am currently overweight and not athletic.

[Dr Steve]

Dr. Steve, I have a weird feeling under my skin near my belly button. It is about 2 inches to the right and an inch above it. If I caress the area, I can feel an area that seems to be a depression, almost like a 2 inch rip under the skin and it hurts when I caress this area. It is not a very bad pain, but it does not seem normal either and it is not anywhere else. I find myself rubbing it periodically and it kind of scares me. I explained it to my dermatologist and he felt the area but did not notice the depression and offered no real explanation to what it could be. Could there be a tear in my fat or muscle or a hernia of some sort that might explain this? I see no moles at this area, but there are moles a few inches away. Some of them are large and I have him look at them once a year. Also, there was a time I was heavy, then lost a lot weight and then gained most of it back. I do not do any weight training. I am currently overweight and not athletic.


blackbird:

occasionally, people who wear pants that are too tight (or a heavy tool belt, or are overweight and sit a lot) will pinch the nerve that is running through the area near the umbilicus (ha, I told you we have a different word for everything...umbilicus=belly button). This will cause pain, and often will be worse with even light touch in the area.

You can certainly get a tear in the fibrous sheath of the anterior abdomen, causing some pain and a small hernia. If this really bugs you, a surgeon would do an imaging study to see if there's anything to fix. As long as the tear is small and doesn't strangulate, you don't necessarily have to have surgery.

It just depends on how much this bothers you; if you aren't satisfied with the workup your doctor has done so-far, feel free to bug him/her about it again. Generally the second or third time you complain about an odd symptom, you'll emerge with the correct diagnosis.

let me know what they find!


your pal,


steve

[sr71blackbird]

Thanks Dr Dteve! Sorry it took me so long to reply.