Everything you wanted to know about hernias

[SP1!]

I had been having stomach pains for a while so I go to the doctor only to have him tell me I have a hernia, most likely it was caused by lifting since is in the middle near my belly button(I have a nasty bump hanging down that gets bigger when I lift)

I have an appointment with a surgeon next week to get it looked at and to decide a course of action. My question is this, how serious is the surgery? And how long will I have to stay away from the gym? I am not very happy since I just got back in the gym after shoulder surgeries but I dont think I have much of a choice.

Also, is there anything to help with the pain? Its gotten worse the past couple of weeks and now it seems to hurt after every meal.

[Dr Steve]

I had been having stomach pains for a while so I go to the doctor only to have him tell me I have a hernia, most likely it was caused by lifting since is in the middle near my belly button(I have a nasty bump hanging down that gets bigger when I lift)

I have an appointment with a surgeon next week to get it looked at and to decide a course of action. My question is this, how serious is the surgery? And how long will I have to stay away from the gym? I am not very happy since I just got back in the gym after shoulder surgeries but I dont think I have much of a choice.

Also, is there anything to help with the pain? Its gotten worse the past couple of weeks and now it seems to hurt after every meal.

Another person I probably could have helped if I'd not disappeared from the forum for a month. Sorry, SP1! I hope you're doing ok.

Hernia surgery has gotten a lot better in the last 10 years. Used to be you were out of commission for up to 6 weeks, but with endoscopic procedures requiring much smaller incisions with less collateral damage and less down-time.

Let me back up and explain what a hernia is. The strict definition of a hernia is any tissue or structure that protrudes through an abnormal opening in another adjacent structure, generally the membrane in which it is normally contained.

So there's this thing called a HIATAL HERNIA, which is a common problem where the stomach herniates up above the diaphragm.

http://www.regbellmd.com/curegerd/images/xhiatal_hernia_diagram.jpg

There's an awful hernia, called an UNCAL HERNIA where a part of the brain herniates down through the hole in the base of the skull:

http://missinglink.ucsf.edu/lm/ids_104_cns_injury/Herniation/Herniation_Images/HerniationBlum.jpg

then there's the common kind of hernia, called the INGUINAL HERNIA, where a part of the lining of the lower abdomen herniates (with or without a chunk of intestine) into or next to the nutsack:

http://assets.aarp.org/external_sites/adam/graphics/images/en/7122.jpg

and then there's the kind of hernia you have, the UMBILICAL HERNIA, where fat or intraabdominal tissues herniate through a defect in the wall of the belly button:

http://www.herniaonline.com/images/umbilical2.gif

Most of the sources I read say that you need to take it easy for 2 weeks. However, they're not talking about people pumping iron, necessarily. You'll need to ask the surgeon what he/she thinks, and follow their advice...I can't stress this enough: having the one surgery is bad enough--having to have it REDONE sucks ass big time. It's really hard to do any kind of lifting without tensing your stomach muscles (try it). Switch to endurance/cardio for awhile and let the darned thing heal.

Good luck with it! You've probably already had the surgery; sorry for being such a lazy ass.


your pal,



steve

EDIT: by the way, if you want to sound smart, the operation you're going to have is called an "Umbilical Herniorrhaphy" (Her-nee-OR-a-fee). Toss that one out in the surgical suite and they'll know you're a man to be reckoned with. :-)

[SP1!]

Well mines not that bad but its to the point I have to get cut open tomorrow, at least I will get pain pills and talked to a guy who had one done and he said that by the 3rd day I should be fine.

[topless_mike]

then there's the common kind of hernia, called the INGUINAL HERNIA, where a part of the lining of the lower abdomen herniates (with or without a chunk of intestine) into or next to the nutsack:

http://assets.aarp.org/external_sites/adam/graphics/images/en/7122.jpg


nice rod.

[SP1!]

Done, but damn it hurts every time I move, then the doctor goes and fucks up the prescription so I have to stay over night since the pharmacy wont fill messed up percocet scripts.