I have an umbilical hernia due to the accumulation of fluid in my abdomen, the result of ascites from liver cirrhosis. They drained 7 litres of fluid during a paracentesis procedure I had in March after the discovery of my cirrhotic liver.
My liver seems to be doing well enough to accommodate general anesthesia for the procedure according to my GI doc, and since I have been (mostly) not drinking due to the cirrhosis, and taking the multitude of prescriptions I have been told to take (spironolactone, Furesimide, Nadalol, Xifaxin), I have not experienced ascites since.
I am scheduled for an ultrasound, and am awaiting the referred surgeon’s office to call me to schedule the hernia repair. My doctor is a little worried about strangulation because I felt too uncomfortable to allow him (or myself) to try to push my belly button down into the hole in my abdominal wall. It didn’t hurt but it felt so weird feeling deep into the belly button cavity, including feeling the hole in the abdominal wall that I just couldn’t do it.
TL,DR
Anyone ever had this procedure? What should I expect?
My relative has an umbilical hernia. It’s not a big deal. If you need surgery to repair it, it’s not something to get overly worked up about. All surgeries are risky by their nature, but this one is pretty straightforward and uncomplicated.
How bad was your belly button bulging? Mine wasn’t too bad but I kinda ignored it and lifted 50-75 pound totes repeatedly at work and it’s bigger now. When I put my fingers around what feels like the “hardened” area, it feels like there’s a golfball in there.
I had an untreated umbilical hernia for about about 8 years, mainly due to lack of insurance. I occasionally did the lay down and push it back in (it wasn’t large), but it was uncomfortable doing it so it wasn’t done very often.
I now have insurance and went through the repair surgery about 9 months ago after being told by a few people that it (the hernia, not the surgery) could be fatal.
The surgery was a non-event, stayed overnight in the hospital, and was advised not to lift anything heavy for a few weeks. I didn’t need the pain pills prescribed to me.
This is just kinda…oogy for me. It looks bad. It feels weird. I was so very uncomfortable when the doctor tried to press it into the tear in my abdomen…then asked me to do it, and I could actually feel the tear.
He was worried that we couldn’t push it all the way down and explained to me the dangers of strangulation. He told me that if I felt any pain in that area, trouble pooping, no appetite to go immediately to the ER. He said the complications of strangulation turn a minor procedure into a major, life threatening one. I guess that’s part of why I’m scared and want to get this done ASAP. I haven’t hear from the surgeon’s office yet due to the holiday.
I’ve had one for about 5 years now. It’s about the size of a marble, and the only time it went away was when I temporarily lost a lot of weight. It doesn’t bother me at all, but I know I should get it removed.
First, Sorry about your pre-existing condition, have had family endure that and it is terrible.
Second, My brother had one sticking outand just had it repaired. He had it for a couple of years and referred to it as his “belly wiener” (which is one of the reason I’m glad he got it fixed). He was in and out of the hospital within a few hours and he was walking and moving around normally. Hard impacts on your feet (stepping off of a curb, or the situation when you think there is another step on the stairs) will suck, twisting and no heavy pushing or lifting more than 15LBS. Don’t grunt or push hard when you #2 and you’ll be alright. He mostly said it was an irritating soreness, he didn’t even take the pain medication they gave him. BTW when I had my appendix removed years back, it was the same principles like most abdominal surgery… just tread lightly for a couple weeks and you’ll be just fine. Kind of sucks getting in and out of a car though.
It was a non-event for my wife. She had it repaired after child birth. Minor surgery with no complications or significant pain. Child birth was a far bigger deal…
I had an umbilical hernia repaired. They sewed in a bit of mesh which I believe dissolved after a period of time. It healed in a hurry and I just have a small scar to remind me of it.
Mine grew to the size of half a lemon, but I could always push it back in, until the day I couldn’t. I then drove myself to the emergency room in agony, where they gave me a bed, and then the strangulation spontaneously receded.
So we had time to schedule with my GP’s preferred surgeon. Several hours later, mesh inserted, they wheeled me out of the hospital.
The post-surgical painkiller-induced constipation was more trouble than the pain itself, so I quickly tossed the medicine.
I now have a whole new belly button, and let me just say, it’s picturesque - I seriously considered finding work as a belly button model, but fate had other works in store.
