First, I have an umbilical hernia. Tried to get it corrected once and it failed. Went to a different doctor who told me that I would need to lose weight or it would just fail again. Note that there were several years between getting the hernia and having the problem standing.
I have been to a gastroentrologist, who’s scoped me from one end to the other, and not found anything wrong. He agreed that it was probably the hernia, and that a girdle might help. I haven’t tried that option yet.
Is there anything else I should be pursuing? Or should I try the girdle option first?
Unless by “girdle” you mean something more complicated than a simple garment, then it seems like a no-brainer to just try it.
I’d try a girdle from a medical supply shop rather than something from the lingerie department or online. Maybe talk to a fitter or something there.
I have had an umbilical hernia for about 20 years. It doesn’t bother me, and I have bigger problems, so I’ve never had it fixed.
How does your hernia bother you? What if you just leave it alone? Is your inability to stand >15 minutes because of the hernia?
IANAD but it sounds to me like the culprit would either be the hernia or being too weak / easily fatigued to stand.
From my understanding of a hernia, it would become a problem based on your body position and the direction of gravity. Conking out from lack of energy or other problems would occur through and strenuous activity like peddling one of those mini paddle boats for a few minutes.
It might be worth doing a tiny diagnostic since if it’s not the hernia, it might be some other ailment that it might be dangerous to not know about.
Maybe try doing some light exercise that you can do sitting or prone and have someone tape you to a plank and stand you up (don’t tape around where the hernia is). If the former does you in and the latter doesn’t, see a doctor.
What specifically do you mean by “getting sick”?
** CookingWithGas**
Queasy, which becomes progressively worse, then I start getting pain in my abdominal area. The queasiness tends to persist after I sit down, depending on how long I’ve stood.
Sage Rat - I climb a flight of stairs every day to get to work, and while I get tired enough to be out of breath, I don’t have the problems with feeling nauseous. Also, I can stand stock still and have the problem. Being able to bend one knee can help (like putting a foot on a grocery store cart)
Also, I went to my doctor about a year about this, and he sent me to my gastro. That’s when I got scoped from stem to stern. Gastro also had a bunch of other tests run (blood tests, cat scan and MRI) and found:
An enlarged lymph node in one leg which sent me to an oncologist but doesn’t appear to be cancer.
Almost-not-quite lupus which led to me seeing a rheumatologist
But no other irregularities.
So, yes, I’ve gone to see a doctor. But I know from experience that sometimes you won’t find the problem if you don’t find the right doctor.
My working theory is that it is the hernia causing the nausea and pain. I was seeing if anyone had any other ideas.
Another data point. I can pretty much make myself burp just by pressing on my abdomen.