Hi, everyone.
I had a sleeve to mini bypass conversion in 2024. It’s been fine except I often have loose stools and need to run to the toilet.
Recently I noticed a weird bulge in my abdomen a couple inches to the left of my belly button. I’m not able to see my doctor, as I’ve just started a job and am doing a three month shift in a remote location. There is no pain and sometimes the bulge is not there. It sort of comes and goes. Has anyone been through something similar? Thank you.

Sounds like a hernia. Since you can't see a doctor keep an eye on it and make sure its not tender to the touch and you have no pain associated with it. If you start to feel pain see a doctor immediately as it could have become a strangulated hernia which needs medical intervention. I'm not a doctor, but in the medical field having also at one time been a paramedic. I've encountered several in the field where people ignored the pain.

Is it worse when you cough, sit up from laying down or when you strain? Probably a hernia.

Edited August 15, 20242 yr by BlondePatriotInCDA

Definitely sounds like a hernia. I had a ventral hernia that required surgery back in December. But I had A LOT of pain. However, they think I had the hernia for a little while until it became incarcerated and started hurting. They did a MRI and got me into surgery 5 days later. Pay very VERY close attention to it. Any pain at all, even mild, needs immediate medical attention. It can go downhill very quickly, so don't ignore it or try to push through it. It'll get worse, not better, and it won't correct itself or heal itself, especially once the pain starts.

Also, it sounds like an umbilical hernia, since it's by your belly button. Here's some info I found about it:

An umbilical hernia is a bulge or defect in the abdominal wall near the belly button. The most common sign is a visible bulge on or near your belly button that's soft to the touch. In some people, it's always visible. Other times, you can only see the bulge when there's pressure in your abdomen. This hernia develops when a portion of the lining of the abdomen, part of the intestine, and/or fluid from the abdomen, comes through the muscle of the abdominal wall. If the trapped portion of intestine is completely cut off from the blood supply, it can lead to tissue death. Infection may spread throughout the abdominal cavity, causing a life-threatening situation. Adults with umbilical hernias are somewhat more likely to experience a blockage of the intestines. Surgery is recommended for most adults with an umbilical hernia because the hernia is unlikely to get better by itself when you're older and the risk of complications is higher.