I just saw my internist this morning for a check-up. He confirmed what I suspected ... I have a hernia in my belly button. He says it's most likely not new, but that losing weight made it more obvious. At any rate, he says I should be fine for the short term and that he would prefer not to send me on to a surgeon until I'm down to at least 190 (which is like 17 pounds away). So has anybody here had this type of a hernia and had surgery to repair it? What am I getting into with this?

Cathy:

I remember reading somewhere else that someone got coverage for alot of their tummy tuck cost by having it done along with a hernia repair. Good luck!

Sue

Sue....I didn't even think of that!?!?!! I'm starting to have skin issues related to the flap of skin which creates skin touching skin. I guess if I create a track record of complaining about that too, it might help cover the whole thing or even more of it?

If it's not one thing it's another, I guess. But I'm getting kind of tired of medical surprises, LOL.

But if anybody has had surgery for a hernia like this, I'd love to hear about it.

I had this surgery last December. For me it was an emergency situation. I did not know I even had it. It was two weeks before Christmas and I had just came back from visiting my dad in the hospital only to find out that same day my grandmother was in the hospital on the same floor as my dad. We were outside decorating and all of a sudden I had such pain I could not stand up straight.

We went to the ER and the surgeon told my hubby that it was a umbilical hernia and it was strangling my bowel and he was doing emergency surgery. At 1:15AM I was operated on and he put mesh in there to prevent another hernia. The incision is right below the belly button. I went home at 4:00PM the following afternoon. So it was less than 24hrs that I was in the hospital. I was in pain at home but not so much that I had to take anything other than Advil. OT-Man I miss my Advil :smile:

You're lucky that you know about it. I honestly do not wish that pain on my worst enemy. In the ER they gave me a very strong pain medicine in my IV called Dilaudid and that did very little for my pain.

The only good thing to come from this surgery was that it prepared me for the kind of pain I would have from my lap band surgery. The surgeon who operated on me was also part of the same practice my lap band surgeon was so I sort had a test run prior to my lap band surgery which was less than four weeks later.

So what you are getting into with this in my opinion is avoiding the above to happen to you.

Strangely, I've not had any pain. There's just this bulge. Thankful, of course, that I haven't been through what you went though! That had to suck. But your story is certainly motivational as far as pushing forward to having the surgery. Thanks for sharing!

Strangely, I've not had any pain. There's just this bulge. Thankful, of course, that I haven't been through what you went though! That had to suck. But your story is certainly motivational as far as pushing forward to having the surgery. Thanks for sharing!

You're welcome. I actually told the surgeon as they were all running around getting me ready that if this surgery interfered in any way with me getting my lap band surgery than forget it. He reassured me that this was not an issue. But you know after that surgery I was not too hungry and the day after Christmas day was when I started my two week liquid diet. So that last supper never happened and you know I am grateful because I lost more weight prior to the lap band surgery and being on another liquid diet post-op was nothing. No Bandster Hell for me.

Oh and I forgot to tell you that the anesthesiologist accidentally broke my front tooth during the hernia repair and because I was having lap band surgery so soon I did not have it fixed until the end of January because the insurance company would not pay to fix it and there was no way I was fixing it twice. It's always something isn't it? :thumbup:

You'll be fine I will keep positive thoughts for you.

Not this type - but losing weight made me aware I have hernias at each end of my caesar scar. When they became visible, I suddenly noticed them. I pressed on one and SQUELCH - it was disgusting! they look like two golf balls under the skin, its weird.

I saw my doc when i went for a pap smear (just the gp, not a gyno) and she said "oh, dont worry about it". But I think I'll follow it up becuase hernias of course can strangulate and if its squelching, its obviously bits of my guts poking out (disappears when I like on my back)! Plus it looks awful. I also notice that after I've been on my feet all day or done a lot of running they ache.

I have had a herniated navel for years as a result of many abdominal woulds and surgeries. It rarely bothers me and my LB surgeon says he can fix it when he bands me. I just don't like the bulge in my shirt.

Last time I visited my ob/gyn she said the small bulge on my bellybutton was a hernia. I told my lb surgeon and he said he would take care of it when he banded me. Day of surgery he told my hubby it was not a hernia but fat. Go figure....anyway since, its almost gone.

I too had a umbilical hernia, I had tummy pains for years. Not knowing that was what it was until I had a mini tt. Then that area kept sticking out. Went back for a full tt and surgeon said, yep thats what it is. So when he went in to do muscle repair for full tt he fixed the hernia. He did not use mesh, for which I am glad because I have heard that not all mesh works, body rejects it. Anyway, I have had no more pain since it was repaired! It would be great if you could get a tt at the same time. Most plastic surgeons want you 20lbs to goal before they will do a tt. I was not that close when I had mine and now I am way under that and my tt still looks great!

Hope that helps!

Deanna

Thanks, all! My internist says he won't even refer me to a surgeon until I am under 190 pounds, which is about 20 pounds away. So we'll see what they say when I break into the 180s.....