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Umbilical Hernia Repair Surgery

An umbilical hernia can be a real pain - literally. Tissue bulges through the abdominal wall near the belly button, causing discomfort and pain. But don't worry, there's a solution. Our minimally invasive surgery is designed to correct the issue and provide long-lasting relief from symptoms. You'll be back to your normal self in no time, enjoying the activities you love without any nagging discomfort. The procedure is quick, easy, and effective, and it's a great way to restore your quality of life.

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My Shocking Umbilical Hernia Diagnosis and the Road to Recovery

Name: My Shocking Umbilical Hernia Diagnosis and the Road to Recovery
Item: Umbilical Hernia Repair Surgery
Rating: 5
Author: melissaH

summarizeEditor's Summary

Getting diagnosed with an umbilical hernia was a total shock for me. I'm 35, and I thought I was just dealing with a weird belly button after giving birth to my son. But it turns out, it was something way more serious. I had to undergo surgery, and I'm here to share my experience with hernia repair and the road to recovery. From my diagnosis to the actual surgery, I'll walk you through what I learned and how I coped with the whole process. It's not always easy to talk about, but I want to help others who might be going through the same thing. I'll share my story, the good and the bad, and what I wish I'd known before going under the knife. So, if you're curious about umbilical hernias, keep reading.

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Hello!

I'm glad you're taking a look at my review. Today, I want to share my experience with hernia repair, specifically how I dealt with my umbilical hernia.

Let's dive right in!

- Background. Getting the diagnosis

I'm 35, and I had my son when I was 22. He was a big baby, so my stomach was pretty prominent, as my grandma would say. My mom was worried I'd pop, so she just kept quiet.

I started noticing changes in my body, but I thought it was just normal.

My belly button also changed shape, but I didn't think much of it. I figured if there were any issues, someone would've mentioned it.

After giving birth, my stomach immediately deflated. I didn't have that lingering belly like some women do, where it takes months to go back to normal. My skin lost its tone, and my belly button... well, it just sort of stayed wonky, I guess. Doctors checked me out, and plenty of them, but nobody mentioned a hernia.

I just assumed it was supposed to be that way and moved on. My skin tone returned to normal pretty quickly, but my belly button remained a bit lumpy.

I wasn't really concerned about it. I mean, I wasn't in any pain or discomfort.

That was 13 years ago. Thirteen years, folks! And in all that time, I've seen multiple doctors, had surgeries, and been checked out by gastroenterologists, therapists, gynecologists... and not a single one mentioned a hernia.

Fast forward to New Year's 2023, when I went to see a gastroenterologist about my stomach issues. It was a routine check-up, and I ended up with a different doctor. Can you guess what happened when they examined me on the exam table?

The doctor asked me about my belly button: 'What's that?'

I told them it was a result of giving birth, and my skin must have stretched out.

'What skin?! You've got a hernia! Look, my fingers are sinking into your stomach. There's a gap of about half a finger here. You need to see a surgeon,'

I was shocked. How could this have gone unnoticed for 13 years?

When I got home, I spent ages looking at myself in the mirror, searching for photos on my iPhone and in Google, trying to understand how this had happened.

Here's how my stomach looked before the operation:

Hernia repair reviews Hernia repair reviews This was on an empty stomach.If I ate, it would look like this.

Hernia repair reviews This lump above my belly button - that's the hernia.A pube hernia is a pathological condition where organs from the abdominal cavity protrude through the pube ring.

As it turned out, the real danger wasn't this lump. I had a 3 cm gap to the left of my belly button, plus my pube ring was stretched out.

- Consulting a surgeon. Preparation and tests

I went to see a surgeon. I visited the Lode medical center in Minsk. They confirmed the hernia. The same doctor agreed to operate on me.

I could've gone for the free surgery at the public hospital, but Lodé offered me a deal that I liked better. The operation was done under combined anesthesia, and I was discharged the same day. I didn't want to spend the night in the hospital, so I opted for this surgeon.

Date of the operation was scheduled for February 16th at 4:00 PM.

Before the operation, I had to collect the usual package of tests:

Complete Blood Count (valid for 10 days)Urine Analysis (valid for 10 days)Blood Biochemistry Test (valid for 10 days)Coagulation Test (valid for 10 days)Blood Group (valid for 30 days)Serological Test for RW, HIV, Hepatitis B, and C (valid for 30 days)ECGTherapist's ConclusionFluorography (not older than 1 year)Gynecological Check-up (not older than 1 year)Lodé offered to do the tests, but I decided to save some money and did them all at my local polyclinic.

On the day of the operation, I could easily have breakfast, but 6 hours beforehand, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything.

- In the hospital

On February 16th at 3:00 PM, my husband dropped me off at Lodé's operation block. I had all the original test results (they took them), slippers, water, phone, money, and my passport with me.

The clothes were comfortable and soft, so I could easily get dressed by myself after the anesthesia.

I brought my abdominal post-operative bandage, which I bought a couple of days prior.

Hernia Surgery Reviews I spent about 30 minutes filling out the paperwork. The surgeon came in, asked how I was feeling, and led me to the girls to get ready. I had to pay part of the fee upfront and the rest after the procedure (that was for the anesthesia). It all added up to around 1500 BYN. I signed all the documents and a nurse took me to the ward.

Hernioplasty Reviews They told me to take off all my clothes except for my socks and put on a special gown that was already waiting for me on the bed.

Hernia Surgery Reviews There was something like a nightgown, a head cap, special slippers, and underwear. I got changed, sat down, and waited for the doctors.

Hernia Surgery Reviews First, my surgeon came in with a marker and drew some marks on my stomach for the future incisions.

Hernia Repair Reviews I was asked a bunch of questions by the anesthesiologist before the procedure. She wanted to know if I'd had anesthesia before and how I handled it. I told her everything. I was reassured again and told to wait for the nurse to take me in.

- Anesthesia

The instructions said I'd have local anesthesia + IV.

plastic surgery with local tissue from the mini incision, local anesthesia + IV

The doctor explained that I'd be sedated with a light IV anesthesia, similar to a colonoscopy. He'd use lidocaine to numb my stomach. The whole procedure, including prep, would take about an hour.

But, of course, things didn't go smoothly for me...

They wheeled me into the operating room. I got on the table. They tried to put in the IV catheter, but it didn't go in right away. I ended up with a big bruise on my arm. They told me to count, so I counted... and counted... They asked if my head was spinning, and I said no. But, yeah, it was. They put the mask on me, and I fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the operation. I started looking around at the doctors. There were two surgeons and two nurses. It was a bit surreal. I was in the middle of the procedure, and it hurt. I thought they'd given me enough anesthesia, but apparently not.

I thought I was telling the doctors it hurt, but they didn't seem to be responding. I was in a daze, like I was half asleep. I thought I could just tough it out for a bit and it would be over.

- The operation and first few hours after

I'm glad the operation was a success. Everything went according to plan, and I was wheeled into a recovery room. I started to come around pretty quickly, but I was still feeling pretty out of it. Before I knew it, I was hit with this intense pain in my stomach. I didn't expect it to be that bad. I had to call for the nurse to give me a shot, as the pain was getting to the point where I thought I was going to scream. I guess I have a pretty low pain threshold.

Despite my quick recovery, I was still having trouble getting out of bed. I ended up staying in the hospital longer than planned. They brought me some coffee and a chocolate, as I hadn't eaten anything all morning and was barely hydrated. I didn't really come around until 10 pm that night. My husband came to pick me up and take me home.

I still had the compression garment on from the operating table.

Hernia repair reviewsThis thing is torture... The compression garment was squeezing my stomach so tightly and making it hard to take a full breath. Sitting, standing, bending - it was all a struggle. I was able to get into the car with my husband's help and make it home without any issues, but only because the painkiller was still working. As soon as it started to wear off, things got interesting...

- Recovery and dressing changes. Removing stitches

I went home and lay down on the bed, unfastening the compression garment so I could finally get some air. I was also curious to see how my stomach was doing. My belly button was taped up with a bandage.

Hernia Repair Reviews I was feeling okay while the painkiller was still working. But, man, the swelling was super noticeable. My stomach and sides were pretty puffed up. I put the compression bandage back on and went to bed. I woke up around 3 am because I was feeling nauseous. They warned me that this could happen after the anesthesia. They said I could eat, but not too much. I barely ate anything, so it wasn't like I had anything to throw up.

This was an extra 'perk' of having a hernia repair - vomiting. You don't know what to hold onto - your stomach, your hair, or something else. That night was a nightmare.

But my misery wasn't over yet. My son brought home the flu, and by the third day, we were all sniffling, coughing, and sneezing. At that point, I realized just how much my abdominal muscles are involved in everyday activities. It turns out that to cough or, ahem, pee, you need to engage your abdominal muscles. It was all really painful. When I needed to cough, I'd rush to the bed, sit on the edge, pull my knees up to my stomach, and do this cartoonish 'cough' thing because I couldn't cough properly.

On the fourth day, my husband took me to get my dressing changed. I couldn't sit up during the ride, so I lay down on the backseat. He tried to cheer me up by telling a funny story. I got it - laughing through tears. I was laughing hysterically, but my stomach was hurting so much that I was crying and laughing at the same time. I was screaming at my husband to stop making me laugh, or I'd die.

Getting in and out of bed became a real challenge - I had to roll over the side. Man, it's just a small incision, but it hurt like crazy. My stomach was swollen, and everything ached. I'm still not sure what was aching, whether it was inside my stomach or outside.

On my first post-op visit, the doctor said there was a lot of fluid buildup, probably because the lidocaine wasn't working well. They started draining all the excess from the incision. It wasn't too painful. They removed some kind of 'little strip' and put in a drain. They changed the dressing and sent me home. They told me to come back in a week for the stitches to be removed. At home, I had to do my own dressings.

When the time came for me to do my own dressings, I was really nervous. They removed the tape, and everything looked really nice - not scary at all.

Hernia repair reviews They treated the stitches with iodine and re-taped them back up.

Hernia repair reviews The pain started to subside gradually. The bandage, which drove me crazy for the first few days, eventually became a real lifesaver. It really helps with recovery and makes it easier to get up from bed, for example.

Hernia repair reviews They removed my stitches on the 11th day. Removing them wasn't painful - it felt like they were just plucking out a few hairs.

Hernia Repair Reviews

Hernia Repair ReviewsAfter the stitches came out, I felt amazing.

I was fully recovered in two weeks. I wore the binder for a month without taking it off. I got really used to it. When I took it off, I could feel that my abdominal muscles had weakened a lot. My stomach was super soft, and my abs were basically useless.

It wasn't until a month later that I went dancing, but I still wore the binder. The next time I went, I took it off.

I was eager to get back to some physical activity, as I felt like an astronaut after being weightless, and my muscles were losing tone really quickly.

- Three months later

I'm feeling great now. The only reminder of the surgery is the scar around my belly button. I applied contractubex to it, but I didn't notice any significant improvement.

Now my stomach looks like this:

Hernia Repair Reviews Hernia Repair Reviews

- Final Verdict

I'm glad I went ahead with the surgery. To be honest, the umbilical hernia wasn't causing me too much trouble, but the doctor convinced me it was a problem that needed to be fixed, warning me about the risk of strangulation.

As an adult, an umbilical hernia isn't something that's going to resolve on its own, so surgery is the only option.

If you're a candidate for the procedure, don't hesitate. The whole process is surprisingly quick, and your body recovers fast, too. Before you know it, you'll be forgetting all about the discomfort.

- Thanks for sticking with me!

- Take care of yourselves!

live_helpFeatured FAQ

What are the signs of an umbilical hernia?

An umbilical hernia can cause a bulge or lump around the belly button, which can be painful or uncomfortable. If you notice any changes in your belly button or surrounding area, it's a good idea to get checked out by a doctor. In my case, I had a weird belly button shape, but it wasn't until I started experiencing some other symptoms that I realized something was off.

How long does it take to recover from hernia surgery?

Recovery time can vary depending on the individual, but I was back on my feet within a week or so. It's essential to follow your doctor's instructions and take it easy for a bit to ensure a smooth recovery. I had to take it easy for a few weeks, but I was able to get back to my normal routine pretty quickly.

Is hernia surgery painful?

Honestly, the pain was pretty manageable for me. I had some discomfort and pain after the surgery, but it was nothing that couldn't be managed with pain meds. It's essential to discuss your pain management options with your doctor beforehand to ensure you're prepared.

Can you get an umbilical hernia from giving birth?

Yes, it's possible to get an umbilical hernia from giving birth, especially if you have a larger baby or if your belly button is more prominent. I had a big baby, and my belly button was pretty prominent after giving birth, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

How common are umbilical hernias in women?

Umbilical hernias are more common in women, especially after giving birth. It's estimated that up to 20% of women experience some kind of umbilical hernia after pregnancy. Mine was a bit of a surprise, but I'm glad I got it checked out and treated.

What are the risks of not treating an umbilical hernia?

If left untreated, an umbilical hernia can cause complications like bowel obstruction or strangulation, which can be life-threatening. It's essential to get it checked out and treated by a doctor to avoid any potential complications.

Can you prevent umbilical hernias?

While there's no surefire way to prevent umbilical hernias, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly can help reduce the risk. I was pretty active during my pregnancy, but I still ended up with a hernia. It's essential to talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have.

How much does hernia surgery cost?

The cost of hernia surgery can vary depending on your location, insurance, and the complexity of the procedure. Mine was a bit of a financial hit, but I'm glad I got it treated. It's essential to discuss your financial options with your doctor beforehand to ensure you're prepared.

What should I expect during the recovery period?

During the recovery period, you can expect some discomfort and pain, but it should be manageable with pain meds. It's essential to follow your doctor's instructions and take it easy for a bit to ensure a smooth recovery. I had to take it easy for a few weeks, but I was able to get back to my normal routine pretty quickly.