Anyone had the operation?
I have lived with my pea-sized umbilical hernia since February when it popped out doing weighted incline sit-ups. I waited until my competition was out of the way before arranging the op which happens 3 weeks next Monday.
I’m looking for advice about recovery time, when to return to training, & any funny stories!
I’ve had one for the past 15 years and perform regular heavy lifts w/o a belt that sure stress the lower abdominal wall (e.g., squats, deadlifts, weighted swiss ball crunches). Other than a slight visual thing, I forget that I have it; furthermore, it has never changed in size or appearance since I first noticed it. My question to you then is: unless it bothers you or is getting worse, why go throught an operation with all the associated risks involved such as infection, recovery, etc.?
Thanks for your comments & I understand your points.
My hernia gets bigger when my stomach or bladder get full, and I have been getting some pain from it at times. I worry that it might get strangulated in the future or if I get punched in the stomach it could cause major problems.
It isn’t going to go away so I prefer to get it sorted. I will let you know how it goes.
you are gonna be looking at around 6-8 week recovery time till you can start training hard.its not that bad after the first week
I had my op this morning with great service from the NHS. It was interesting to note that the surgeon, anaesthetist, & nurses were all Polish. The nurse who did my pre-med made it all worthwhile!
I was scared as hell about having a general anaesthetic but it was fine 
The incision is a bit sore but I have been for a 10 minute walk, and I will manage my recovery,nutrition, & new training properly. I am going back onto my pre-comp diet to keep the flab off!
I’ve had the same hernia for 5 years. Doc said to get it fixed but I never got around to it. It has not gotten any worse. I probably won’t do anything about it. I understand that if it ever gets larger and “pinched off” from the rest of the intestine, there will be so much pain, you will not be able to wait. Good luck.
I think I have a similar problem. Can you tell us a bit about the operation?
Time taken for the op, time in hospital, anything your doc has imparted to you since your original post.
After the pre-med by a beautiful Polish nurse, I walked into the operating theatre at 9.50, heard the anaethestist say good night, and I woke up in the recovery room at 10.50. After a cup of tea and 3 bourbon biscuits, I left at 11.30 when my wife drove me home.
My hernia was just above the bellybutton where the linea alba (vertical line of the sixpack) had split. They made the external incision between the hernia and the bellybutton, disected the sac that the body produces around the lump of bowel, put the lump back inside, and stitched the linea alba together again, & stiched me up.
I was back home at 12.30 on Monday lunchtime & went for 2 five-minute walks that afternoon. On Tuesday I walked for 30 mins around town, did the same on Wednesday, fastwalked for 2 miles in 36 mins on Thursday, yesterday I fastwalked 3 miles in 42 mins, and today I am going to slow walk for 90 mins
On the pain scale with 10 being the worst, I reckon that Monday was a 9 (with painkillers), Tuesday & Wednesday was between 5 and 7 (with half painkillers), and since then it has been between 1 and 3 with no painkillers. The only discomfort is from rotational movement.
They told me that small hernias around the bellybutton are the most likely to strangulate which means great pain & immediate surgery, so…have it sorted!
My op was done at one of the new National Health Service Treatment Centres & I was highly impressed by the speed of both appointment & operation, professionalism, & that Polish nurse!
[quote]duke wrote:
I think I have a similar problem. Can you tell us a bit about the operation?
Time taken for the op, time in hospital, anything your doc has imparted to you since your original post.[/quote]
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Thanks for the info.
So, they didn’t put mesh in? I thought they used mesh now to fix these things and the mesh is supposed to be permanent as opposed to stitches that can allow the hernia to re-occur.
I know stuff all about this so please take this as a question, not a comment on your surgery.
The split in my linea alba was only 1cm long and as it was such a small repair the surgeon preferred to use stitches. He said he would have used mesh for a bigger repair or for someone who didn’t have abs like mine! 
[quote]duke wrote:
Thanks for the info.
So, they didn’t put mesh in? I thought they used mesh now to fix these things and the mesh is supposed to be permanent as opposed to stitches that can allow the hernia to re-occur.
I know stuff all about this so please take this as a question, not a comment on your surgery.
[/quote]
It’s an outpaitent procedure and the downside to not having it fixed is if the intestine gets pinched in the hernia you could get a nasty infection and or sepsis. Mine was fixed 18 months ago and it was a breeze, no pain whatsoever…
Thanks for the info.
I’ve just done a light weights circuit and 10 mins on the treadmill, just 6 days after the op. Apart from one stitch which is pulling a bit, I have no discomfort whatsover. So, for anyone who needs reassurance about getting their bellybuttons mended - get it done!
hey, im in a similar situation as you were and am wondering about possible scarring.
How do your abs now look post-surgury? Do you have any photos? Thanks.
The scar wouldn’t show up on a photo which says enough. It is situated just above the bellybutton and is about one inch across.
It is amost invisble now after 7 months. I am really pleased to have had the operation, especially from an aesthetic point of view.
Best wishes
[quote]MP1 wrote:
hey, im in a similar situation as you were and am wondering about possible scarring.
How do your abs now look post-surgury? Do you have any photos? Thanks. [/quote]