Possible hernia?

[SarahAnne]

I've been having some abdominal soreness that I was attributing to too much heavy lifting after surgery. I noticed in the mirror this evening that I had a very noticeable bulge where I'm having the pain. I'm pretty sure I've got a hernia and I'm freaking out about it.

I can barely move, it's really painful. I'm not crying or writhing, but doing anything involving those muscles makes me catch my breath. I'm going to call my GP on Monday to see if he can confirm what it is, and also call my GI's office. I have an appt. on Feb. 7, I'm hoping they can see me sooner.

Here's the thing...do I need to go to the ER? When do I go? I'm not running a fever, I'm not nauseous or vomiting right now, but I did have Remicade on Monday and I'm terrified of getting some crazy infection. My GI is 5 hours away, I'll go to the ER if I have to but I would prefer to NOT have surgery in this town if it can be helped at all.

If I have to have another surgery I'm going to flippin' scream! :ywow:

 

[DustyKat]

Hey Sarah,

Is the bulge near or on the incision?

Does it pop on and out or is it out all the time?

If it is a hernia infection is normally something you don't need to worry about. If you had no symptoms then usually the docs will do nothing about it, just wait and see. But if it is permanently out and you have pain then you run the risk of it strangulating. While ever you don't have vomiting or signs of obstruction then it isn't strangulated but it is something that you need to have checked sooner rather than later especially if the pain escalates.

If you are in any doubt as to what is happening then go to the ER.

Good luck!

Dusty. xxx

 

[Jacksons mommy]

Hey Sarah. This is Jackson's daddy. My wife was just hospitalized because of what you are explaining. We are in the hospital now awaiting a procedure tomorrow to insert a drain into her abscess. She formed a bulge yesterday afternoon and by this morning was double the size. Came to the er this morning and they did a CT. Original diagnosis was a hernia. General surgeon and GI teamed up and decided it was an abscess. It's is quadruple the size it was and it's extremely red. This is in her LRQ. She did not have fever and was not throwing up. We just watched it to see and it didn't take long at all to change. If I were you I would just watch until you can't take the pain any longer or start vomitting. Good luck to you. Let me know what happens

 

[SarahAnne]

The pain is in the same spot where I had my resection. My surgeon told my I had thinning of the abdominal wall which puts me at greater risk for hernias.

Dusty ~ I'm not sure exactly what you mean, there's nothing coming out of my incision, I have an obvious bulge in my LRQ. If I try pushing on it, I'm screaming in pain.

Jackson's daddy ~ Thanks for the reply, I'm hoping this isn't something that serious. Hope your wife is okay, good luck!

If it hurts any more I will go to the ER, my poor hubby is starting to freak out a bit. This kind of crap always seems to happen on a Friday night when you can't get in touch with your doctor.

 

[DustyKat]

Sorry, what I mean't was, if the bulge is very near or on your surgery scar it is most likely an incisional hernia. Further away makes it less likely and could perhaps point to your bowel being swollen and inflamed or an abscess.

Dusty. xxx

 

[SarahAnne]

I understand now, thanks! It's not incisional, this last surgery my surgeon opened me up the same way as last time, no new scar. It's vertical, about 5 1/2 inches long. The pain is to the right side of the scar, around the area of the terminal ileum (where my surgery actually was).

I feel better this morning, it's obvious it gets worse when I use those muscles. I did some lifting yesterday afternoon, it's no wonder I was in so much pain last night. I'm going to try to make it until Monday when I can see my GP. If it starts to hurt too much, or obviously gets bigger then I'm going to go to the ER.

 

[Sailorluna]

I have a small hernia from my incision. My regular doc would not see me for it. She said I had to see the surgeon. Good luck, I hope all goes well.

 

[lari]

I have had many hernias and surgeries to remove them. I have weak intestinal walls. If the bulge doesn't get a redness to it, and it doesnt get real big quickly, and the pain doesn't get real bad all of a sudden..... then there is no need for the e.r. Don't lift anything and just take it easy til you see the doctor. Good luck to you

 

[SarahAnne]

I got worried enough to go to the ER last night. I couldn't walk without doubling over, and it seemed like the pain was just getting worse. The doctor in the ER said it wasn't a hernia, he took a look at the scars all across my abdomen and mentioned adhesions. They took blood and gave me pain meds. They took some x-rays which I guess didn't reveal very much.

When my blood work came back the doctor asked if I'd ever had pancreatitis. I told him that I had it last year. He mentioned that my amylase and lipase were a little high, but he didn't think that's what it was because my pain wasn't in the right spot. He mentioned a CT and then immediately went on about the radiation and how it might not show anything. I told him I didn't want a CT and he seemed almost relieved. I got a script for bentyl, phenergen, and Lortab and was told to follow up with my GP.

He also seemed really frustrated when I told him that I didn't have a GI in town.

So I'm calling my GI on Monday to see if I can get seen sooner than Feb. 7. I just want to know what's going on!

 

[D Bergy]

I am currently in the hospital for an infection in the area you are describing. It was debated as to whether it was a hernia or abcess. A CT scan revealed a huge infection from my back muscle all the way to top of my hip.

I think you are going to need a CT to know either way.

Dan

 

[DustyKat]

Just out of curiosity Sarah, is the pain worse when you lay on your back with your right leg stretched out flat on the bed?

I don't think it was right of the doc to say that to you about the CT Sarah. It is one thing to talk about the radiation involved but another to try and discourage you from having a test that may well diagnose your problem. My son has had CT's done due to him having similar symptoms to you and they can reduce the scan down to a phase one, as they did with Matt because of his age. It ended up he had a psoas abscess and fistula.

Dusty. xxx

 

[SarahAnne]

The pain doesn't seem any worse when I lie down, it hurts when I get up if I use those abdominal muscles. The pain is worse at the end of the day after I've been moving about and doing things.

I am resting and doing very little between now and my appointment in one week. I still haven't run any fevers, I have felt a little "weird" a few times in the last two days, just very briefly. I was in the store with my kids, waiting to check out, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I got dizzy, and my heart started racing. It was almost like a panic attack. I'm worried that it's related to my blood pressure. I'm keeping close to home until I go see my GI. My mom thinks the abdominal stuff might be adhesions; I know I have quite a few, she's worried that something is pulling on the area around my surgery site.

I still haven't run a fever, and the pain hasn't gotten any worse so I am going to try not to worry and let my GI figure it out.

 

[25times]

Hey sarah, I was just diagnosed with an inguinal hernia. It's very painful, so I understand where you're coming from. When I first noticed it, I knew right away it was a hernia and I completely freaked out. I wanted to go to the ER and have it fixed immediately. I have been running a fever, had chills and nausea, since Saturday. My dr thinks it's unrelated to the hernia, but I may have C-diff again. I will be having surgery within the next couple months to correct the hernia. This is my second schedualed surgery in the next 5 months. I know that since I have crohns and other health problems, I will not bounce back as fast as healthy people do. I hope you get an answer fast. Where is the bulge located? Does it go into the groin, or near the belly button..ect? Where it's located has alot to do with what they do for it. Mine is an "indirect" hernia. Not quite sure what this means, but my dr immediately told me I would need surgery. I believe there is a type of wrap around fabric you can wear on the hernia to hold it in place and maybe minimize some pain. I'm on percocet again for the pain. It's barely helping, especially during work when I have to bend and reach alot. Hope you get it taken care of! The sooner the better, as it will give it less of a chance to become incarcerated or stangled.