Question:
how do you know if you might have a hernia

Ihave been doing what I am suppose to but I see a lot of people have hernias, how do you know if you might have one, what are some of the major symptoms?    — Natasha L. (posted on May 2, 2001)

May 2, 2001
I'm not exactly sure what they feel like but I asked my doctor about them as I was worried.....he said if you press around the site and bear down as if you are having a BM, a hernia would pop out. Good luck to you.
   — Jo C.

May 5, 2001
I have had three hernias - two of them were where my C-Section (I had four C-Sections) incision kept coming "undone" at one end and caused an incisional hernia. In that case, one side of my lower abdomen just "hung lower" than the other side. It didn't hurt. I had surgery twice to repair those - the second time with surgical mesh inserted to hold it altogether...that was in '97 - so far so good. I also have an umbilical hernia that I've had for probably 10 years (I'm going to finally have it repaired with my Open VBG on June 11th) - When I lay flat on my back and strain, or push (like trying to pass gas or bowel movement)it pops straigt up - you can see it very distictly. Or lay flat on back and, without raise head off table and legs off table (without bending knees) at the same time - same effect - hernia pops up...
   — Cathy J.