Question:
Could this be a hernia?

I know this has been asked many times but I can't find an example just like mine. I am 2 1/2 yrs post-op Lap RNY. After surgery I was in the gym 5 or 6 days a week. I stopped going to the gym a while back and finally started back last week. Last Monday, I was in a circuit class doing 2 minutes of inclined full sit-ups. It was tough and I was struggling towards the end. Two days later I started having extreme pain below my belly button. It basically hurt to move. After more than a week it finally started feeling better and only hurt when I coughed, sneezed or sat up in bed so I went back to the gym today. When I got into a push-up position, I thought I was going to die. The pain in that one area of my lower abdomen felt like fire. I never even did an actual pushup because I dropped to the floor and barely made it to my feet. It is still hurting pretty bad 4 hours later. It only feels OK when I stand up and stretch backwards a little bit. Could that be a hernia or simply an overworked muscle. Could an abdominal muscle hurt in only one spot about the size of a palm? Any thoughts would be grately appreciated!    — Michelle_S (posted on March 15, 2006)

March 15, 2006
Maybe not a hernia, however, you may have pulled a muscle and those things hurt like the dickens. When tennis players get them, they are out for a couple of week. You may want to steer clear of doing exercises that involve use of the stomach muscles for a few weeks and just take it easy. Sit-ups aren't good for women anyway because they can cause lower back pain and doing situps in a 2 minute drill could lead to that type of injury -- that's why I dont' do circuit training. If you don't have a history of hernia, I wouldn't think that is it. My first instinct when reading your post was "pulled muscle." There is a trainer over on the GLBT board. Talk to him and see what he thinks. There maybe one on this one, I don't know, I'm not on here a lot -- just from time to time. Put some heat on your stomach, may purchase those heat pads that stick to you.
   — the7thdean

March 15, 2006
understand what a hernia is, it is a tear of smooth muscle,it may allow other tissue or organ to protrude through it, and become choked or strangulated. such as bowel through the stomach wall, dying and turning to gangreen and killing the host, (thats you), or just a little muscle like in a umblicle hernia that pops in and out, you can feel it come and go, and fix it when you get around to it. they may,hurt,or they may not, 30 percent of the population are born with hiatal hernias of the diaphram,thats why we all have gerd to some extent.
   — walter A.

March 15, 2006
This all sounds familiar to me. Before I had my gastric bypass, I had a ventral umbilical hernia repair. I lifted the top off of a basket at work and pain began. By the following day, I was in terrible pain around my belly button. I called my doctor. When I got there, I explained that I was in pain but didn't know why. She informed me that I had a ventral hernia and sent me over to see the surgeon immediately. He recommended surgery ASAP, telling me that there was a tear in my abdominal wall allowing my intestine to protrude through it. If it became pinched, it could die off and I would require emergeny surgery to resection the colon or I could die. So I had my surgery the next day. So if I were you, I'd definitely consult with a doctor. If you find out it is just a pulled muscle, then good for you. But I'd rather do that than risk serious injury, or even death, by not knowing if it is a hernia, or what type. Best wishes for health and happiness.
   — Donna F.