Question:
What are the signs of a hernia! ???

Are there any sings of having a hernia???? All of a sudden I have this LARGE Lump on my right side, and a small one on my left side. I can litteraly grab it in my hand. It doesn't really hurt, altho when I bend down or make a sudden move towards my right, I can feel the lump and it hurts. I am 14 weeks post op, have lost about 65 pounds. all in all feeling pretty good. I am going to be calling my Doc. I just want to see what others thought, I seem to call him about every little thing, and well I didn't want to see like some crazy lady. :O)    — [Anonymous] (posted on August 24, 2001)

August 24, 2001
Hi! I had almost the same thing happen. It is not an emergency if it doesn't really hurt, although you probably want to show it to your surgeon. My lump is on the left side, just above the largest incision. I had a LAP RNY in December, and about 6 months post-op, I began to notice a lump. The lump got bigger and I went to see the surgeon. It does not hurt at all really, but I do occasionally get a weird feeling when I bend down or make a sudden move. The surgeon felt around it, pushed and prodded on it and declared that it's most likely a hernia. He said not to worry about it unless it starts to hurt. He also suggested I could have it fixed when I get a panniculectomy(sp?) (Didn't realize I was going to need one, but the surgeon is pretty positive I will :-0) Anyway, it does sound like a hernia, so I don't think you would be calling the surgeon needlessly. Good luck and congratulations on your 65 oound loss! Let us know how you do.
   — Maria H.

August 24, 2001
I had this same thing around the same time with about the same amount of weight loss. Mine was a hernia. It ended up getting to be quite painful -- felt as though my insides were about to fall out on the ground. I just had surgery last week to correct it. Most hernias do not cause problems, but if they do, it is best to get it taken care of.
   — [Anonymous]