Suggest Treatment For Reccuring Hernia

Posted on Sun, 26 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 26 Jan 2014 Answered on

Sat, 15 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : had a umbilical hernia 20 years ago first op doc forgot to put mesh in , it recurred after a few years, mesh then put in, but two years later i was envolved in a car accident, a small bubble became noticable a few weeks later well to the left side, this over the last twelve years as grown somewhat say the size of half a tennis ball protruding. I am now 64 and worry when playing with my grand children that i may make things worse, Still no pain unless punched with a stray leg whilst carrying one of the children. I;m self employed so have to cover for long term out of work infact a week is too long therefore I need some advise, can;t stop playing with children though.

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. Umbilical hernia repair does not need mesh insertion. Usually simple stitching is enough. If the hernia recurs, like at your case, than mesh insertion can be considered. So this is not a doctors mistake that you didnt have the mesh with the first surgery. This is very common. Now if its about your present condition, it seems that your hole in the abdominal wall is large as it was constantly widen through many years. In such case, when the hole is large, the risk that something will stuck there is low. And hernia stuck is what you should be afraid of. So in simple words, your hernia is large enough to let intestines and fatty tissues freely protrude and get back. You can check it by sticking two fingers in the hernia to see if its soft, painless and you can freely push it inside. If not, than probably the hole is small. If you have any doubts, please have an ultrasound of this area which can determine the size of hernia and if it has stuck or not. The best solution for you is a surgery. But I assume that you are unable to have it. I understand that. Playing with children (lifting) makes hernia worse indeed. The best you can do, is to have a hernia belt (like Umbilical hernia belt) and wear it when lifting. This should hold the hernia inside and should stop whole process. But still to fix it, surgery is the only solution. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar