HELP! Do I have a HERNIA?

Probably a strain.

I had a hernia & there was a bulge or lump in my lower abs/groin area. At first, it didn't hurt at all (merely cosmetic).

THEN, here comes the gross part, I would get terrible cramps (like nothing I ever experienced). If I layed on my back, I could feel my "guts" going back into my body. Ewwwww!

So, I had a the surgery where the doctor inserts the mesh patch. I could barely walk for about 3-5 days. Then, it took a few weeks before I could run.

Now, 2-3 years later, I'm fine.

But, anyway, it sounds like a muscle strain.

Not a Doctor wrote:

Probably a strain.

I had a hernia & there was a bulge or lump in my lower abs/groin area. At first, it didn't hurt at all (merely cosmetic).

...

But, anyway, it sounds like a muscle strain.

Thanks.I hope you're right.

I have no bulge at all but the really sharp burning pain is freakin' me out.

Turn your head and cough

Mister Obvious wrote:

Turn your head and cough

I think there is a bit more to this...

Hey Not a Doctor, I've had a hernia for close to ten years now. Been a bit afraid of the surgery. Sounds like the recovery is about a month? How long was the surgery?

Thanks.

Oh, to the OP, yours sounds like a strain to me.

Ten years? Wow! And, no discomfort? Impressive.

I went back & forth about getting the surgery (since, if you think about it, the human body really isn't meant to be cut open). But, when the cramping began, it was a no-brainer.

The surgery was quick (out-patient surgery). Full-anesthesia & they simply inserted a mesh patch to hold the hernia in place. It only took the morning (from check-in to check-out).

I hobbled around for about 4-5 days or so. Remember, you can't really use your ab muscles & you'd be surprised how much you really use your abs in everyday life.

Then, the incision has to heal. They used the "superglue" to hold the incision together. This probaby took about another 3-4 weeks.

I was cautious--perhaps even too cautious--about starting to run again. But, I took about a month to "get back on the horse" (so to speak). Easy, aerobic running.

My only advice is take a few days off from work. I got it done on a Friday & thought I could be back to work on Monday. NO WAY! I'm a high school teacher & I rememeber trying to "hold myself up" only using my back muscles & it was terrible. I started taking half-days for a couple more days after that. I probably should have went back to work on Wednesday or Thurday (or later).

Good luck!

Thanks for the two of you who giving me hope that I just have a strain.

Any other hernia victims willing to share their symptoms to make me feel better?

You need to get to a very, very good doctor. Not your general practitioner or run of the mill sports med guy. See someone who is a hernia surgeon.

I thought I had a hernia a few years ago after getting very sore in the groin region after speed work and on long runs. I went to the doctor. Doctor said I had ignuinal hernia on both sides. I booked an appointment with the surgeon for a few weeks later and quit running. The surgeon said no hernia. CT scan confirmed. Dr. said it was probably a sports hernia. After a few more weeks of rest, everything was fine.

Speed work, especially short hard intervals, puts a lot of stress on the lower abdominals from the hard accelleration and decelaration. That can cause strains and tears to the lower abdominal at the insertion. The pain feels like a hernial.

The bad news is that a sports hernia can be a bad chronic injury if you do not rest it and get it treated. The good news is that if you catch it early enough and let it heal, you will be good to go without surgery in a few weeks.

Best prevention measure is to avoid sudden starts to fast intervals. Set yourself up a few steps behind the start line on the track and let yourself slowly accellerate into each rep. Also, give yourself plenty of room to gradually slow down.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I actually had a Sports hernia (athletic pubalgia) repaired about 7 years ago by Dr. Meyers in Philly. It worked like a charm. So, I know what that feels like and this pain is completely different. It is much higher up on the abdomen along the inguinal line and has no corresponding adductor or testicular pain.

What concerns me is how sharp and excruciating the pain is when I do something to set off. It's odd that palpation can set it off but slow running does not hurt. I'm hoping that I have a strain or some fibers torn and it will get progressively better the next couple of days. If in a week it is not better I'll find a doc, I suppose.

From the people I have talked to and read here) so far, my symptoms don't match up with what most people who have an inguinal hernia have experienced, which makes me feel better.

You don't need to freak out just yet. It sounds a bit different from what I and the others have experienced, so I think it may just be a strain. The Mayoclinic has some good information here:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/inguinal-hernia/DS00364

Wikipedia has some decent information and pictures of where it appears.

Where is it by the way and do you have a fever?

Some decades ago I had a bilateral inguinal hernia, which is basically two hernias: one on the left and one on the right. I had been doing leg lifts and was laying down on the weight bench instead of sitting up. Yes, it was a stupid thing to do. It hurt right away and there was a bulge that I could push back in. It hurt more and more as time went on, and after a few weeks it was difficult to stand up straight for any length of time. So, if it doesn't go away then you should have a doctor look at it. But, you don't have to immediately run out and get it fixed.

I think that you should take a break from crunches and leg lifts. If it's a strain you'll just aggravate it and still won't know the cause and if it's a hernia then you'll make it worse. If the pain lasts then I think you should have a doctor examine it. If it turns out to be a hernia then the doctor/surgeon can give you an idea on whether or not you need to have surgery soon or can wait.

In case you don't already know, the bulge is a symptom of a direct hernia. The small intestine breaks through the abdominal wall and fascia and pushes in between abdominal muscles. This is why you can sometimes temporarily push the bulge back in place. You should be able to push the bulge back in place with a small bit of pressure with one or two fingers. If you can't, and you haven't had it examined, then you should definitely have it examined at that point. There's also something called an "indirect" hernia. This is where the hernia pushes down and you might see a slight bulge between your body and the testicle. This kind of hernia is more likely to happen to runners.

I did have surgery on my hernias. If you have a hernia on just one side than recovery is not so bad because you can use the other side of your body to compensate. If you wind up having surgery I suggest that you get specific instructions about lifting and running after the surgery and follow them exactly. A few months after the surgery I was bailing out a flooded basement and ruptured it again (doubly stupid). The ruptures were smaller and this time I waited 2 years to get it fixed. Again, the point being that you don't need to freak out right away that it's a hernia.

Good luck and I hope it gets better.

Thanks for the reply.

Mine hurts where an inguinal hernia would be but I have no bulge, which is a good sign. I have no fever or any of the symptoms of a trapped colon, so that is good too. I could be the indirect one but no bulge there either.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm hopeful this is just muscle strain and it'll improve over the next few days.