After going a whole week with the scar area above my belly button being very sore and red, I decided it was time to get it checked out. Especially as a sizable lump had appeared over the weekend. So yesterday Flor picked me up around 6pm and took me to the hospital. At first we went up to the “digestivo” ward to try and find one of my surgeons, but none of them were on duty at that time. What memories that brought back, seeing all the rooms again and the people in their beds (shudder!). After that we went over to Emergency and got on the list, then went to Nuclear Medicine to see if any of The Team were there. Imagine my relief when I saw that both Pilar and Isabel were still at work…
I showed them my “red spot” and they said it looked like a hernia and not at all like a tumour, which was a huge relief. But they said I should go back to Emergency, and Pilar said she would go back up to the ward to see which surgeons were on duty. In the end she couldn’t find anyone we knew (one doctor from my team had just been called away to do a liver transplant at another hospital) but I was instructed to wait and see what the Emergency doc had to say.
Well, first of all he looked about 14 years old! I was beginning to worry about having to rely on this young pup’s clearly limited medical opinion when one of his superiors came in during the consultation and also had a look at my belly. She confirmed it was a hernia that had become a bit infected, but that it wasn’t necessary for me to see a surgeon. And so I now have to take antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for a week and see what happens. Apparently there is a chance that they will have to operate (!!!) but it shouldn’t be anything too serious. In any case, I think I’ll ask one of The Team to set up an appointment with one of my surgeons just to get an opinion I can trust. I’ve always liked my surgeons much better than my oncologists.
After leaving Emergency I decided to take advantage of being at the hospital and went up to oncology to get my port flushed a week early, which means I won’t have to do it again until my next appointment with Dr Ana on November 17th. And after that, Flor and I went out for a couple of tapas. It was so great of her to come with me.
And there you have it. I can’t tell you how scared I was all last weekend. Barely slept a wink, thinking that this lump in my belly was a tumour and all that entailed. I’ve really got to learn how to compartmentalise better. I also need to decide whether I should go to the gym this week. Both Pilar and Isabel called me after I got home last night. Pilar said I could go if I made sure to take things really easy, but Isabel told me I should take some time off. The thing is, going to the gym is one of the main things keeping me sane lately, so I think I will go and just be really extra careful.
What do the experts say? Sled? Hmh? Gym or no gym?
(please say yes!)
casa azahar 
I can’t see how exercise would do anything but good to a hernia…. um, wait a minute!
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I concur… most likely sat too close to a man on the bus….
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G;ad that is sorted (well, so far). What is it about all these Dr. Doogies??? There were several at the hospital last night, and two at the walk-in.
Will this make you feel better?
http://isamaisie.blogspot.com/2009/10/happy-ending.html
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Absolutely go, and work around it. I am sure you can do recumbent bike, for instance. I snuck in after my one godawful major surgery, a month before I was supposed to, just to put light weights on the machines and feel the stretch and stroke the big plates. It made me heal faster.
I think you will have a pretty good radar by now as to what strains the area: the thing to avoid most is any move that makes you feel like you have to brace from inside or fix your diaphragm, because you want to avoid raising the pressure in there. Happily, from what I hear, the worst risk for damaging a surgical hernia is abruptly slamming on the brakes in a car, which is not really in your daily repertory correct?
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Though of course this means you want the resistance light on the recumbent bike (no shoving from the core). But you can work up a nice buzz without sticking in resistance intervals.
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thank goodness its ‘just’ a hernia, although painful enough I’m sure. I’d take it easy in the gym – so many things engage the core muscles in the abdomen without you really being aware and you don’t want to aggravate the herniated bit.
Also, I have it on reliable medical authority that chocolate is a tried and tested remedy for hernias… oh okay, you got me, I made that up! 😉
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Glad it is a hernia and not anything else. I agree with sledpress. Judicious exercise is indicated. Anything that increases your over all blood flow has got to be beneficial to the healing process.
Now take a deep breath. Good. Smile.
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Hate to be the voice or reason (how unlikely that is for me!) but if the hernia is abdominal, AND infected, you need to be extra careful. No external or weight-bearing stress on abdominal muscles at all until the inflammation is gone. After that, careful not to stage a repeat performance of the possible constriction. No lifting. Light core exercises mean breathing exercises, but nothing that could change the muscle positions.
Seriously — much as I love both yoga and pilates, doing them too hard aggravated and/or caused at least two of my three hernias. ;( Then I switched to working out with a physical therapist/trainer, and learned about things like the stationary cycle, the body blade, and some deep breathing exercises done flat on my back. The Pilates hundred is okay, too, Hope that helps…you could always walk to the gym and have a coffee and socialize with the Pilates social club. 😉
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Crap on a cracker, when I read this I was like, “Just what this girl needs!” Sigh…I do hope you don’t need anymore surgery – enough is enough!
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I have had two abdominal hernia ops in the last 10 years or so – they really weren’t too bad – mind you – I don’t have the sort of scar tissue etc that you do in that area.
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So glad it wasn’t what you feared
Did you get a better night’s sleep?
J sympathises. He’s seeing a surgeon tomorrow about having his midline hernia repaired.
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Hi,
Phew thats a relief! You had me worried for you and I dont even know you!
I am pleased that it has turned out to be something innoculous like a hernia. Thats the upside of worrying yourself duly that it is something really bad. If you had been worried that it was, say an out of control mosquito bite then the news of a hernia would be pretty shocking!
Stay away from the gym you loon. Dont know much about hernias and excercise but I have seen Friends enough to remember the episode with Joey and his hernia!
Take care
Nicky
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Glad to here it was good news. I really understand your need to exercise to keep sane–this from a crazy woman who ran 10 km with severe vertigo–though I only did it once. But back to you. I really think that pilates can’t be the best exercise for a hernia. Maybe some light bike riding, and what about walking? I know it isn’t the same, but maybe a good substitute while you heal.
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Well, I decided to take today off from the gym, simply because – man this thing hurts like a bugger! And I am a very high pain threshhold person. I always have to explain to doctors that when I say something hurts then it really does HURT. Also, I just had the best sleep (so the answer is yes, Teuchter)! And so I am pampering myself this morning and I hope that after 24 hours on the meds my belly will start to feel better. I usually respond very quickly to antibiotics.
Glad to hear the almost unanimous agreement that I keep going to the gym. Though I agree with woo that “so many things engage the core muscles in the abdomen without you really being aware” … and the location of the hernia (about an inch above my belly button) seems to make it almost impossible not to engage it. But as you say, Sled, the recumbent bike should be okay. I’ll just take it down a notch as the level I’m on now has quite a steep “hill” at the end.
I didn’t know you had three hernias, Gaelen. Did you need any operations? And yes, I hear ya about taking it very gently in yoga and pilates. It’s just that not one of the docs said – “oh, and drop some of that extra tonnage” – which I also know is a negative factor, not only for hernias, but also for my health in general. And well, I’m not going to lose weight sitting around doing nothing. But this has given me extra motivation to stick with the diet changes. And Pilar also told me to eat very light, with nothing too fatty or spicy, so as not to aggravate my digestive system. So I’m on the case.
Hey Nicky – nice to see you here! Yes, there is some logic in the “upside down” worrying theory. I really did work myself up into a lather over this and was so convinced they were going to stick me in a room and start running all sorts of tests (or worse – say I needed another emergency op!) that I took all kinds of stuff with me yesterday “just in case” – two books, iPod, charger cords, notebook, pens. And of course I had my trust iPhone with me. I also put together some basic toiletries and some slippers at home so Nog could bring them to the hospital with my laptop later on, and then I said a very emotional goodbye to the boys. 🙄 So yeah, I’m very happy that it’s “just” a hernia, all things considered.
I think you have a point there, Maya. When I was thinking about whether to go to pilates earlier this morning it occurred to me that I would probably have to not do most of the class, since most of the exercises do involve the core abdominal area. Yoga class will be easier to work around, I think. And yes, The Bike. Which will still be better than doing nothing.
Thanks for all your comments and good wishes, guys. 🙂
And give my best wishes to J for tomorrow, Teuchter.
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you could come over to the Havens and read all about all the stuff I have been doing in the yard and garden and do a vicarious workout. I planted my garlic today, emptied the compost bins and we started a new batch of compost.
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Az, I’m so glad it’s turned out to be a better-case scenario than feared. Still a bummer, you’ve surely had enough by now, but good news nonetheless.
Deb x
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LOL – yep, three hernias (and I’ve got another one now, which developed about three months ago. All of the first three were (finally) repaired during my surgery in 2008. Dr. Personality didn’t really want me going into surgery for a hernia repair until it was absolutely necessary. When recurrence made it necessary, Dr. Sparkly Eyes didn’t really want to do hernia repairs…except that all of them were directly in his surgical field. And y’know, since he was in the neighborhood, he fixed them.
The new one is a recurrence of the peristomal hernia, and I don’t think they’ll try to fix it. It’s not painful (yet.) But this time, I already know the deep breathing and ab contraction isometric exercises the physical therapist taught me during my last recovery, so I’m hoping to forestall things getting worse. Fingers crossed.
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Well, after all my best intentions I have missed all my yoga & pilates classes this week. Though I did go and ride The Bike yesterday and will also go today and tomorrow. I saw my pilates instructor yesterday who told me that under no circumstances should I come to class right now, though he wasn’t sure about yoga. What’s kept me from going to either is the fact that bending over is still quite painful at this time, so it probably isn’t advisable for me to even try.
I wonder if going all gung-ho at the gym this past month or so was what caused this hernia. Damned if I do…
Anyhow, am trying to get an appointment with my original surgeon, the one who did the colon resection.
Wow, four hernias, Gaelen??? Yikes. Yeah, I don’t think anyone here is too keen on opening me up again either, and that includes me. 🙂
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