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Umbilical Hernia
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Firstly, I am already Post Surgery and generally recovering pretty well. However, I searched umbilical hernia in the forum and got no recent hits so I thought I would share my experience.
31, M, 160lbs, 6', Tri'n since 2009.

Raced Boise 70.3 on June 13th as my second race of the season. My first race of the season was a bust and Boise was nice a consistent effort to get me back on track. I didn't suffer anything unusual during the race other than a bit of asthma after the Sunscreeners in T2 were using the spray sunscreen and I inhaled a good lung-full. Post race however I noticed some chaffing coming from the mid-riff and looked down to see my normally innie belly button was now more of an outtie and was able to push it back into my stomach. There was no pain but I decided to schedule an appointment and WebMD myself. Per WebMD I either had Prostate Cancer and was going to die or it was an Umbilical Hernia (and I was going to die). Quick doc appt and confirmed Umbilical Hernia. Got a recommendation to a local surgeon, vetted him with a couple nurse friends, and made the appt for a consultation. The consultation wasn't until Monday June 22nd, 9 days after the original incident. That Sunday (the 21st) there was a local Oly I wanted to race and I took the approach that I wasn't explicitly told not to race so I went out and went hard for a 2nd Place finish. Still no pain, no issues, a slight bulge had formed again and again I just pushed it back through.

Monday the 22nd I went into the consult with the Surgeon and immediately upon first look he too confirmed that an Umbilical Hernia had formed and that it was at this point not of serious concern. We went through my options and he recommended that I would at some point need surgery to repair the tear. He mentioned that with reduced activity and intensity that I could manage this for quite some time and still be able to enjoy the full offering of summer time fun. Although, with the level of activity I was accustomed to that I go ahead and get this repaired before making a larger tear. He had one slot left (after a cancellation) for Surgery that Friday June 26th. Otherwise, his next available was July 17th and I opted to get it done sooner rather than later as the expected recovery time was quoted at no activity for 3-4 days, walking from 4-10, and then light activity stopping at the first sign of pain through day 30. Also no lifting any items over 30 lbs for the entirety of the of the first 30 days.

June 26th rolls around, I work a half day, head home, walk the dog, get picked up by the fam and taken to the surgery center. Other than being the very last appointment of the day for the entire complex and developing a bit of a dehydrated hanger I am calm and relaxed. The Anesthesiologist is an avid cyclist and the last thing I remember talking about is his Cervelo S3 and my QRoo CD01 as I was anesthetized. The next thing I remember is talking to a nurse and the Anesthesiologist about tiny penguins swimming in a pool in my backyard. Apparently I am a terrific patient for anesthesia.

The Surgery:
2 small incisions were made below my belly button for the Laproscopic Procedure which in total took about 20 minutes. A small bit of intestine had pushed through I was told was about the size of a small marble, this was corrected, the tear was sutured and then the placement of a small mesh insert to reinforce the suture was applied. The surgeon said he injected some local anesthetic to the area of the surgery for pain. I would miss this the day after. I was sent off with a prescription for Vicodin and Senokot.

Evening of surgery was just dandy had a bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries with some ginger ale. Was able to slowly move up and down my stairs and was put to bed at 9pm. I should note that I have a fully adjustable tempur-pedic memory foam bed that was situated so that I was in a mostly seated position. This would be a huge help as I was able to position myself up or down with the push of a button. Took a narcotic and slept all night.

I spent the weekend in bed with 3 fans on (it was 90 degrees and in the NW no one has AC), watching Netflix, and ordering takeout. I showered Saturday and was instructed I could remove the bandage. Sunday was just like Saturday. By Monday I was semi-mobile but stayed home and worked from bed. I was able to make my way around hunched over as standing up straight felt like my stomach was being painfully stretched taut. Getting in and out of bed was getting easier and taking deep breathes wasn't so bad. Laughing though... Don't do anything that will make you laugh, or cough, or sneeze, or hiccup. Watching the last episode of Top Gear with your buddies might be a painfully funny experience.

Tuesday, I got up and got ready for work when... Wah Wah, I wasn't able to button any of my pants, the swelling from the incision was enough that I know what I would look like with a beer belly. I've been a size 30-31 since college and don't have any fat pants. I ended up wearing my Zoot running pants as the waist band is elastic and only semi-acceptable option for work. I went into the office, still hunched and walking he 1/4 mile from parking to my desk was a strain. Though it was definitely better than Monday. I spent the rest of the day in my chair rolling around from meeting to meeting to the bathroom to the kitchen onto the elevator and off. I left early-ish (2pm) went home took a pain pill and a nap. Wednesday same thing though I was definitely better than Tuesday. I switched to Ibuprofen only to continue to help to relieve swelling, any pain relief at this point wasn't necessary but a bonus.

Thursday, today, I am standing mostly upright and moving much better. Continuing with the ibuprofen and wearing real pants! The incision site is healing nicely and with the exception of sitting for a while then getting up I am able to move pretty freely. I plan to take it easy through Day 10 then start walking as exercise, until I can slow jog, slow jog till I can add some speed (pain free) and so on.

My decision to get this done now was simple in my mind. The smaller the issue to repair, the faster it will heal, the less invasive the procedure, the less foreign material (mesh and stitches) they insert. I'll miss my favorite local sprint tri but should be back in time for Lake Stevens even if it is a slow year and maybe even get in a late season race.
Last edited by: SoberBySaturday: Jul 2, 15 12:31
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [SoberBySaturday] [ In reply to ]
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Glad to hear you're doing OK. I had inguinal hernia surgery on 6/16 after racing Boulder 70.3. My story is similar, I had no bulge of any kind so docs were hesitant to diagnose a hernia until an ultrasound and CT scan verified its existence. I had open surgery instead of laproscopic, now I've got a righteous 3-4" incision scar as a reminder. I had my two week follow up on Tuesday, the surgeon said everything looks fine and my remaining symptoms he said are normal. My only restriction is lifting anything heavy. I swam yesterday, which was really weird feeling, and ran today. I got 3 miles in. The incision site and left nut hurt a bit when I started running but the pain subsided pretty quickly and I felt pretty good for 2.5 miles.

I took the good pain meds for 5 days, then cut them out during the day so I could go to work, but continued to take them at night for a few more days then cut them altogether. I also took ibuprofen, full dose, 3-x a day until this past Tuesday then stopped. Haven't really needed it. The incision site is still swollen and uncomfortable, but very tolerable. Each day is a little better.

I've got a race scheduled 7/26, sprint distance. I may not do as well as last year, but if my recovery keeps progressing as it has I think I'll be pain free in another 7-10 days and ready to try some harder workouts.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [SoberBySaturday] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for this informative post. I'm glad to have found it when I searched the forum for 'umbilical hernia.' I've just been diagnosed with a minor umbilical hernia and am in the process of deciding how to proceed. I've yet to consult with the surgeon, but the general practitioner that gave me the diagnosis indicated that it seems like a minor tear so, as with your case, I could wait for a while before having it fixed if I decided. There is some discomfort in my case, however, so I'm predisposed to get it fixed sooner than later, especially since there is still a good amount of time for me to recover and participate in some races later in the year.


I'm wondering if you have any more information about your recovery. More specifically, how long did it take you to get back to 100%? Do you have any lingering affects from the surgery? You mentioned that your surgeon implanted the mesh to reinforce the tear. Can you ever feel the presence of the mesh, i.e. if you bend forward can you feel it bunching up or anything like that? Anything you'd do differently if you were to go through the process again? Thanks much for any additional thoughts or insight you can provide.
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [triD] [ In reply to ]
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Hey TriD,

I decided to proceed with the surgery right away, knowing myself I didn't want to end up in a position where I made it worse. Cause I would have.

As to getting back to 100%, my story took a path of completely unrelated events that lead to the end of my season in August.

Although, I can say that for the first 3 days you will be sore, very sore. I'd like to thank my TempurPedic adjustable bed for helping me to sit up and lay down. Also, they will give you a stool softener, it assists with the pain meds as they can have undesired affects on gastrointestinal track. Take it until you are not sore. If you do not you will find out very quickly why it is a good idea. If they do not prescribe something find the OTC Senokot. Now onto the recovery. From day 1 I could get around my house by myself but I was up and walking around albeit like an old man on day 4. And by walking around I mean a quarter of mile. The first few weeks standing up straight will make your stomach feel like it's stretched completely taut, but that will subside with some time. My doctor said the major activities to avoid were those that involved lifting anything and to get up and start walking as soon as possible. Days 4-7 that was limited to small bouts at a time which was better than Netflix in bed or rolling around the office in my chair. If I remember I was back to easy cycling by day 10, I mean easy spinning on my trainer no aero, easy swimming by day 15, and even some jogging around then too. I ended up doing a sprint around 4 weeks out, the doctor said that if anything happened it wouldn't be from the surgery site but a new hernia and bad luck. I came out 2AG 11OA. A bit off from the 2OA in the Oly a month prior but you know surgery. I never feel as if it is bunched up but then my hernia was caught early and the mesh they inserted was smaller. Occasionally, and it lessens even more with time I can feel the stretch of the site if I do something to bow out my stomach. But it never feels in jeopardy of tearing just a bit of tightness.

I'd say I was starting to feel like my old mid season self around day 50-60, which was right in the time frame where I went out for a 13 miler, got home, was in the kitchen, fainted, hit my head, broke my finger, and via an EKG found out I have a congenital heart defect.

I am training again for the new year as it some 4-5 months later. Have seen a bunch more doctors who all say go for it. The one thing they say though is if I feel "fainty" to get as close to the ground as possible before falling to it. As for my my surgically repaired hernia, it is the last thing on my mind.
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [SoberBySaturday] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the follow up post regarding your progress after a few months of recovery. Reading about your experience has definitely put me ahead of the game as far as knowing what to expect and how long the recovery process should take, etc. I'm glad to hear that the congenital heart defect doesn't seems to be slowing you down and that you have gotten medical advice that indicates that it is OK to continue with triathlon. Although I'm sure that your heart condition will require additional monitoring/attention, at least you haven't been told that triathlon would be off limits. Thanks again for sharing your umbilical hernia experience and best of luck with training and racing!
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [triD] [ In reply to ]
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If you are interested. I got hernia repair surgery Sept 9, 2015. My whole recovery activities are documented on Strava. My first activity was a spin session on my exercise bike 4 days later. By the 18th I was back to pretty much my old scheduale except for swimming. October 20 was the first time I got in the pool and I fel pretty much 100% by then. The skin on the scar is still sticking to the repair so it looks like I have two belly buttons, and there still is a small bump where the repair was done.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/5541470
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [SoberBySaturday] [ In reply to ]
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Have been doing this repair since 1991. Hernias are not tears, doesn't really matter. Personally I have bilateral inguinal hernias, one for 20 years. Never had surgery. I do open and laparoscopic repairs. I'm good at what I do but have never recommended surgery in the "asymptomatic patient" no matter what they do. Every patient is different. I think it is crazy to recommend surgery because "it may get bigger or it WILL eventually cause problems". Last, had a 37yo male with symptomatic inguinal hernia that when he was put to sleep had major MI and died. Still haunts me 15 years later. Explain that to his wife. He was symptomatic!!! Have never regretted this approach(wait until you are symptomatic).
I'm always willing to give someone my cell if you want to call me to discuss. If you live in the Atlanta area willing to see you for free to discuss. Just want to help......

Robert
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Re: Umbilical Hernia [SoberBySaturday] [ In reply to ]
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My umbilical hernia has now become a little painful and my surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday. I have my "A" race (long course) in mid August and I am wondering what expectations I should have to returning to my full training schedule. My surgeon keeps on telling me that I will bounce back quickly and that I could start possible run/walks in 10 days. I think he is a little over confident, but I would love to hear some advice

thanks
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