The Hernia Hokey Pokey
February 24, 2012 6:31 PM Subscribe
Tell me about the time you pushed your hernia back in...
Ok, so this is the second time now that I have increased my veggie intake and decreased my garbage food intake and ended up with stomach pains.
***Backstory you can probably skip***
In May I did ten days of mostly vegetables and ended up with the symptoms of gall stones. The ultrasound came back normal. I went back to eating crap and the pain went away.
So at the beginning of this month I started another ten day (btw, this is something I do a couple times a year for the last 5 years) and the same gallstone symptoms started. The doctor suspected acid reflux, which I have had in the past, gave me a sample pack of some blue pills that start with a D that I can't remember the name of, and told me after those five pills run out to take 2 x 150mg of Zantac each day.
I had been prescribed Prevacid in the past but these recent symptoms feel nothing like acid reflux to me at all. There is no burning feeling, indigestion, or acid in my throat. The pain that made me go for an ultrasound feels like stabbing pains and spasms below the solar plexus area. It is painful to bend over or roll over at night.
The pain did go away in three days and I took the Zantac as prescribed for almost a week. Then yesterday morning this pain in my belly button started. I have had a hernia there for 16 years and the doctors I had seen early on said not to worry about it unless it was causing me pain. It's never really been an issue, until now.
Just touching the skin of my belly button hurts. My stomach is extremely bloated. It's the same type of pain that was in the solar plexus area but in my belly button. I can't bend over or lay on my side etc.
****The Meat and Potatoes Starts Here****
So I saw the doctor again this morning and he tried to push the hernia and I immediately burst into tears it hurt so bad. He told me that I would have to go home and try to push it in myself. He said it would be better if I did it because then I can control the pain. He said if I can't get it in and the pain does not go away by tomorrow morning that I should go to the ER.
I will absolutely go to the ER tomorrow, but about this DIY maneuver... Um, I really, really, don't think I can do this. First of all because of the pain but it also feels like a really bad idea. Have you ever pushed your hernia back in? Should I just suck it up and try? I know somethings got to give but I have serious misgivings about this.
Ok, so this is the second time now that I have increased my veggie intake and decreased my garbage food intake and ended up with stomach pains.
***Backstory you can probably skip***
In May I did ten days of mostly vegetables and ended up with the symptoms of gall stones. The ultrasound came back normal. I went back to eating crap and the pain went away.
So at the beginning of this month I started another ten day (btw, this is something I do a couple times a year for the last 5 years) and the same gallstone symptoms started. The doctor suspected acid reflux, which I have had in the past, gave me a sample pack of some blue pills that start with a D that I can't remember the name of, and told me after those five pills run out to take 2 x 150mg of Zantac each day.
I had been prescribed Prevacid in the past but these recent symptoms feel nothing like acid reflux to me at all. There is no burning feeling, indigestion, or acid in my throat. The pain that made me go for an ultrasound feels like stabbing pains and spasms below the solar plexus area. It is painful to bend over or roll over at night.
The pain did go away in three days and I took the Zantac as prescribed for almost a week. Then yesterday morning this pain in my belly button started. I have had a hernia there for 16 years and the doctors I had seen early on said not to worry about it unless it was causing me pain. It's never really been an issue, until now.
Just touching the skin of my belly button hurts. My stomach is extremely bloated. It's the same type of pain that was in the solar plexus area but in my belly button. I can't bend over or lay on my side etc.
****The Meat and Potatoes Starts Here****
So I saw the doctor again this morning and he tried to push the hernia and I immediately burst into tears it hurt so bad. He told me that I would have to go home and try to push it in myself. He said it would be better if I did it because then I can control the pain. He said if I can't get it in and the pain does not go away by tomorrow morning that I should go to the ER.
I will absolutely go to the ER tomorrow, but about this DIY maneuver... Um, I really, really, don't think I can do this. First of all because of the pain but it also feels like a really bad idea. Have you ever pushed your hernia back in? Should I just suck it up and try? I know somethings got to give but I have serious misgivings about this.
Is it possible you have an incarcerated hernia? If so, get thee to an ER sooner, not later!
I am not a doctor, not your doctor etc.
posted by lulu68 at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2012
I am not a doctor, not your doctor etc.
posted by lulu68 at 6:51 PM on February 24, 2012
Egad. This question reads like it was written by Chuck Palahniuk. I'd stay away from that doctor and everything he suggests. I can only imagine what he suggests for appendicitis.
posted by 4ster at 7:00 PM on February 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by 4ster at 7:00 PM on February 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
I have a buddy who pushed his own hernia in for weeks so as to control the pain while moving around? But it didn't sound this bad, and he was scheduled for surgery. Don't do anything you have severe misgivings about and that causes you great pain. And head for the ER early in the morning (it's less likely to be busy than later in the day and less crazy than Friday night). Unless, of course, you feel worse, in which case go ASAP.
posted by ldthomps at 7:11 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by ldthomps at 7:11 PM on February 24, 2012
He told me that I would have to go home and try to push it in myself. He said it would be better if I did it because then I can control the pain. He said if I can't get it in and the pain does not go away by tomorrow morning that I should go to the ER.
Just go to the ER. That doctor sounds nuts. I also think it's always worth getting a thorough look-see with a hernia, since my father nearly died from a strangulating hernia several years ago. It is really easy to make mistakes about what's going on in there without proper diagnostics.
posted by Miko at 7:33 PM on February 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
Just go to the ER. That doctor sounds nuts. I also think it's always worth getting a thorough look-see with a hernia, since my father nearly died from a strangulating hernia several years ago. It is really easy to make mistakes about what's going on in there without proper diagnostics.
posted by Miko at 7:33 PM on February 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
Yeah, wow, I'm not your doctor either, etc., but I do have an umbilical hernia and what I've been told is that I would Know, by pain, discoloration, and instinct, if it had started to strangulate and thus require immediate attention at the ER. It sounds to me like you know, which is why you went to the doctor today. So here's your Metafilter Reality Check: six for six of us (so far) say "Go to the ER right now. Please."
posted by gubenuj at 8:11 PM on February 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by gubenuj at 8:11 PM on February 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
That doc sounds nuts. I think you should go to the ER.
posted by batmonkey at 8:42 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by batmonkey at 8:42 PM on February 24, 2012
WOW! This should be a surgical procedure, complete with anesthesia. Lose Dr. Pain, go to the emergency room!
posted by oceanjesse at 9:31 PM on February 24, 2012
posted by oceanjesse at 9:31 PM on February 24, 2012
I think if they can be pushed back in easily they are not painful.
In other words, the pain -such bad pain- means that you need some medical help.
My sister has one that she pushed in once-painlessly. She said it felt like something was slurpoing back into her body. Really wierd, but not painful.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:13 PM on February 24, 2012
In other words, the pain -such bad pain- means that you need some medical help.
My sister has one that she pushed in once-painlessly. She said it felt like something was slurpoing back into her body. Really wierd, but not painful.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:13 PM on February 24, 2012
Now I want to know if you're okay - I hope you'll check back in!
posted by batmonkey at 11:44 AM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by batmonkey at 11:44 AM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I think I'll echo what others are saying and advise going to the ER.
The last time I heard about someone trying to fix their own hernia was a few months ago. Apparently the fellow was an anatomist, and he self-diagnosed himself with an inguinal hernia (aka a bulge in the groin), which was fair enough, but then he proceeded to try to repair it himself. Lessons he learned from this:
1. Inguinal hernias are not repaired by cutting open the scrotum.
2. If you're trying to do surgery on yourself and not succeeding, it's ok to call an ambulance.
3. If you're too stubborn to call an ambulance, at least go to the ER or a doctor in short order, rather than just stitching yourself up and waiting for massive scrotal infection to set in.
posted by greatgefilte at 1:05 PM on February 25, 2012
The last time I heard about someone trying to fix their own hernia was a few months ago. Apparently the fellow was an anatomist, and he self-diagnosed himself with an inguinal hernia (aka a bulge in the groin), which was fair enough, but then he proceeded to try to repair it himself. Lessons he learned from this:
1. Inguinal hernias are not repaired by cutting open the scrotum.
2. If you're trying to do surgery on yourself and not succeeding, it's ok to call an ambulance.
3. If you're too stubborn to call an ambulance, at least go to the ER or a doctor in short order, rather than just stitching yourself up and waiting for massive scrotal infection to set in.
posted by greatgefilte at 1:05 PM on February 25, 2012
Response by poster: So in the end I did not even attempt to push it in myself. The doctor in the ER did it with ease. She did cheat a little bit by administering an award winning combination of morphine and anesthesia before doing so, but I won't dock her points for that.
I'm still a little sore but overall much better. I will be meeting with a surgeon for a consultation so hopefully I never have to go through this again.
Thanks everyone!
posted by it's a long way to south america at 11:46 AM on February 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'm still a little sore but overall much better. I will be meeting with a surgeon for a consultation so hopefully I never have to go through this again.
Thanks everyone!
posted by it's a long way to south america at 11:46 AM on February 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Leezie at 6:46 PM on February 24, 2012 [1 favorite]