Hernia question...

[HalloweenMan]

ok, right above my belly button, there is a lump, you cant see it, but you can feel it, its squishy and moves in if you poke it and if i flex my abs it sticks out way more and hurts just a little.  so today it hurt noticably more so i went to the doctor and they said maybe its a hernia and i have to see a specialist on thursday.  what should i expect?  has anyone had something like this and can tell me about it?  it never hurts bad, past the point of being a minor ache for more than a minute or so and the only time i really notice it is when i strain real hard while lifting and then it doesnt even hurt really.  if it ends up being a hernia, how long will i be out after they fix it? 
ok any input would be much appreciated. 

[triple_pickle]

i had exactly the same thing fixed last summer, an epigastric hernia.  i had had it for some 15 years, it never bothered me, doctors thought it was a lump of fat or a separated ab muscle so i never consulted a surgeon until it hurt for the first time.  the surgery was a peanut, went in at 5am, got picked up at 11am.  the first two weeks are hell, you fart and it feels like your gut is about to explode inside.   can't push shit or piss out either so prepare for long bathroom time     i was back in the gym in 12 weeks, although took it easy for another 4 weeks, just to be on the safe side.  the good thing is that i stopped using the belt as the buckle was pressing against the scar which was quite painful.  right now i use it only for the heaviest squat and deadlift set, and even then not always.

[!@#$%]

ok, right above my belly button, there is a lump, you cant see it, but you can feel it, its squishy and moves in if you poke it and if i flex my abs it sticks out way more and hurts just a little.  so today it hurt noticably more so i went to the doctor and they said maybe its a hernia and i have to see a specialist on thursday.  what should i expect?  has anyone had something like this and can tell me about it?  it never hurts bad, past the point of being a minor ache for more than a minute or so and the only time i really notice it is when i strain real hard while lifting and then it doesnt even hurt really.  if it ends up being a hernia, how long will i be out after they fix it? 
ok any input would be much appreciated. 

Sounds like what I had, but mine didn't hurt at all. It went away after a couple of months.

[triple_pickle]

Sounds like what I had, but mine didn't hurt at all. It went away after a couple of months.

hernias don't go away, must have been something else

[D-bol]

ok, right above my belly button, there is a lump, you cant see it, but you can feel it, its squishy and moves in if you poke it and if i flex my abs it sticks out way more and hurts just a little.  so today it hurt noticably more so i went to the doctor and they said maybe its a hernia and i have to see a specialist on thursday.  what should i expect?  has anyone had something like this and can tell me about it?  it never hurts bad, past the point of being a minor ache for more than a minute or so and the only time i really notice it is when i strain real hard while lifting and then it doesnt even hurt really.  if it ends up being a hernia, how long will i be out after they fix it? 
ok any input would be much appreciated. 

hey i'm not a doc, but 5 years ago they told me I need surgery for 2 hernias...I said fuk that, took some rest and trained little more carefully - 5 y down the line, I can still feel it, but it doesn't give me much problems - think the abs kinda tucked them back in;) As long as there's no inflamation imo you can be fine.
The docs most likely will tell you to go under the knife - that's how they make most money.

[Princess L]

Trying to figure out just what a hernia is, I stumbled across this 

It said there is just about no limit on how big a hernia can get if left untreated