Being well informed allows you to make a decision on which option you want to use for treatment of your hernia. Delays are possible if it is something your surgeon decides is right for you.

Direct inguinal hernias usually occur where the walls of the abdomen are naturally thinner in the lower part of the abdomen. It rarely protrudes down into the scrotal sack, but it can happen. These are more common in the elderly or middle-aged adults. With age, the abdominal wall weakens thus increasing the chances of getting a hernia.

Direct inguinal hernias happen when fat, part of the bladder, or an intestinal loop bulge through the weak point of the wall of the abdomen and into the inguinal canal.

Direct Inguinal Hernia symptoms

-initially it may be just a feeling of heaviness or pressure in the groin.

-symptoms appear during activities like coughing, straining, lifting, or standing on        your feet for long periods at a time.

- when the hernia gets larger, you will feel a bulge in your groin or under your skin.

-you can feel severe pain if the blood supply is cut off or a piece of the intestine gets trapped in the hernia.

Direct Inguinal Hernia Diagnosis

The diagnosis can be made by your physician usually through an interview and simple exam of the area. Sometimes an ultrasound is necessary to correctly diagnose the problem. Sometimes your doctor can not tell the difference whether it is an indirect or direct hernia until the surgery is being performed. The treatment for both types are fairl similar so the distinction beforehand is not absolutely necessary.

Direct inguinal Hernia Treatment

Inguinal hernias are not able to heal themselves. There is no medicine that will provide a cure either. Now the only possible way to repairing them is surgical intervention. Though it may not be vital to have surgery right away, it depends on the severity of pain and the size of the hernia. If your already having pain, it is likely the hernia may grow larger and give you more extreme pain over time. If there are health issues due to age or other health issues, the physician may choose to treat the patient with a truss that will have to be used on a permanent basis to keep the hernia from becoming larger.

Two Categories of Surgical Options

The most common repair choice is open surgery, this is done under local or general anesthesia. The incision is made in the area of the groin, the surgeon then pushes the organ back in place and then the repair is made in the abdominal wall by the use of stitches. A mesh may be placed over the site to provide a safeguard and warn against recurrence of the hernia.

There is also a choice of laparoscopic surgery where three small incisions are made in the lower abdomen, the abdomen then is inflated. Using tools and the laparoscope the surgeon then does the repair. Hernia surgerys are very successful and one of the most common surgical procedures done in America. Recovery can be less than two weeks, but the patient should still avoid and heavy lifting for at least six to ight weeks after the surgery is completed.

Why hesitate? Get it fixed

Unless there are reasons to prevent having the surgery, such as a heart condition or poor health all inguinal hernias need to be repaired electively. Although there is no need to rush, waiting for many months is not recommended. The longer you wait the higher the possibility of it getting larger. Not only is there risk of enlargement, there is greater risk of incarceration of the bowel that can lead to necrosis of the wall of the bowel or obstruction. Now that these hernias are frequently repaired there have been fewer incidents of these symptoms.

Inguinal Hernia Repair

Tension free techniques are used in repairing an inguinal hernia, an incision is made in the groin and through that, a mesh type material is placed. This surgery can also be done with  a laparoscope, but, in my opinion, there is no greater advantage of the laparoscope over mesh repair with an incision in the groin. These are same day procedures. I do not know why your surgeon preferred a low midline incision, perhaps due to a more complicated case that I do not appreciate. Recurrence and complication rates are low with this type of surgery.

Repair of inguinal Hernias

The only cure and treatment for an inguinal Hernia is surgery. There is no other step to a cure that is non-invasive. This is the reason that inguinal hernia repair is at the top of the list of surgical interventions  in America. It may not be necessary to perform surgery if the hernia causes no discomfort or pain. This should only be decided after speaking to your physician. There is no reason to rush into a decision if the hernia is asymptomatic and causing no discomfort.

If your hernia is easily pushed back into position, you may choose to wait for the surgery until the time is convenient for you. If the patient is a child then surgery should not wait, this is because of the possibilities of strangulation or incarceration of the hernia. Consult your physician immediately if you feel your child may be suffering from a hernia.

Wearing a truss or corset can cause further problems and complications, and remember there is no medicine that will cure a hernia, so it is best to consult your physician to learn your options.

Inguinal Hernia Surgery

There are a couple choices if you need surgery on your hernia. Open repair surgery of the hernia has been in practice for decades. There is an incision made in the groin and the hernia is repaired through it. If it is a bulging hernia, it is pushed into place, if it is in the inguinal canal (indirect) it is either tied off then removed or pushed back.

The weakness in the muscular wall, where the bulge is present is repaired by sewing the two edges of healthy tissue together this is known as heriniorrhapy. This procedure is used on hernias that are smaller in size and are present at birth (indirect) and for healthier tissue where the stitches will not add stress to the tissue. The approach depends on the surgeons preference and the area of the wall that needs to be repaired.

Synthetic mesh patches such as Teflon, Marlex, Gore-Tex, Prolene or Dacron are widely used and the procedure is called a hernioplasty. This method is for use mainly in larger hernias. After the hernia is pushed into place the patch is then sewed over the area of weakness. The tension on the abdominal wall is lessened with use of the patch and reduces the risk of recurrence.

These hernias are seen in various sizes between 1 and 5 centimeters. There is usually a slight swelling around the umbilicus, or belly button. This swelling can increase in size if the infant cries or strains and be barely noticeable when the child is lying flat.

Umbilical Hernia Diagnosis

Your physician can diagnosis this type of hernia with a simple physical exam there are usually no needs for further testing unless there is a problem or other concerns.

Treatment and Prognosis for Umbilical Hernias

There is usually no concern or requirement of surgery to correct this problem unless the problem persists past the child turning 3 or 4. Most of these Hernias are resolved over time and the muscle will close in early childhood. If the child has grown beyond three you may want to seek advice from the physician.

Umbilical Hernia Symptoms

Usually asymptomatic you should still consult a physician so they can monitor the progress of the child during the early years so the physician can monitor any changes. A very rare but serious problem can occur and that is bowel strangulation, if this happens there will be a need for emergency surgery to repair the problem. Symptoms would be pain, discoloration in the hernia site, swelling or tenderness. Peritonitis is the result sometimes of bowel strangulation and can threaten the life of the child, if your child has any of these symptoms you should consult your physician immediately so he or she can decide the best course of treatment.

Umbilical Hernias in Adults

Although they do occur, umbilical hernias are much less common in adults. Usually causing abdominal pain in an adult, these will more than likely need surgical intervention to repair.

Common causes of adult Umbilical Hernias include:

-Heavy lifting

-Obesity

-Coughing

-Pregnancy

If you feel you may have an umbilical hernia you should seek a consult  with a physician even if there is no painor discomfort  involved.

For patients that are harder to diagnosis or an obese patient, MRI’s, CT scans and abdominal x-rays are a helpful tool. These methods are quite uncommon , and diagnosis is frequently made by the simple physical exam and interview with the patient.

A Femoral hernia in a child can often be misdiagnosed because in children they are not as common. There is however, a current study underway on how to better diagnosis femoral hernias in young children to make it easier.

Inguinal hernias can appear in the same area as a Femoral Hernia and often it is too difficult to distinguish the difference without surgery. Strangulation hardly occurs in an inguinal hernia so it is very important to distinguish between the femoral or inguinal hernia.None the less surgery is required to repair both types, so it is likely your physician will opt for repair by this simple procedure.

The femoral canal by nature is a weak ligament, simple activities can put stress on the abdomen therefore allowing the intestine to push through the canal these simple activities include:

-Coughing

-Standing

-Large Bowel Movements

-Constipation

-Abnormal straining or stretching, lifting, or akward rapid movements.

-Obesity

Your femoral canal weakens as you age, therefore the elderly have a higher risk of this type of hernia. Women with a high rate of childbirth also have a tendency of a weak femoral canal and smokers are at high risk due to “smoker’s cough”

Femoral Hernias do cause a lot of pain for some, while other people may feel none, but they also cause medical problems that can grow to be quite serious so you must seek treatment immediately before this occurs.

Femoral Hernia Diagnosis

Frequently a grape sized lump in the groin is a sign of a Femoral Hernia. Other signs include constipation or pain in the groin that can also be signs of a femoral hernia. If you have any or all of these symptoms, consult your physician.

For patients that are harder to diagnosis or an obese patient, MRI’s, CT scans and abdominal x-rays are a helpful tool. These methods are quite uncommon , and diagnosis is frequently made by the simple physical exam and interview with the patient.

A Femoral hernia in a child can often be misdiagnosed because in children they are not as common. There is however, a current study underway on how to better diagnosis femoral hernias in young children to make it easier.

Inguinal hernias can appear in the same area as a Femoral Hernia and often it is too difficult to distinguish the difference without surgery. Strangulation hardly occurs in an inguinal hernia so it is very important to distinguish between the femoral or inguinal hernia.None the less surgery is required to repair both types, so it is likely your physician will opt for repair by this simple procedure.