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Frustrated
Hi everyone!
i have been going through a situation that is apparently difficult to diagnose. I have a pain in my navel that is sometimes unbearable. It is always there and has been for months now, it varies in intensity from about a 2/10-9/10 it varies day to day and also throughout the day. It is a pinching, pulling, sometimes stabbing pain that sometimes radiates down to my bladder making the urge to urinate frequently.
This pain started in July, accompanied by a lower right side bloating pain, and a low grade fever. I thought they were related, until I had an exploratory laparoscopy in which they took out my appendix (they said it was slightly enlarged and had feces in the lumen but that’s it) October 19 th 2017. Well that seemed to solve the problems, but about a month after the surgery when I started feeling healed, the navel sharp pains started again, it is horrible sometimes, usually worse after or during work (waitressing), after I eat a big meal, when I have to urinate and sometimes while I’m urinating. It can be so bad that it makes me dizzy and nauseous. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t drive or be home alone because it gets that bad.
My PCP ordered an abdominal US (came back normal)and also sent me back to the surgeon to ask about a hernia, well he doesn’t listen at all, he thinks I’m crazy and just gave me a shot of lidocaine next to my navel because the day I saw him, it hurt for him just to touch, I was crying and he wanted me to get out of there, he did feel it while I was laying down telling me to lift my legs while he did and said it’s fine, he feels no bumps. I don’t have much faith in him. I also have seen my urologist who is amazing and listens to everything and takes me seriously, he went through my Ct scan from before my surgery because he wanted to see it with his own eyes, he said he sees nothing abnormal. he also felt my navel on a day my pain was about a 2/10, couldn’t feel anything and scheduled a bladder scope for this upcoming Wednesday because I’m complaining of bladder symptoms. I also have a colonoscopy scheduled for Jan 4th because they keep telling me chrons or UC but my bowel movements have not seemed to be abnormal other than a little constipation sometimes and the pain does not seem to correlate with food unless I get super full, then the pressure makes it hurt. Also, a gynecologist sat in on my surgery and said no endometriosis. I am lost as to what to do next, no one is able to tell me what’s going on and this is seriously affecting my quality of life, I haven’t been able to work more that 4 hours, I haven’t left my house other than work in months and I can barley do stuff around the house, I am a 31yo female who is normally pretty active and very social, I would just like my life back, anyone have a clue if I could have a hidden hernia near my navel? -
3 Replies
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Agree with Dr. Towfigh. It’s highly probable it’s a trocar site incisional hernia.
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Hi there. Thanks for the post.
Sounds like you may have an umbilical Hernia. It may have become better with the appendix surgery if they went through your belly button for the laparoscopy and closed it as part of the operation. But then the suture dissolved and the Hernia returned.
It seems your urologist is working up a urachus. Is that right?
In any case, the CT scan should show a mini Hernia if you have it.
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quote Tmhawrys:I have a pain in my navel that is sometimes unbearable. It is always there and has been for months now,This pain started in July, accompanied by a lower right side bloating pain, and a low grade fever.
exploratory laparoscopy in which they took out my appendix (they said it was slightly enlarged and had feces in the lumen but that’s it) October 19 th 2017. Well that seemed to solve the problems, but about a month after the surgery when I started feeling healed, the navel sharp pains started again,
I also have seen my urologist who is amazing and listens to everything and takes me seriously, he went through my Ct scan from before my surgery because he wanted to see it with his own eyes, he said he sees nothing abnormal
I also have a colonoscopy scheduled for Jan 4th because they keep telling me chrons or UC
Also, a gynecologist sat in on my surgery and said no endometriosis. I am lost as to what to do next, no one is able to tell me what’s going on and this is seriously affecting my quality of life, I haven’t been able to work more that 4 hours, I haven’t left my house other than work in months and I can barley do stuff around the house, I am a 31yo female who is normally pretty active and very social, I would just like my life back, anyone have a clue if I could have a hidden hernia near my navel?
I edited your post down to the bare facts. I’ve found that people, including doctors, tend to lock on to certain words or phrases, and will then have what’s called “cognitive bias” when thinking about your problem. They’ll subconsciously try to make your words fit what they’ve already decided to be true.
It might help you to sit down and really think hard about whether the initial pain in July is the same as what you feel now, or if it is different. Because your story basically says that you had the pain in July, then a whole bunch of stuff happened, and the exact same pain came back. Which suggests that everything you’re telling your providers about the surgery is irrelevant, and probably misleading and confusing them.
On the other hand, if the pain is actually different now than when it started, then everything about the surgery is relevant.
Those are the two possibilities I see when I read your post.
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