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Hernia Symptoms?
I have had pelvic pain on my left side, down into the groin, and about 1 inch between the navel and hip bone and labia for over two years now. The pain was first experienced with stabbing pain in which I had to lie down in a fetal position and it went away after 2-3 hours. That happened 3 times within 6 months. I’ve gone to urgent care and told it’s diverticulitis. I had a colonoscopy and no diverticulitis. Two gyn’s have said possible endometriosis. I’ve had a CT scan, extensive bloodwork and ultrasound which all came back fine. I saw a hernia surgeon and he said he doesn’t think I have a hernia and took literally 5 seconds to view my CT scan (I saw him look at it), made me cough and dismissed a hernia. I’ve been a personal trainer and done high explosive P90x style workouts for years. I’ve stopped them since December and just walk/yoga. I am now scheduled for a laparoscopy but very concerned my GYN might now know how to really look for a hernia. He did say he was specifically looking for endometriosis although he thinks that it would be odd at my age to be diagnosed with it. I’m 46. My other symptoms are groin pain getting out of the car, sometimes on urination, walking and sometimes I feel like it radiates up towards my chest/abdominal region. I’m fine when I do yoga. For some reason the labial pain has increased especially after urination. The strangest thing is that it seems to happen every other month which the left side has always given me more discomfort during ovulation and my periods. I’ve had it all week which I had my period but I also picked up a very heavy box which was too heavy for me. I did have a C-section in 2009.
Does this sound like a possible hernia? Is there anything I can say to my GYN prior to this laparoscopy so he specifically looks for this if it is a hernia? I honestly don’t know what to do about this pain/discomfort if he doesn’t find anything. I’m in NC and two doctor’s tell be they don’t feel or see a hernia! Thank you for any help!
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2 Replies
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Hernias are definitely in the differential diagnosis. There are great surgeons in North Carolina who can help you. Have you tried: Dr. William Hope, Dr. Brent Matthews, Dr Vedra Augenstein?
Many more can be found here: https://americanherniasociety.org/find-a-surgeon/
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Debrafitpro,
Your symptoms certainly sound familiar and could definitely be suggestive of a hernia. I originally had similar symptoms and also had a laparoscopy from my GYN, looking for endometriosis, which was highly unlikely at my age of 47. I ended up having a femoral hernia that went undetected during the lap. I know Dr. Towfigh has said that they need to be in the right place and specifically looking for a hernia to find one. You would probably be better off finding a surgeon who is a hernia specialist, one that is familiar with occult hernias in women. It is important for you to have the correct imaging and someone who is trained to read it looking for hernias. Dr. Brent Matthews’ name has come up before and he is at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Also, Dr. Bruce Ramshaw at the University of Tennessee specializes in hernias. I’m sure Dr. Towfigh can give you more specific information, but I hope you find an answer to your pain soon. It can be very frustrating and debilitating, for sure. I have had to travel in order to get the care I need from hernia experts, but the trip from VA to CA to see Dr. Towfigh was definitely worth it. Best of luck to you!
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