News Feed Discussions Opinions? Hard to find female hernia? DR diagnosed hernia, GS doesn’t see it?

  • Opinions? Hard to find female hernia? DR diagnosed hernia, GS doesn’t see it?

    Posted by May on September 25, 2020 at 11:29 pm

    Hi. I have a question, or I guess looking more for opinions about ‘hidden’ or hard to find hernias in females, that comes and go. I am at a loss right now. I am pretty positive I have a hernia and was diagnosed with one but now I feel stuck. In June, I got frustrated because my 600 pound riding lawn mower broke and needed to move it. It wouldn’t roll because the break was stuck for some reason as well, so during my adult temper tantrum, my 110 pound self decided to pick it up from the backside to pull it backward. As soon as I lifted it up and pulled back, I felt a click in my lower mid-left abdomen immediately followed by an intense burn and then a snap-pop noise in the same area so I dropped it immediately. I fell to my knees and sat there a good 5 minutes or so trying to breathe my way out of the pain thinking “you moron! You hurt yourself bad this time”.

    Well, fast forward nearly 3 and a half months now, I constantly hear and feel a pop or snapping sensation with a terrible ache that is sometimes dull and other times some what like a dull stabbing…if that makes any sense. Even attempting to go to the bathroom, sneezing, coughing, etc. I feel and hear the snapping that hurts pretty darn bad. This is not my hip popping, this is a few inches to the right of my left hip bone, in my abdomen area. It’s mainly a dull burning type of pain but at times works up to stabbing and just feels like at some point the clicking pop sensation is going to click really hard and get stuck, with intense pain and going to be unbearable if I move wrong or sneeze hard so trying really hard not to make the wrong move. Kind of like I’m just waiting for that one click or pop noise that’s going to send me into the ER. When I do have this ache that slowly gets worse, it is followed by a gurgling sound and sensation at some point that at times I notice eases the pain when it makes that gurgle sound. I never had that gurgling noise until I stupidly picked up 500 pounds my weight. Duh. I’m dumb.

    The dull ache at this point is frequent now as of 3 weeks or so ago. It’s not 24/7 where I’m in constant bad pain but it does constantly feel like a weight pushing and some sort of ache. I have felt a roundish bulge somewhere between 2-4cm but its not easy to find and a lot of times I wasnt intentionally looking for it. I have to lay a certain way and it is right where it hurts, lower-mid left abdomen about 3 inches below my bellow button. I thought this was a female problem at first, such as a cyst or something, and saw my obgyn last week. The ultra sound they took there is mainly used for pregnancies or to look for things like cysts or fibroids and everything medically on that end looked normal. I saw my obgyn for physical exam and she told me to do a half sit up. She knew exactly where to feel because she had a hernia in the same area and said women are known to get them there. As soon as I did a half way sit up, she said “yep! I feel it. Its definitely a ventral hernia. You need this repaired surgically because this isnt going to get better and the pain will get worse”. She also had me cough and strain which she also felt it. It has been getting worse slowly every week or 2 since June.

    Anyways, she referred me to a general surgeon who I saw today and I was so frustrated when I left. Not necessarily at her because I understand they need proof themselves before cutting into people, I totally get that but I was hoping she would at least contact the referring specialist to get a better understanding of what that dr felt and why she diagnosed me if she felt unsure. Shes a new surgeon, no reviews and feel like I may need to see a more experienced doctor who knows how to feel for possible ‘hidden’ female hernias. She said she didnt see anything on the newest ultrasound I had this morning and she pushed right where it hurts for a long time during this appointment because she couldnt feel anything. She told me she didnt feel comfortable doing surgery without at least feeling a bulge herself or have imaging backing it up and of course I understand that but the other doctor I saw found it immediately and was certain it was a ventral hernia. From my understanding, sometimes these hernias do this in women? She ordered a ct scan which I know is the next course of action but my concern is, I read alot about how females have hernias that are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all due to not showing on ultrasounds or ct scans and sometimes the bulge is a hit or miss and people end up suffering for years until the right doctor comes along. The issue I have is that I have a specialist who felt the hernia literally as soon as I sat up and said I needed to get in asap so I could get this repaired as soon as possible. The obgyn wrote in the notes on the referral “ventral hernia with obstruction” and a few hours ago I checked the patient portal notes from general surgeon appointment and her diagnosis is “Bilateral inguinal hernia, with obstruction, without gangrene, not specified as recurrent” so I am confused why she also diagnosed this as a hernia. She said she doesnt see anything abnormal on ct scan and not feeling a bulge and it could be really small, so why did she diagnose what she did? I really wish I could get a scan done on a day I feel and see this bulge, it’s frustrating knowing you have this going on, a specialist diagnosis it only for it to be stopped at a halt. Maybe surgeon is waiting on ct scan…maybe? I’m afraid I’ll be left hanging with a hernia if ct doesnt show it. I am in a decent amount of pain right now from her pushing hard directly where it hurts and feel like a wuss but its just so uncomfortable. It feels like its hitting a nerve because its radiating somewhat down my thigh which it never did before this appointment. I never knew such a dull ache could hurt to the extent I’m feeling right now because when you think of dull pain, you think of very mild discomfort but this is a really painful “dull” throbbing ache coming in waves every every 10 minutes like a darn tooth or ear ache. I have felt and heard that popping and gurgling noise ever since I sat down in my car coming from that appointment earlier and it just feels terrible. This is ridiculous!
    But then I think of all the videos I’ve watched of people recovering from hernia surgery and how much more painful it is. I do not want to get surgery but I’m afraid of what further damage I might cause doing the physical things I do, I also dont know how much longer I can deal with this because I know that pop and clicking I’m feeling is going to get worse.

    Any advice if the CT scan comes back normal? I really dont want to go to an ER or urgent care because I feel like it’s going to be a waste of time.
    Thank you for any input.

    DrBrown replied 3 years, 5 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
  • 1 Reply
  • DrBrown

    Member
    October 1, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    A standing ultrasound with Valsalva maneuver is probably the best imaging test.
    A careful examination for a femoral hernia in addition to inguinal hernia.
    Regard.
    Bill Brown MD

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