Another Newbie with questions

[Davewe]

Well I self diagnosed an inguinal hernia on the right side, went to see my doctor (actually a Physicians Assistant) and he said yes its a hernia. But I got no information from him, just a referral to a surgeon, since surgery is the only option according to him. Then I looked online and discovered it is not the only option.

A couple basic questions. What is defined as a small hernia which is what I often see people saying they have. My bulge is maybe 1" long x 1/2" wide. Sometimes it seems to bulge out more than other times. Of course lying down it is less noticeable.

And what is defined as "pushing it back in"? Of course I can push the bulge in and there is no pain but I have no idea how to actually push it back into the abdomen. Since the non-surgical techniques are based on being able to push it back in I need to determine how to do that. As I say I can push it easily but that does not mean that it completely disappears. So is there a particular technique.

Alternately how do I determine if the hernia is not reducible?

Thanks for any info I can get!!

[admin]

Hi, you can hopefully get some tips here

http://herniabible.wordpress.com

It sounds like you have a smallish hernia. We would say that a hernia up to egg-size maybe has the potential for self-healing.

If you lie down on your back you may find it easier to get the hernia to go back in. A hernia that will not go in and continues to bulge is classed as irreducible.

All good wishes
_________________
Herniabible Staff
Have you seen our Youtube video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfHYJKqQt8Q

[miles_t]

Hi,
There are a few resources out there, but one that I like to use is HerniaNetwork.net. http://hernianetwork.net/hernianet/index.html
That may be a good place for you to start.
Thanks,
Miles

[lapaz66]

I am also confused about what people mean with ''pushing the hernia back in''.
In my case there is not much to push in, but when I put pressure on the area (like with blowing on hand) and put my other hand on my groin, I feel like a small balloon swelling up.
This could be what doctors call the ''hernia sac'', that can be empty most of the time, giving the false impression the hernia is small, disappeared or healing, but fills up with air (or body fluids) again, when you put pressure on it.
The question is if the body can retract the hernia sac on it's own, as I don't think the inguinal canal can heal with the hernia sac pushing through.
This site claims the right support garment can keep the hernia in. But I am not sure if it can really push back the hernia sac, all it might do is prevent it from filling up with air, fluids or in worse cases tissue from inside the belly, but even with support garment, the hernia sac is still there.
The problem is that only during the surgery doctors can assess the actual damage, until that moment it's mainly guessing what's going on in the groin area. I find that the most frustrating issue of the self healing attempt.

[admin]

An inguinal hernia is not really a sac but a piece of intestine which is protruding through a gap in the abdominal wall. Since food has to pass through the intestine, it will become trapped if the hernia is simply flattened rather than 'in'. This causes severe discomfort as it is effectively a bowel blockage. Occasionally someone who buys a Flat Pad Support reports this and the Support Company tells them to return the product for a refund. If there is no discomfort in the hernia when wearing the support then the hernia is almost certainly behind the intestinal wall and the support garment helps to keep it there.

Herniabible Staff

[lapaz66]

[quote="admin"]If there is no discomfort in the hernia when wearing the support then the hernia is almost certainly behind the intestinal wall and the support garment helps to keep it there.
Herniabible Staff[/quote]

I don't feel any discomfort.
Assuming my hernia (or piece of intestines) is behind the intestinal wall, what causes the ''balloon'' like sensation I feel when blowing on my hand?

[lapaz66]

I found this video of a Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwEuZ8wVVNI

Note: in this video you are looking from inside the belly to the inguinal canal area.

I now think I am getting a better understanding of an inguinal hernia.

At the beginning (10s) you see what they call the ''hernia sac''.
This is the membrane part of the belly (Transversalis fascia?) that is stretched and pushing through the intestinal wall because of the damage (hole or rupture) in the inguinal canal tissue/muscles behind the membrane.
When I feel a ''balloon'' blowing up when blowing on my hand, I probably feel this hernia sac filling up with air.

At 2.30 in the video they pull back the ''hernia sac''.

At 4.00 in the video they cut open and pull back the hernia sac, to expose the damage to the inguinal canal.

At 8.00 in the video they put in the mesh on top of the hole in the inguinal canal.

At 9.30 they stitch up the membrane in the belly again.

I suspect the hole or rupture in the inguinal canal can only repair itself, or be repaired with surgery, if the hernia sac is not pushing in the hole anymore (you can see the hernia sac clearly in the beginning of the video, at 10s, going in and out of the hole).
I wonder if any support garment can push back the hernia sac sufficiently, and I guess this differs per person, depending on the actual damage.

[Juba]

[quote="lapaz66"]The question is if the body can retract the hernia sac on it's own, as I don't think the inguinal canal can heal with the hernia sac pushing through.[/quote]
Yes, your body can retract the hernia.

Firstly, you can get gravity on your side by lying in a supine position, i.e. on your back. This gravitational effect can be enhanced by using a chair, cushions etc. to raise your legs and pelvis relative to your chest. Lying on a slanted surface with your feet higher than your head serves the same purpose, as does doing inverted positions such as a shoulderstand or half shoulderstand.

The second and even more effective thing, in my opinion, is the yoga uddiyana bandha or "stomach vacuum." It is the king of hernia-curing exercises, if you ask me!

Thirdly, please note, the hernia-healing effect of the uddiyana bandha is enhanced if you do it while getting help from gravity as in point one!!!

Please see the illustrations I posted in the following thread: http://www.groin-hernia.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=568

Finally, there are herbal remedies for hernia, which are best established in traditional Chinese medicine, that will also help reduce the swelling and promote healing.

Now if you combine all three things - help from gravity, the uddiyana bandha and a herbal remedy, I think you will find that the effects of the three things are complementary, and if they work as well for you as they did for me they will cause your hernia to disappear and never be seen again!

Finally, what is the support for? Well we can't be lying on our backs and doing headstands and stomach vacuums all day long, can we? So the support is there to help keep the hernia contained while you are going about your daily life so that the hole through which it protruded can heal closed and keep everything in its proper place, after which you can put your support in a drawer, give it to a hernia-afflicted friend or throw it away.
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