“abdominal wall hernia”
Is there any alternative to surgery for a small (2 to 3 cm.) painless hernia adjacent to the ascending colon? (Small, retirement age female, with hysterectomy and bilateral oopharectomy 7 years ago.) Discovered recently but likely 12+ months in duration.
Female
Medications: none
Conditions: palpitations
9 Answers
Dr. David Carlson
Surgeon
The alternative to surgery is not having surgery. If this hernia is small and causing no symptoms yet probably can be safely observed. If it starts to cause symptoms, such as pain or begins to enlarge and become uncomfortable, then surgical intervention could potentially be an option.
Most likely this is an incisional hernia related to your prior surgeries. The risk is that bowel can get incarcerated in the defect, loose blood supply and change an elective repair to an emergency repair. If you are determined not to have surgery you can wear an abdominal binder to contain the hernia.
The alternative is to do nothing. You can wear an abdominal binder for comfort
Unfortunately hernias don't go away without surgery. Some hernias can be watched but one of the main risks of hernias is something getting stuck in them that can cause a surgical emergency. Due to this risk we usually recommend hernias be fixed with surgery unless there are specific individual factors that make it too risky to undergo surgery.
This is a general answer and may not directly apply to your. It is important to consult with your surgeon regarding your specific situation.
This is a general answer and may not directly apply to your. It is important to consult with your surgeon regarding your specific situation.
Acupuncture with Moxibustion and Reflexology. Consult a Naturopath.
Yes, you could do nothing about it, until it starts to hurt or interferes with your lifestyle. If it is away from any incisions, you might want to have it assessed by a surgeon, as it could be a Spigelian hernia. That I would fix regardless.
As a former mentor of mine said, "A structural problem, requires a structural solution." That is to say, a hernia, which is a defect in the abdominal wall, can only be repaired with anatomical intervention (i.e. surgery). Depending on the location, many hernias can be repaired in a minimally invasive fashion, which minimizes pain and recovery time.
No, there is no alternative to surgery. The hernia will continue to get larger every time you laugh, cough, sneeze, or get up from a lying position. Over time, it will get bigger. The bigger the hernia, the more extensive the repair. Hence, the surgery will be more painful. Also, the risks of surgery go up as one age. Delaying repair for years until the hernia is symptomatic will increase surgical risk.
Unfortunately there are no alternatives if you want to have the hernia to go away except surgery. The rules about hernias is that they never get smaller and never disappear on their own. In time they will get bigger, so you want to take care of it when it is small. For your size hernia, it may be possible to repair it without general anesthesia. It would be performed with local anesthesia and some sedation (called MAC anesthesia) as an outpatient. You would feel better in a few days and not have to worry about it getting bigger or possibly strangulating. I would recommend that you see a surgeon for an opinion. They can go over all the risks and benefits for you.
