I have had abdominal pain since Saturday night. Everything was fine until I got up from the dinner table after the second Seder. I had sharp pains in my abdomen, not my stomach. It felt like I was being stabbed on the inside. I was diagnosed with IBS in 2014, so I know it wasn’t related to that. I felt a little lump/protrusion around my bellybutton. It hurt to sit down, but I was ok once I was. It hurt to bend over at the waist, so I knew I couldn’t load the dishwasher after dinner. It hurt to lay in certain positions; I like to sleep on my belly, but couldn’t do that. It was a long night…
It felt a little better on Sunday. The pain was a little more manageable, but still not great. I couldn’t put pressure on my abdomen, nor could I figure out what was causing this issue. I decided to do some research, so I looked on WebMD. My mom suggested the night before that it might be a hernia. I didn’t know what that meant. When I looked up the symptoms, I had 90% of them. I needed to call my doctor on Monday morning to find out for sure.
So, when I woke up this morning, I called in for a sub. I took the day since I didn’t sleep much or well, and I needed to get in to see my GI. I called when they opened and got a morning appointment. When my doctor came in, I explained what was going on, and he began the exam. He pressed down on my belly in the places that I said were tender. He said he could feel something, and believed it to be a hernia. I said that even though I’m overweight, my belly was distended and very tender to the touch. I explained about the issues I’ve had sleeping since Saturday night, the discomfort in simple actions. He wanted me to get a CT scan today, and told me I’d need to see a surgeon. He said that was the only way to get rid of a hernia – that there wasn’t medication or anything else that would make it go away on its own.
I went to the hospital’s outpatient center to have a CT scan this afternoon. I had to drink a solution and then wait 90 minutes before having the scan. I decided to go home, since there wasn’t much to do but sit in the waiting room. When I arrived back at the hospital, I went back to have an IV started for iodine. I had to drink another cupful of the solution before beginning the scan. Once in the room, they took some pictures before giving me a second dose of iodine and taking the final pictures. I’ll speak with my doctor tomorrow and find out what the scan showed, how to proceed and when I’ll need to schedule surgery.
After I was done having the scan, I came home. My husband pulled in the driveway shortly after I did. He got dinner together. I was so happy to eat. I wasn’t able to eat all day, and hadn’t had anything since the cereal I ate at 9:15 this morning. It was kosher for Passover cereal, so it wasn’t really anything to write home about.
After dinner, I came in to my room to watch tv. I hoped that a mindless show and crocheting would help me take my mind off of things.
My friends and family are concerned. They have all said – in no uncertain terms – that I need to slow down and take care of myself. I already have IBS and PTSD. To add a hernia to the mix is just adding fuel to the existing dumpster fire. I feel ok… I know that this isn’t life-threatening, but it’s still serious. It’s still surgery, even if it’s laparoscopic. I’m nervous.