Hernia Forum - Umbilical Hernia And No Insurence Wat Can I Do?

viper1234 wrote:

ive had this umbilical hernia since I was born it just started hurting me about 4 years ago when I turned 16 but im tryin to go into the military and today (01/29/06) it started hurting me and well I need to know where to go to get surgery without insurance!

from nanatricia.

I can only say to you why did your mother never get this seen to? You must get this fixed. See your doctor. There must be some way you can get it done. Perhaps in your case you cn get it done because you want to join the military. Maybe a military doctor can help you out here.

I had a large umbilical hernia all through my childhood which my parents would not allow me ot have repaired even though the doctors had told them it was very large and needed repair.

I found it emabrrasing all thoguh school as it protruded through everything.

Participating in some sports made it very painful but as my parents would not allow and operation. My doctor suggested when I went to high school tha the hernia be strapped to strengthen the area. I used to have to push the hernia in whil lying down and place a block over the hernia and tape it firm each day. I admit it did help as far as pai went, but it did not prevent it from protruding as soon as the tape and block was removed.

By the time I was 18 my navel was 6 centimetres protrusion and although it was still quite felxible, it hurt me quite a bit to push it into my stomach to tape it.

I was so used to having it tis way, that I went on with my life and for years even after my marriage I kept this covered. My husband queired why I had not had an operation but as I told him it did not hurt me while I was taped, I had left it becasue my pareants had said no.

At 27 I had a child and I could no longer tape my navel. The doctor in the area I was living at the time was amazed that I had never had an operation especially that the navel was so big. As the pregnancy advanced the navel became larger and it hurt me to bend or even to touch it.

Following the birth of my child my navel was 8 centimetres out of my stomach, and hard as a rock and it hurt like hell. I had to endure the pain and have this awful thing protrude through my clothes as I could not push it back in any more.

The hospital told me I had to have an operation as soon as I had had my 6 week check up. I had the operation and becasue of the size, the complete navel was removed.

I was very sore for a long time but gradually got over it and it was wonderful without this huge protrusion and without the pain for a whole 3 years. The I got pregnant. Because the navel was no longer there, I developed another hernia right above the site of the navel.

I had this repaired after the birth.

Since then I havee had 7 repairs all in the same area either above or just below where my navel used to be. My specialist tells me tha the whole are offff my stomach wall is so weakened due to the fact that I had had the original hernia for so long and due to he size of it, that it is possible I may get more.

I hav so many scars and things now from continual repairs and the whole of my somach in the navel are is tender to touch all the time and even after all of this, I dread coughing as this hussrts me. I am sure you would know what I mean about that.

If I had had my time again, I would have had my hernia repaired as soon as I was old enough to leave my parents home and even though by then it was very big, it would have possibly been much better than all the problems which lack of initial surgery has led to.

Good luck.