Your Options

What are your options?

1) Do nothing

2) Wear a truss or a support

3) Have an operation – surgical repair

 

1) Do nothing– Doing nothing leaves things as they are, and obviously removes any risk
of surgery –

BUT..

The hernia will almost certainly enlarge with time, becoming more of a nuisance to you.

Any symptoms, such as discomfort will also worsen, affecting your quality of life.

see  “watchful waiting”

Delaying surgical repair and allowing the hernia to enlarge significantly is likely to make later operation more complicated.

There is always the possibility of strangulation – where the bowel becomes trapped in the hernia and loses its blood supply – requiring emergency surgery.  Uncommon but real – perhaps 2-5%.

 

2) Wear a truss

Some doctors advise, and some patients use, a truss. A kind of a belt with a piece of padding to stop the swelling coming out through the hole in the abdominal wall.

Link – https://shorturl.at/n4crW

They can work for temporary relief of discomfort but are uncomfortable and not a good long term solution.

In the majority of cases surgical repair is a better option.

 

3) Have an operation – Surgical repair

This gets rid of the hole in the abdominal wall.