When a patient with an umbilical hernia goes to the hospital, it is most often recommended that he remove it by surgery. But many are afraid and pull to the last, hoping that everything will resolve itself. In fact, knowledge of what constitutes an umbilical hernia in adults, reviews of the operation, information about,where it comes from, why it is necessary to do it and why it is dangerous will help get rid of fear and worries procrastination.
What is an umbilical hernia
Normally, in the place where the tendon and muscle fibers come into contact, they are closely intertwined, but sometimes in the navel, for some reason, they do not closely adjoin each other, and then the umbilical ring relaxes and increases. It turns out a kind of hernial gate, which enable the organs of the abdominal cavity under internal pressure to protrude outward beyond its limits, forming an umbilical hernia. This is usually the greater omentum or part of the intestine. They are located in the hernial sac, which consists of the membrane of the peritoneum.
At the beginning of the disease, umbilical hernia is stillsmall and easily set inside, but gradually, as a result of the adhesive process, the hernial sac fuses with adjacent tissues, and it is no longer possible to set the hernia inside. And over time, the umbilical ring can expand so much that the stomach can also get into the hernial sac.
Umbilical hernia in adults: symptoms, treatment
When a hernia is small, it is not particularly disturbing. Of course, sometimes there are unpleasant sensations, but they obviously do not affect the quality of life, and a slight increase in the navel area does not scare, especially men.
The adhesive process gradually develops, the hernia becomes more and more difficult to correct, pain appears during prolonged standing, coughing, physical exertion.
Later, if the treatment was not carried out, the patient begins to suffer from constipation, difficulty urinating, frequent nausea, and vomiting may occur. This stage is fraught with dangerous complications, and you should not delay visiting a surgeon.
The doctor will most likely suggest surgery, as there is simply no alternative, although many hope that by adjusting the hernia, they will get rid of it forever. But this is impossible, and only a surgeon can eliminate it.
Umbilical hernia can manifest itself in different ways in adults. Reviews about this disease are varied. Those for whom it has not reached a large size and is not particularly worried are optimistic. But some patients complain of recurring unbearable pain, which even strong painkillers are unable to eliminate.
Causes of umbilical hernia
Most often this disease develops due to the weakening of the anterior wall of the peritoneum and the umbilical ring. Another factor is the strong pressure from within the abdominal cavity. When both causes are present, the hernia develops rapidly and the situation is considered dangerous and needs to be treated as soon as possible.
The reasons why the umbilical ring can relax are as follows:
- Lack of exercise and muscle weakness.
- Features of connective tissue from birth.
- Too full.
- Fast weight loss.
- Pregnancy (most often occurs with late birth).
- Adhesions and sutures after surgery.
- Abdominal injury.
Increased intrauterine pressure due to:
- Complicated childbirth.
- Great physical activity.
- Frequent constipation.
- Prolonged, strained cough.
Diagnosis
Usually the surgeon diagnoses the presence of the disease quickly enough. Its symptoms are pronounced. The doctor interrogates the patient and finds out if there is pain in the abdomen during coughing, physical exertion. Examining the patient, he finds out whether the umbilical ring is expanded. To establish more detailed information, he will prescribe an x-ray of the stomach, duodenum, ultrasound examination of the protrusion, gastroscopy. He will prescribe herniography - this is the introduction of a contrast agent into the abdominal cavity, which will allow you to examine the hernia.
When there is a suspicion that an umbilical hernia has appeared - in adults, -symptoms, treatment is determined only by a doctor, otherwise it is possible to confuse it with another, no less, and maybe even more serious disease.
Umbilical hernia and pregnancy
With a gradual increase in the uterus, intra-abdominal pressure also increases, so umbilical hernia is a fairly common occurrence in pregnant women. But surgery is usually not required, since the disease proceeds quite calmly. This happens because the increase in pressure occurs gradually, and the uterus, located between the gates of the hernial sac and the organs, prevents their strong loss.
Moreover, surgery during pregnancy has a negative effect on her. Therefore, the doctor recommends wearing compression underwear and a bandage. They are selected necessarily under his leadership.
The same doctor will observe the patient after delivery and determine the period of the operation. This usually happens when the abdominal muscles recover after stretching, as does the entire body of a woman.
Some women who have been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia during pregnancy (in adults) have very positive feedback about the operation. For some, the surgeon, at their request, eliminated minor cosmetic imperfections associated with bearing a child. And the operations are carried out with gentle methods and do not leave ugly scars and marks on the body, which is most important for a woman.
Possible Complications
Exacerbations can occur at any time during the appearance of a hernia. Mostits infringement is dangerous when there is a violation of blood circulation, and the tissues of the organ begin to die. This usually happens in the elderly, as the conditions for this develop progressively over the course of life.
Inflammation of the organ that got into the hernial sac may begin, often it is an intestinal loop or omentum. At the same time, part of the peritoneum gets there, which can contribute to the rapid development of peritonitis.
Usually, complications are provoked by lifting heavy objects or significant physical exertion. But it also happens that even laughter, coughing or sneezing can serve as a reason for pinching. Violation of bowel movements can increase pressure on the hernia and cause inflammation.
Symptoms of her infringement:
- There is a sharp pain in the umbilical ring.
- It is not possible to repair a hernia in the abdominal cavity if it was easy enough before.
- The hernia sac becomes hot and tight.
- With severe inflammation, general intoxication occurs, accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting, aching joints and lower back, fever.
- When the intestinal loop is pinched, the symptoms are similar to intestinal obstruction.
If these signs appear, then an immediate visit to the doctor is absolutely justified.
Hernia surgery
The operation to remove an umbilical hernia is called hernioplasty, during which the organs return to the abdominal cavity, and the hernial orificeare strengthened so that the disease does not return again.
It is best done when the hernia has not yet reached a large size. Then there will be fewer complications, and the rehabilitation period passes without problems. Those who have been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia agree with this. In adults, reviews of the operation just confirm this opinion: everyone who went to the hospital on time says that they feel great, and there was no re-protrusion.
Surgery is contraindicated in complex heart diseases, chronic pathologies, acute infections and pregnancy.
The choice of the operation technique depends on how the clinical picture proceeds. Hernia repair can take place with the involvement of the tissues of the patient himself, and sometimes synthetic implants in the form of a mesh are used. The endoprosthesis is used when the hernial ring is significantly expanded, and the umbilical ring is greatly weakened. Usually this method justifies itself, and there are no postoperative relapses.
The disadvantage of the classical method of hernioplasty is a long recovery period, its duration can be up to a year, if the hernia was large or there was an infringement.
What does an umbilical hernia look like in adults after surgery? The photo below shows how well the hernioplasty was performed and what the stomach looks like if the visit to the doctor was timely.
![], umbilical hernia in adults after surgery photo](https://i.medicinehelpful.com/images/055/image-162593-5-j.webp "], umbilical hernia in adults after surgery photo")
If the operation is planned, and the hernia is small, the doctor may suggest laparoscopy. In thatIn the case of incisions, no incisions are made, but everything happens with the help of several punctures. This method is relatively young and quite effective. The main condition is that the hernia should not be large.
Its advantage is that relapses are extremely rare, rehabilitation is much faster than with open interventions, and scars are almost invisible. This is due to the fact that adjacent tissues are much less injured, and the risk of postoperative adhesions is reduced.
How successful is an umbilical hernia in adults? Reviews after the operation are mostly positive. Almost all patients claim that during the operation, although local anesthesia was used, they did not feel much pain and even talked with the surgeon.
There are also those to whom the disease has returned again for various reasons: because of a strong fright, weight lifting, coughing. With a second operation, many decide to put an endoprosthesis.
Rehab
When an umbilical hernia is removed in adults, after the operation, further treatment takes place in the hospital. It will be possible to get out of bed the very next day, and if everything went well, then you can soon go home. When there were certain complications with infringement and inflammation, then there is a need for injections of antibiotics, and it will take longer to lie down in the hospital.
So that the disease does not return and the pressure on still weak stitches is significantly reduced, it is recommended to wear a special bandage after the operation.
When umbilical hernia is physicalloads have a beneficial effect on recovery, but they should be moderate and correspond to the patient's condition. Walking and light running are allowed after two weeks. And weight lifting and training are allowed after a month, and then these should be strictly dosed loads.
Nutrition after surgery
Umbilical hernia in adults after surgery requires careful attention to food. The diet should be sparing, and eating those foods that lead to constipation and gas formation is contraindicated, as they can cause excessive pressure on the intestines.
Fatty meat, fish, smoked meats and marinades are the foods that should be absent from the diet. They also include mushrooms, legumes, brown bread, yeast-leavened pastries, cream, ice cream, hard-boiled eggs.
Porridge made from cornmeal, millet and pearl barley is also better not to eat, like raisins, dried apricots, seeds and nuts. Vegetables such as radishes and radishes, tomatoes, cabbage, onions and garlic, bell peppers and eggplants are also harmful to the integrity of the seam.
Intestinal peristalsis can increase, and the volume of feces can increase significantly if you eat a lot of foods containing fiber, and this should also be avoided in every possible way. But at the same time, it is needed for better emptying of the intestines, so it should be used, but with caution. Bananas, peaches, apples, grapes - let these fruits wait until the stitches are removed, as well as black tea, coffee, juices, kvass and alcohol.
Of course, the diet is quite tough, but it contributes to the fastestrecovery, and it is quite possible to endure. Before removing the stitches, you should eat only low-fat broths, semi-liquid vegetable pureed soups, thin cereals, cottage cheese, dietary meat or fish, steamed, soft-boiled egg or scrambled eggs, a small amount of crackers. It is better to drink weak tea and fruit and berry kissels. These simple products will help satisfy your hunger, and postoperative sutures will be intact.
It becomes clear: when an umbilical hernia appears in adults, reviews of the operation show that the earlier treatment is started, and in this case it is the intervention of a surgeon, the more predictable the consequences, and over time you can simply forget about the disease forever.
