I am wondering whether I have an incisional hernia.
Back story: I had open abdominal surgery and ileostomy in October 2017, with the ileostomy reversed in February 2018.
Immediately after the reversal I had a swollen tender lump (or undulation really - not a discrete lump as such) a couple of inches above the former stoma site. I was told they had had to cut into the muscles there so that the internal incision went higher up than was visible at skin level. I was examined before leaving hospital due to my complaints of pain, and told I did not have a hernia.
The troublesome area has never stopped being tender, swollen and firm, and I have asked again in follow-up whether it might be a hernia. I had a CT in October 2018 for suspected bowel obstruction and again there was no hernia.
Now I am periodically (every few weeks) experiencing sudden severe pain, like a crippling muscle spasm, in the same location if I laugh or cough too hard. It does eventually go away of its own accord after a few minutes but I am completely incapacitated by it in the meantime, feeling as though my insides are going to burst out if I don’t press hard on my abdomen. It happened last night, at the theatre, triggered by laughing.
Unfortunately I’m not due to see my surgeon for my next follow-up any time soon - I have dropped out of the appointments system due to a computer error and am at the back of the queue. Does this sound like I should be raising the question “is this a hernia” yet again? It feels ridiculous when it has specifically been ruled out by a radiologist and by my surgeon. Dr Google doesn’t recognise muscle spasm as being hernia-related.
Sorry for the essay - any thoughts welcome.