Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby lpas » Wed Oct 18, 2017 4:03 pm

Over the past few weeks I've been having some mild pain around and to the right of my belly button. I've had 2 laparoscopic surgeries with belly-button incisions and my husband thinks it could be a hernia (although I haven't noticed any lumps). The pain moves around a bit and seems to come and go. Of course my big fear it that it's cancer-related but blood work is all normal for now.

Has anyone here had an umbilical hernia? If so, did you have any symptoms? Or has anyone had a similar pain that turned out to be something different? Thanks so much.
Last edited by lpas on Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Has anyone here had an umbilical hernia?

Postby Lee » Wed Oct 18, 2017 5:56 pm

I don't think it's cancer either. Maybe scar tissue or maybe a hernia. I would follow up with the surgeon and see what s/he says. I was told any pain lasting 2 weeks or more, should be followed with a Dr visit.

Good luck,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

User avatar
susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby susie0915 » Wed Oct 18, 2017 7:22 pm

I have a small hernia in the same place. It doesn't hurt much but times it bulges slightly and I can push it back in. My surgeon looks at it each visit and doesn't want to do surgery unless necessary. If it causes me severe pain or I can't push back in he says He can repair it. He told me to be sure to wear an abdominal band when doing any abdominal exercises or lifting any weights.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

MissMolly
Posts: 645
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:33 pm
Location: Portland, Ore

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby MissMolly » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:37 pm

lpas:
Especially with your history of 2 laparoscopic abdominal procedures where the larger/main torchar was accessed through your belly button as the portal, I would surmise your intermittent pain is associated with adhesions tethering to soft tissue that is pulling with body movement - causing pain.

Adhesions tether tissue and intestine to the abdominal wall or to other organs or to other segments of the intestinal tract. You can visual adhesions as thick bands (like a turkey hind quarter) but it can also be wispy like a spiders’ web. Pain results due to the abnormal anchoring of tissue is stretched by movement of the torso that places the scar tissue on high tension.

Adhesions/scar tissue cannot be visualized by CT, MRI, or standard x-ray as it is translucent. Sometimes it can be picked up by imaging when the tethered tissues are off-set by the tension with a shift or mass effect, but this is more a rare finding.

A good self-directed method to ease abdominal adhesions is to practice basic yoga postures and poses, especially those that incorporate rotation of the torso in relation to the pelvis. Yoga postures act like internal massage and can stretch and soften adhesions.
Karen
Dear friend to Bella Piazza, former Colon Club member (NWGirl).
I have a permanent ileostomy and offer advice on living with an ostomy - in loving remembrance of Bella
I am on Palliative Care for broad endocrine failure + Addison's disease + osteonecrosis of both hips/jaw + immunosuppression. I live a simple life due to frail health.

mariane
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 6:16 pm

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby mariane » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:45 pm

I had small umbilical hernia after my laparoscopy for endometriosis before cancer. I developed hernia in the scar during my pregnancy with twins. There was a very small hole. It was indeed painful. Since it was very small it did not bother me too much. The belly muscles exercises helped me to the point that the pain usually disappeared for some time after regular pilates sessions. I got this small hernia repaired during my second surgery in MSKCC. I had huge vertical incision and they closed the hernia.
mom of now 14 years old twins, dx @ 40 in 6/2015 with upper rectal cancer, 10+ liver mets, CEA 140
chemo: 8/2015 - 10/2016 - 4xFOLFIRINOX, 2xFOLFOX, 8xFOLFIRI, 10x5FU, HAI pump -12xFUDR
4 surgeries, complete pathological response
CEA<2 since 10/2015
NED since May 2016

I praise God for every day with my family!

Writingdoc2
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:41 pm

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby Writingdoc2 » Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:18 pm

It could very well be a hernia, but I also had a small tumor in my abdominal wall present with a feeling like a pulled muscle about an inch near my belly button. If you are worried, an ultrasound is a good tool to see what's going on.
Diagnosed June 2015, Stage 3C
12 rounds of Folfox, 8/15-2/16
Recurrence to abdominal wall, uterus, ovary, and fallopian tube, July 2016
HIPEC, Sept. 2016, NED
Irinotecan (clean-up), 11/16-4/17
Recurrence in abdominal wall scar, 7/17
HIPEC #2, Oct. 2017

User avatar
ocstacy
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:29 pm
Facebook Username: stacy

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby ocstacy » Thu Nov 09, 2017 6:23 pm

Over the past few weeks I've been having some mild pain around and to the right of my belly button. I've had 2 laparoscopic surgeries with belly-button incisions and my husband thinks it could be a hernia (although I haven't noticed any lumps). The pain moves around a bit and seems to come and go. Of course my big fear it that it's cancer-related but blood work is all normal for now.


My mom had her LAR surgery and they also went in her belly button. Post op she had same pain as you, they thought hernia. The discharged her, she was home for 3 days and then started to get sick and vomit. She ended up with an abscess and dehydration. Be careful. Now she is doing better with antibiotics. She is finally on the road to recover. :D It was a scary post op experience though
Caregiver/daughter to dear mother age 78, dx 5/09/17 because of me!! :wink:
Rectal CA Stage 3 low-grade adenocarcinoma- 6 cm
Neoadjuvant start 7/10/17 ended 08/16/17
3D Lap. surgery @ Keck USC, Dr. Sang Lee 10/17/17 temp ileostomy
11/1 hospitalized abscess/hernia - home 11/06/17 antibiotics
NO LYMPHS INVOLVED! NEAR PATHOLOGICAL RESPONSE! YAY! :shock:
Took her last chemo med 05/10/18! Ileo reversal 07/24/18
1st BM after reversal 07/25/18 Anal Fissure 8/15/18
Me:1st Colonoscopy age 38. 08/17 Benign polp.

lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby lpas » Sat Nov 11, 2017 1:17 am

Thanks all--really appreciate all the responses. Just wanted to provide a brief update.

I ended up seeing my GI a few weeks ago and he decided to order an endoscopy, since I was also having some burning pain at the base of my sternum and ribcage. He said I definitely don't have a hernia but the endoscopy showed a bunch of gastric erosions, which I guess are like pre-ulcers (probably a result of all the ibuprofen I take for my bad back). Anyway, he thinks that's the reason for both the upper abdominal and the belly button pain. Apparently the nerves in that region are all inter-connected. I started on a new proton pump inhibitor last week and the pain is already much improved, so it appears he was right.

Seems like it's always something but I'll take an ulcer over a tumor any day of the week--ha!

Thanks again.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

bitchslapped
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:23 pm
Location: PNW/USA

Re: Pain near belly button -- umbilical hernia?

Postby bitchslapped » Sun Nov 12, 2017 2:35 pm

Just wanted to share how we help others on here through our threads/posts. My BFF, recently dx'd w/appendix cancer, called yesterday mentioning soreness around belly button. She had laparoscopic surgery approx 6wks ago to remove appendix. I told her to hang on, that I had just seen a thread title re: this issue. Read the posts to her & Miss Molly's (Karen) post was exactly the feeling she was having. Thanks for being so thorough in your posts Karen. She did send a note to the nurse @ UCSD as a heads up for her upcoming HIPEC penciled in for 12/1.

Best wishes to all,

BS
DSS,35YO,unresect mCRC DX 7/'14,lvr,LN,peri,rib
FOLFOX+Avstn 4 Rnds d/c 10/'14
Stent 9/'14
FOLFIRI+Avstn 10/'14
Gone From My Sight 2/20/15
Me:garden variety polyps + precancerous polyp, diverticulitis
Carergver x2 DH,DM dbl occupancy,'03-'10
DH dx 47YO mCRC,'04-'07, lvr, billiary tree fried x HAI
DM dx CC 85YO,CC,CHF,stroke,dementia,aphasia


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], roadrunner and 110 guests