Explanation

Looking back through my last couple whiney posts, I realized that I didn't give any explanation as to what a hernia is or what kind I have. My apologies!

In Jeanna terms, a hernia is where you have a weak spot somewhere in your abdominal wall (could be high, could be low, anywhere) and your intestine finds it and pokes through. I'm finding that many people can ignore or be completely unaware that they have a hernia for quite some time. How they can do this I have no idea because, at best, it's really uncomfortable.

I have an indirect inguinal hernia. Though not unheard of in women, this kind of hernia you typically see more often in men. It's very low, in the groin area, actually on the right end of my C-section scar.

What concerns me, as I read more about this, is that when I saw my regular doctor last week about this, she wanted to make sure I made very clear to the surgeon that my hernia is irreducible. Simply put, pressure on that area doesn't force the intestine back into place. This has the potential to be bad but so far I haven't noticed anything. I try to lie down or recline as much as possible because that feels better. I also take care to wear really loose fitting clothing. Easy to do at home but work clothes are a little more challenging. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY with the pain and discomfort.

So now all I have to do is make it to Friday. In the words of one of Gavin's current favorite books: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...