Does this sound like a hernia?

A new pain in the side of abdomen (behind rib cage) begins 7-8 days post surgery and feels like a badly pulled muscle that decreases your level of mobility due to level of pain depending on how you move. e.g. turning over in bed was  getting relatively easy, now have to be really careful or I howl in pain (3 weeks past surgery)  

Could a hernia like that occur by an accidental strain? e.g. liftin a grocery bag that may have been slightly heavy?  If it is a hernia, would that require surgery or can it be fixed some other way? 

Thx.

Only your surgeon can tell you if you have a hernia. We can't.  But I had the same problem (pain) around the same time you did from "overdoing it". (No hernia in my case...Just a pulle dmuscle and longer healing time)

Remember, you had MAJOR surgery, equivelent to OPEN HEART SURGERY! Would you expect someone who had a coronary bypass to get up and run a marathon 8 days later? Of course not!
Just because we had laprascopic surgery does not mean it is an "easy" surgery.

Our guts have been cut, twisted, rerouted (or had something implanted) ALL of that is major surgery and will take a good several MONTHS before you are really feeling "fully" yourself.

Warmly,
Jackie

I looked up hernia's and I don't think it is that.  I don't feel a lump.  I think it's just what it feels like - a pulled muscle.  It started a few hours after I lifted some grocery bags out the car.  I had made them as light and balanced as possible but I put both of them in one hand (the side that hurts to close the boot.  It was a few hours after that I felt this new pain.

You are right about it being major surgery.  I've been trying to explain that to my 14 year old son who is helping grudgingly around the house.  Hubby is on a business trip, or I would have gotten more help.

How long was it until you started to work out with weights and stuff.  Right now I'm just walking.

You might want to call your doctor and ask about the pain. You could have pulled a stitch or two.

Let your muscle heal first, and then give it 6 weeks to two months before you even think about lifting weights!

Hey ya!
I LOVE working out with weights! I had started pre-op and then about 2 weeks post op began again (using light dumbells and doing sitting exercises like Arnold presses, incline butterflies, etc.) I waited a good 3-4 months before I really got back into say deadlifts and heavy squats..

(I don't do to much cardio) I take that back, I DO, but women will NOT "bulk up" if we lift free weights and dumbells. We get lean and sexy! Walking is always good (or swimming when you are cleared to) or elliptical machine because it "revs up your metabolism". But...Do only maybe 5 minutes of warm up cardio, THEN do your 1/2- 1 hr of free weights and weight machines and then another 10 minutes of cool down cardio. Even walking 15-20 minutes a day around your neighborhood with your dog (or a neighbors dog!) is always a nice change of pace.

There is a site called bodybuilding.com  I love it! It is free and can set up an exercise program for you and shows you teh correct way to lift, etc. There are alot of ladies on the site (there is a special womens forum) and NOT all of them are competition lifters or "models" so no need to feel intimidated!

As for overdoing it...Yeah, you gotta watch that. I pulled an internal stitch when I was cleaning a dog crate out on like day 6 or 7 after surgery (I had been feeling so WONDERFUL, no pain) then this horrible pull and for about another week it felt like a sharp "stab" in my gut. Surgeon checked it out and said I was doing to much and no cleaning dog crates! LOL!

So my humble advice to any newbie would be DON'T overdue it. It will get done. Cleaning can wait a bit, if you got to bring grocery sacks in because the teenager is being a lazy lump, empty them half out or bring a few items in at a time (not a few bags, but a few items) ...More walking? Yeah, but hey...You won't pull any stitches.

Good luck and hang in there!

Warmly,
Jackie

Thanks,  my side feels better today except when I take a deep breath.  Then it is a sharp pain.  I have two dogs so no excuse for me.

I'd like to sculpt my arms.  Maybe get them like Michelle Obama!  My arms were always flabby even when I was only "mildly plump"

Funnily enough, I just brought in some groceries and did it in two trips.  I left the rest for my "lazy lump".   To be fair, he wasn't home the last time I pulled the bags in.  I even have him vacuuming.  Setting him up to be a good husband to someone one day.

I did enjoy zumba when I tried it.  In the past I used the machines at the gym for weights.  My legs are quite strong, but my arms are weak.

I was thinking about getting P90X later on.  And there's a new gym opening with a pool near hear in December, so going to join that.  My son is keen to go too.  Hubby not so much.  He's only 20lbs over his ideal weight, but I think I could get him to go too.

Regards,

Aileen