Has Anyone Ever Had an Umbilical Hernia?

Just get the surgery. It's nothing to be afraid of. It can save you so much time and money to get it now instead of later.

I've never had an umbilical hernia, but a girlfriend of mine did and got surgery ASAP. I also knew a fellow who had one and let it go... it became like a baby was sticking its head out of his belly-- very, very off-putting. You really DON"T want that. Leaving things like this means more damage to the body and far more time to heal. Don't wait.

Of course you'll have to talk with your doctor, but as I understand it, you can live with a hernia for a time. The problem is not knowing when/if it might go from painful to emergency. I can tell you that I had a double inguinal hernia that went undiagnosed for years (it didn't bulge) until I couldn't move one day from the pain. They finally did an MRI, I had surgery, and am SO GLAD I did. Good luck!

It's kind of like waiting for a time bomb to go off.
It might take a long time - and then BOOM - pain and emergency care - which can be more expensive and time consuming.
I like taking care of things before they go BOOM.

I had an umbilical hernia when I was 8 years old, and had surgery. Given that this was over 30 years ago, I'm quite sure that surgery is even better/easier now! I know it can be anxiety producing, but so can worrying about when it will become an emergency!

I have one right now. I've also been putting off having it repaired for a multitude of not very good reasons. I've finally scheduled a gallbladder removal for the same time. Been putting that off also!

Both surgeries are being done on an outpatient basis. I'll be home by early afternoon. Like others have said, you can live with a hernia for a while. But once it becomes strangulated it's an emergency situation. I'd rather be able to take care of it in a non-emergency setting.

I had a paraumbilical hernia that could be quite painful. I probably got it from picking up something that was too heavy. I had outpatient surgery and, if I recall correctly (this was at least 15 years ago) I walked into the hospital around 7:00 am and walked out around 2:00 pm. Even though I was nervous and I remember there being some delay, the surgery itself was no big deal. I was only partially sedated and honestly don't remember a thing except being wheeled in and wheeled out. I took pain medication the first day and no more after that. The site was off and on sore for probably around six months. I did not require a mesh because the tear was still quite small. I would recommend getting it done and over with - it may not turn into anything more serious but it can. Mine was just too painful and had to be fixed.