maybe a hernia

[hobgoblin]

i have a small lump on top of my belly button not to much far i say about the top ring of my bellybutton small lump sticking out .i wonder is it serious. its not painful .

[mqrcie]

I had the same thing and since I work in surgery at our local hosp. I had a chance to ask one of the general surgeons.  He looked at it, poked around at it and had me get an abdom. ultrasound.  The radiologist and my PCP thought it was a lipoma (fatty tumor) but I took everything to the surgeon and he diagnosed epigastric hernia or also called ventral hernia.  It bothered me when I ate too much or when my guts were acting up and it didn't feel good if I pressed on it.  I underwent surgery which was quick and easy and I didn't need the mesh that some hernias require and I'm glad I did it, now I don't have the problem and the scar in tiny and you can't see it much anymore (surg. was July 28th).  Of course yours can be something or not much of anything but I'd get a second opinion if it bothers you.  good luck

[ggreg]

Might be an umbilical hernia, which I have one of those.  It's about the size of a marble and looks funny.  But when I got it, it was very sore and hurt to push.  It happened when my guts were all swolled out from IBS, and I got to coughing, and I tore the muscles there and it caused a little hernia.  The discomfort went away after a couple weeks.  My gastro guy said that's what it was, and he saw no need to treat it.  But I hate the way it looks, so someday I may have someone stitch it up.  But since yours did not hurt, I'm not sure if that's what you have.  Could be as simple as a skin cyst, which a dermatologist can take care of, or could be something more involved that's internal with the organs or bowel, which a gastro doc can check out.