Incisional or Umbilical Hernia?

Hello,

Back in 1982 I had exploratory surgery which found a perforated duodenal ulcer.  My incision runs from right below my ribs to 3 or 4 inches below my navel.  In 2007, I had my gallbladder removed laprascopically.  Within the past 3 years, I've developed a very small hernia on the left side of my belly button, but right underneath the incisional scar.  This was confirmed through a CT scan 3 years ago.  It is not painful, and disappears when I lay down.  It cannot be seen when standing, but I can feel it just a bit when standing.  How would this hernia be classified--incisional or umbilical?   My GI looked at the hernia a couple weeks ago, and said he wasn't impressed by it.

Additionally,  is there any possibility that this hernia could cause bloating beneath my ribs, right above my belly button? The bloating does disappear overnight.   I had another CT scan - abdominal and pelvic- on Thursday for the bloating, but haven't received the results yet.  Hoping that no news on CT scan is good news for any major medical problems.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello Judi and hope you are doing well.

If the protrusion is present right below the incision, it could most probably be an incisional hernia. When the hernia is reduced, the defect can sometimes be felt. The abdominal bloating is unlikely to be due to the hernia, if it disappears overnight, it could be due to flatulence. You could go in for an elective surgical repair of the hernia to avoid complications like strangulation. And Good Luck with your scan results.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.