peopleschamp11
08-27-2012, 10:22 PM
I apologize in advance for the garrulous essay. I just want to be certain I have some solid advice.
Roughly a year ago I noticed a very small lump in my abdomen. I just remember noticing it in the shower one day and leaving it be. There’s a possibility that I had this aforementioned lump for years and never noticed it. There are no visible manifestations of it and one could only notice the bump by applying pressure to the site. I had no discomfort in the area.
Fast forward to a month ago (maybe a tad longer). I was in the gym doing a routine shoulder session and was doing heavy barbell military pressing (315lbs). I did 5 reps and uncharacteristically held my breath through all 5 reps. Normally I’m anal about breathing but since I was going this heavy I was immaturely focused primarily on moving the weight. Once I racked the bar, I stood up and had a horrid pain in my abdomen. It felt as if someone put a dagger directly into my mid section. I wasn’t overly concerned, because I always experience abdominal pressure and discomfort when I shoulder press. The pain subsided within a few minutes and was completely gone within 10. I continued the remainder of my workout.
For some reason I became paranoid in the shower once I got home. I started feeling the lump in my stomach and couldn’t help but notice the correlation between the lump and the pain site. Then it hit me: I gave myself a hernia.
I immediately made an appointment to see a surgeon, but couldn’t be seen for a little over a month. I had thoroughly convinced myself that I needed surgery. I continued to go to the gym with the mentality of “Oh, well. I'll need surgery anyways. Might as well blow this mother fucker out and get my money’s worth.”
The following weeks I trained as usual. Heavy squats, over 600lb deadlifts, equally as heavy military presses as before, etc. I didn’t experience even the slightest bit of pain or discomfort in the physical sense. The entire time though, I kept feeling the lump and couldn’t take my mind off it. It was right in the linea alba. It’s a tiny bit lower than half way between my sternum and my belly button and feels like a little subdermal jelly bean.
Today I went to the surgeon and, as expected, he diagnosed it as a hernia. He said I don’t need surgery now. He explained to me that it could heal on its own, and the recover time for that to happen is about 6-12months. I have two issues with that statement.
1. ALL evidence I have researched is to the contrary. Every article I have read states that it’s impossible to hernias to ‘heal’ themselves and will eventually require surgery.
2. I am preparing for Collegiate Nationals of 2013. This is my offseason and can’t afford ANY time off.
Obviously my surgeon knows I’m a bodybuilder. I told him that, although it seems both stubborn and superficial, I CAN’T just quit lifting. I need to compete in this show. He told me to make sure I practiced proper breathing while lifting. He told me I would be running the risk of making it worse, but he wasn’t very helpful or talkative. He seemed busy and in a rush. Polite, but just not very personable. I have scheduled another appointment for late September with another surgeon. I don't doubt the diagnoses, I just want to gather as much information as I can. I am very overanalytical at times. So, I pose to you a plethora of questions –
1. Can it truly heal on its own? Would something like growth hormone be able to help aid the process? Is there a chance at making a recovery whilst still training as long as I avoid squats/deads?
2. Since it gives me no pain, would it be fine to continue as I have been with my training? Should I train my core more to strengthen my abdominals or is weakness unrelated to why I suffered the injury?
3. I see several bodybuilders with bad looking hernias on stage. Is it possible, if this did get much worse, to just continue to train for years until I decide I want surgery? What is the eventual threshold of saying “Ok, NOW I need surgery”? is it just pain that will eventually make someone cave?
Any and all information you can give me is greatly appreciated. I don’t think I’ve cried since I was an infant, but I was damn close today. Part of my just wishes I DID need surgery just so I can get it over with. This is such an awful position to be in. I’m petrified of this thing, and I know no matter how much I try, my training will suffer because I’ll subconsciously be thinking about this little bastard.
Roughly a year ago I noticed a very small lump in my abdomen. I just remember noticing it in the shower one day and leaving it be. There’s a possibility that I had this aforementioned lump for years and never noticed it. There are no visible manifestations of it and one could only notice the bump by applying pressure to the site. I had no discomfort in the area.
Fast forward to a month ago (maybe a tad longer). I was in the gym doing a routine shoulder session and was doing heavy barbell military pressing (315lbs). I did 5 reps and uncharacteristically held my breath through all 5 reps. Normally I’m anal about breathing but since I was going this heavy I was immaturely focused primarily on moving the weight. Once I racked the bar, I stood up and had a horrid pain in my abdomen. It felt as if someone put a dagger directly into my mid section. I wasn’t overly concerned, because I always experience abdominal pressure and discomfort when I shoulder press. The pain subsided within a few minutes and was completely gone within 10. I continued the remainder of my workout.
For some reason I became paranoid in the shower once I got home. I started feeling the lump in my stomach and couldn’t help but notice the correlation between the lump and the pain site. Then it hit me: I gave myself a hernia.
I immediately made an appointment to see a surgeon, but couldn’t be seen for a little over a month. I had thoroughly convinced myself that I needed surgery. I continued to go to the gym with the mentality of “Oh, well. I'll need surgery anyways. Might as well blow this mother fucker out and get my money’s worth.”
The following weeks I trained as usual. Heavy squats, over 600lb deadlifts, equally as heavy military presses as before, etc. I didn’t experience even the slightest bit of pain or discomfort in the physical sense. The entire time though, I kept feeling the lump and couldn’t take my mind off it. It was right in the linea alba. It’s a tiny bit lower than half way between my sternum and my belly button and feels like a little subdermal jelly bean.
Today I went to the surgeon and, as expected, he diagnosed it as a hernia. He said I don’t need surgery now. He explained to me that it could heal on its own, and the recover time for that to happen is about 6-12months. I have two issues with that statement.
1. ALL evidence I have researched is to the contrary. Every article I have read states that it’s impossible to hernias to ‘heal’ themselves and will eventually require surgery.
2. I am preparing for Collegiate Nationals of 2013. This is my offseason and can’t afford ANY time off.
Obviously my surgeon knows I’m a bodybuilder. I told him that, although it seems both stubborn and superficial, I CAN’T just quit lifting. I need to compete in this show. He told me to make sure I practiced proper breathing while lifting. He told me I would be running the risk of making it worse, but he wasn’t very helpful or talkative. He seemed busy and in a rush. Polite, but just not very personable. I have scheduled another appointment for late September with another surgeon. I don't doubt the diagnoses, I just want to gather as much information as I can. I am very overanalytical at times. So, I pose to you a plethora of questions –
1. Can it truly heal on its own? Would something like growth hormone be able to help aid the process? Is there a chance at making a recovery whilst still training as long as I avoid squats/deads?
2. Since it gives me no pain, would it be fine to continue as I have been with my training? Should I train my core more to strengthen my abdominals or is weakness unrelated to why I suffered the injury?
3. I see several bodybuilders with bad looking hernias on stage. Is it possible, if this did get much worse, to just continue to train for years until I decide I want surgery? What is the eventual threshold of saying “Ok, NOW I need surgery”? is it just pain that will eventually make someone cave?
Any and all information you can give me is greatly appreciated. I don’t think I’ve cried since I was an infant, but I was damn close today. Part of my just wishes I DID need surgery just so I can get it over with. This is such an awful position to be in. I’m petrified of this thing, and I know no matter how much I try, my training will suffer because I’ll subconsciously be thinking about this little bastard.