I saw the surgeon today and she said she does not feel a hernia! She thinks the small bulge the primary care doctor feels (and that I can feel in the mornings!) is my right pelvic kidney (whose last appearance was on my 2009 lumbar MRI images and MRI report). She thinks I strained an ab muscle (rectus abdominus, or the "6 pack" muscle), or that the ligaments holding the pelvic kidney in place are strained. She said the kidney might actually move around a bit since it's not where it's supposed to be.
And she said my ab muscles are strong overall!
She said I'm to rest and listen to my body as far as daily living activities and stretching for back--advice we can all follow! She says it will take 4-6 weeks to resolve itself, but if it gets worse or doesn't improve, she'll order a cat scan.
I am so relieved! Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes my way and chanted the mantra of "not a hernia, not a hernia!" It is very much appreciated!
Yay! What great news! I'm happy it is not a hernia and you do not have to have surgery!
ReplyDeleteAwesome news!
ReplyDeleteAn aunt of mine has a 3rd kidney, which definitely causes pain when it moves around. So don't worry too much about that part. But you might worry more about repeated appointments with doctors who seem to be very much into considering surgery for as yet ill-defined problems.. That's more likely to cause you problems in the long term :-).
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear it was not a hernia!!! I hope it heals itself.
ReplyDelete