QuestionQUESTION: i am 58 years old and recently the hernia doctors have told me i have this problem. i had a c section 30 years ago. the c section is long ways up to my belly button and i have also had bladder surgery which is across the lower belly like a bikini cut c section. they say there is no way i can heal this and no surgery that is covered by my insurance coverage. is there a way to get this fixed. i have lost 30 lbs and no one can tell i lost any weight because of my big belly. please help if you can. i have one of your dvds that my daughter let me use. i am hoping it will help. i have a waist band that the hernia doctors told me i could wear but that wont help much. if i started exercise other exercises should i wear that just to keep it all tight? thank you for helping me.
ANSWER: You don't say how wide your mid line is, but since you had a vertical cut in your C, this means that your connective tissue has significant scar tissue. Unfortunately, you will not be able to close your mid line through exercise.
But this does not mean that you can't flatten your abdomen and build core strength and stability. Lots of women without diastasis or umbilical/ventral hernia end up with overly round, protruding abdomens. I've had a lot of mature women use my program to change the shape of their bellies.
But since you're also dealing with a hernia, you need to make sure that as you do the exercises that you control the intra-abdominal pressures that exercise causes. If at any time you see your hernia pop out as you work your abs, then this means that you have passed your level of functional control.
Start by doing A TON(!) of Tranverse Abdominis isolations. In the DVD this exercise is the side lying Belly Lacing. You can also do the standing variation of this exercise as shown on page:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html. Then, take the time to learn how to do the Belly Scooping exercise really well. These two exercises form the technical basis for the rest of the program.
Building core strength will also help the healing and efficacy of a surgical hernia repair if you decide to go that route.
If your hernia is uncomfortable/causes pain, you should discuss options with your doctor. I agree that wearing an external support device won't really help.
If at any time your hernia becomes red, distended, painful, and/or you develop a fever, get medical attention right away.
Big congrats on your weight loss. This demonstrates that you've made significant improvements in your over all health.
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QUESTION: my mid line is i think big. i can put my fist in it. is there a specialist in this kind of problem?
AnswerMake sure that you are testing correctly. If you only lift your head off the floor, then you might not engage the Rectus Abdominis. Do the diastasis test as described on page:http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html and let me know how wide your mid line is.
