Is surgery necessary for an abdominal hernia?

It sounds like your cousin has an abdominal hernia.

A hernia occurs when the “inner organs” pushes through the weakened layers of the abdominal wall, forming a bulge. This bulge often gets bigger over time.

It can also cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, which could explain the stomach discomfort your cousin has experienced.

An abdominal hernia can be exacerbated by heavy lifting or straining.

There are several different types of abdominal hernias – the most common type is an inguinal hernia.

Most hernias aren’t immediately life-threatening, but they do not go away on their own.

There are some situations where surgery becomes necessary, typically when the inner organs are at risk of not receiving enough blood supply.

A doctor needs to perform a physical examination to determine if surgery is necessary. If left untreated, his hernia may grow and become more painful. Even if he does require surgery, a hernia repair is minimally invasive and low-risk.

In the mean time, he should avoid straining or heavy work to prevent the hernia from appearing again.

There are different types of abdominal wall hernia.

The most common hernia is an inguinal (groin) hernia. That occurs due to a weakness of the muscle of your abdominal wall. Inguinal hernias should be treated by surgery. You can also get umbilicus hernia or hernia around a scar of previous surgery.

These may be managed without surgery though some sort of support such as abdominal binder may be helpful.

Surgery can be performed if you have symptoms such as pain or discomfort when the hernia protrudes out.

There are a variety of methods of surgery for hernia repair and your choices depend on the type of hernia, previous surgery as well as the surgeon's experience with each technique.

You will need to discuss these options with your surgeon before deciding on what to do.