I have two hernias - one in chest and one in abdomen. Is surgery necessary?

But is it necessary? It isn’t as painful as it is uncomfortable.

Such a pussy

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Both types of hernias are extremely common and surgery should only be considered if symptoms are severe or an emergency develops.

In my experience, surgery for a hiatal hernia is often not very successful. One important piece of information is the size of the hernia: how much of the stomach is extending into the lower chest? The hiatus is the hole in the diaphragm through which the esophagus meets the stomach. When a portion of the stomach slides up through the hole into the lower chest, this is a classic “sliding” hiatal hernia. Like I said, they are super common, especially small ones. The larger the hernia, the more likely I’d be to consider surgery, particularly if symptoms of reflux are severe. The most important thing is to find a surgeon you trust with a good word-of-mouth reputation.

For the abdominal hernia, where is it in relation to your belly button? Most commonly, these are at the belly button and contain only abdominal fat. Sometimes they contain bowel (large or small), and sometimes the bowel moves in and out (increasing your abdominal pressure by bearing down can test this). In my experience, the majority do not require surgery. If bowel does become stuck in the hernia, it will become painful and then you can go to a surgeon or the ER and have surgery. Surgery for an anterior abdominal wall hernia is typically successful, although every surgery has its own risks, so I usually advise to avoid it if possible. Also, hernias often recur.