alphabetsoup

I'm an overweight (235lb) 35 year old female. Off and on for the past few years I've had strange abdomenal pains, particularly when standing....it feels like my innards are hanging out in one spot. I usually lay down for several hours with a hot pack on the area to relax the muscles, then gentle palpate and jiggle my belly until things start to feel 'normal' again.

I get this pain sometimes on the lower left spot of my belly overhang...but today I was getting one further up toward the middle on the right. It didn't seem to be near my belly-button, but when the belly button area is touched (even lightly) I get referred pain lower on my belly and up into my right rib cage area.

1. Does this sound like a hernia? There is no lump...but I think I'm too fat to actually FEEL a lump. And if I press on the far lower left (like you would with appendicitis testing) there is no referred pain to the right side.

2. What do I do for it? I tried wrapping my belly with an ace bandage...and that helped for a bit, but the weight of my body made the bandage roll down on itself and that was causing painful spots around my hips. I've got a corset I could put on I suppose...but I'm worried that might cause more damage.

Is it something that would need to be seen by the doctor soon or can it wait? I went to see my Gp with this same type of pain in September 2007 and she only checked my gallbladder and didn't do anything else. Totally NON-helpful...even when I told her that I suspected a hernia...as it was toward the middle of my body, not on my right side.

Any advice is appreciated...this bloody thing aches (not badly, but enough that I don't want to move).

Cheers.

soupy