Hernia and Medical Fatphobia

I've had an umbilical hernia (a hole in the muscle wall around the belly button) for a while. I first noticed my belly button being an "outie" which I could push back in, about 18 months ago. I suspect it's caused by IBS, as I spend more time straining my abdominal wall than most. Anyway, I finally got round to seeing my GP about it earlier this year, and he referred me for an ultrasound which confirmed that it's a big one and needs urgent treatment. Due to my hernia I've not been doing as much exercise as I'd like - while swimming and cycling are OK for me, a lot of core muscle work is advised against in case it makes the hernia worse. So this has gone onto my list of excuses for not exercising along with, y'know, the ongoing global pandemic.

Not long after my GP appointment, I got a referral to a private hospital which does NHS consults. Apparently hernia surgery (sewing a mesh into the muscle wall; done under anaesthetic with no overnight stay) is a quick way to get a big impact on surgery backlog statistics so they're processing them quickly. Wednesday 11th October was my pre-surgery consultation.

( CW: Medical Fatphobia )