My belly button bulges

 

This is a common type of hernia and may present as a bulge or tenderness at or around the navel. They may form after keyhole surgery or pregnancy both of which can weaken the tissues at the umbilicus. Any sudden swelling, tenderness or reddened skin in the umbilicus should alert the patient to the possibility that an umbilical hernia may have become strangulated and will require immediate surgical repair.

​​

Surgical repair to an umbilical or paraumbilical hernia is usually performed as a day case. A small incision is made just below the protrusion, the contents of the hernia are returned to the abdomen and the defect is sutured closed. A mesh may be fixed under the defect if it is large. Return to work can usually be expected within four days but heavy lifting should be avoided for three weeks.