{"id":703179,"date":"2026-05-30T06:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/703179\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T06:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:09:10","slug":"showing-my-hernia-makes-me-less-self-conscious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/703179\/","title":{"rendered":"Showing my hernia makes me less self-conscious"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman who has a large hernia in her abdomen has said showing it on social media has made her feel “less self-conscious”.<\/p>\n

Amy Bamford, from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, had five operations for lipoedema – an abnormal build-up of fat in legs and sometimes arms – in June 2022 and during her final surgery, she had a stroke and developed sepsis.<\/p>\n

She underwent a further eight abdominal surgeries to remove the infection, but, months later, she noticed a lump developing in her stomach, which was later confirmed to be a hernia.<\/p>\n

Amy turned to Facebook and Instagram to seek advice and says she has now developed a network of support for herself and others with hernias, all while boosting her confidence.<\/p>\n

“Anybody is susceptible to getting a hernia,” she said. “A lot of people are affected physically with the mobility, pain, discomfort, but also mentally.<\/p>\n

“It’s hard to ignore something that’s on your stomach. It impacts how clothes fit you and it’s just a big change for your life.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Amy said her hernia was “very heavy” [BBC]<\/p>\n

Amy chose to have her lipoedema surgeries in Germany after picking a doctor who was an expert in the condition and had studied it for many years.<\/p>\n

After her lipoedema surgeries, Amy spent a further two months in hospital while she recovered from sepsis.<\/p>\n

She was pleased by the hospital’s response to the complications, but she noticed the lump developing on her stomach about three months later.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old said doctors in the UK confirmed it was a hernia and told her “it’s nothing to worry about”.<\/p>\n

However, by about a year later, Amy said she had developed a “massive” incisional hernia, which, according to the NHS, happens due to a weakness or gap in muscles or “supporting structures of the abdominal wall” in the area where a surgical incision has previously been made.<\/p>\n

“It’s painful,” she said. “When I eat or drink, I can feel everything moving through. There’s no protection.<\/p>\n

“It’s also very heavy, so I have to wear a binder 24 hours a day. It’s shifted my centre of gravity, so walking can be difficult and it impacts my hips.”<\/p>\n

The binder, which wraps twice around Amy’s stomach, gives her extra protection and helps ease discomfort.<\/p>\n

Amy said: “It’s not like a soft, fatty belly that can move. It’s just in the way and heavy.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Amy wears a binder 24 hours a day to give her hernia extra protection [BBC]<\/p>\n

Amy said she had contacted numerous surgeons about her hernia – NHS doctors, private providers and those based abroad – but it was felt removing it would be too risky, given the number of procedures she has already had in that area of her body.<\/p>\n

“Ultimately, we decided we’re going to stop pursuing it, because if they could do it, it’d be quite a dangerous, open abdominal surgery,” she added.<\/p>\n

“They’d have to try put everything together, maybe using mesh, I might not react well to mesh, I might get another infection.<\/p>\n

“When the doctor was listing everything that could go wrong, we thought ‘it’s probably safer to stay as we are’.”<\/p>\n

According to the NHS, hernias can be managed with a binder where surgery is not a safe option.<\/p>\n

It was during Amy’s search for surgeons that she used social media to seek advice.<\/p>\n

“But the main reason I do it now is because there’s so many people that have got a hernia, that are kind of ashamed of it,” she said.<\/p>\n

“They don’t know how to look after the hernia, protect it, potentially stop it from getting bigger – so we all meet online and share our advice.”<\/p>\n

There is another reason why Amy shares her experience online.<\/p>\n

She said: “I know it looks weird, but I think it’s important for other people to see somebody with a body difference that they’ve got themselves, because it makes them feel less self-conscious about it.”<\/p>\n

Listen to BBC Radio Derby on Sounds<\/a> and follow BBC Derby on Facebook<\/a>, on X<\/a>, or on Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk<\/a> or via WhatsApp<\/a> on 0808 100 2210.<\/p>\n