![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEC_293354712-7a7f.jpg\")
\n\t\tAmy had to get emergency surgery but it resulted in a large hernia which doctors can\u2019t fix (Picture:hernia_troll_uk \/ Caters News)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tAmy had to get emergency surgery but it resulted in a large hernia which doctors can\u2019t fix (Picture:hernia_troll_uk \/ Caters News)<\/p>\n
At 35 years old, Amy Bamford lives with an \u2018unfixable\u2019 hernia<\/a> in her abdomen.<\/p>\n Since August 2022, it\u2019s been slowly developing, pushing out of a 25 centimetre gap in her belly following emergency surgery.<\/p>\n Amy, from Chesterfield, had had five surgeries for lipoedema<\/a>, an abnormal build-up of fat in your legs and sometimes arms, which can be really painful. But after her fifth surgery, she became septic.<\/p>\n \u2018Things started to go wrong,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I got sepsis<\/a> in my abdomen. I had to have eight surgeries in a month to clear septic tissue and they had to remove 80cm of my small intestines. <\/p>\n \u2018Being cut from the top of my abdomen to the bottom, this trauma weakens the abdominal muscle. And, once you have the damage to your abdominal wall it\u2019s difficult to go back.\u2019<\/p>\n It was this weakened abdominal muscle that herniated, and she now has a \u2018giant\u2019 incisional hernia, which surgeons and doctors have now told her shouldn\u2019t be operated on.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018I was in hospital and at my GP a lot [in the years after surgery], sometimes for the growth of my abdomen and pain, and other medical issues,\u2019 Amy explains.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s common in appointments to explain your medical history, so I was constantly telling different medical professionals about my abdominal surgeries, the concern about my growing stomach. <\/p>\n \u2018No-one saw it as a concern. It wasn\u2019t serious enough for my referral to be rushed and not one person told me there was a point where it couldn\u2019t be fixed.\u2019<\/p>\n She\u2019s had three NHS consultations and private consultations, but doctors agree her hernia is now too large to repair, leaving Amy to live with a large bulge in her stomach.<\/p>\n \u2018[Fixing it] would be major surgery, a lot can go wrong, but I have to add on my complex medical history, I\u2019ve had a stroke, there\u2019s a lot of damage in my abdomen, so I\u2019m at a higher risk of complications,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\tWhat is a hernia?\t\t\t<\/p>\n A hernia\u00a0occurs when\u00a0an internal\u00a0part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall.<\/p>\n It usually\u00a0develops\u00a0between your chest and hips, and in many cases, it causes no or very few symptoms, although you may notice a swelling or lump in your tummy (abdomen) or groin.<\/p>\n The lump can often be pushed back in or disappears when you lie down. Coughing or straining may make the lump appear.<\/p>\n If you believe you might have one, visit your GP. If you\u2019re aware of your hernia and develop severe pain, vomiting, difficulty pooing or farting, or if your hernia becomes firm and can\u2019t be pushed back in, you must go to A&E.<\/p>\n These symptoms could mean:\u00a0<\/p>\n the blood supply to a section of organ or tissue trapped in the hernia has become cut off (strangulation) A strangulated hernia and\u00a0obstructed\u00a0bowel are medical emergencies and need to be treated as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Source: NHS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018My hernia is large and uncomfortable but it\u2019s stable and not at risk of strangulating. It\u2019s not the right decision for me to try and repair it. It\u2019s scary.\u2019<\/p>\n Amy says this has been \u2018disappointing\u2019 news but that she understands doctors reasonings. \u2018Not only is it very large, even if there was a fix it might not be a permanent fix, and there are also safety issues to consider,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n \u2018I feel frustrated but also understanding.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t But despite opting not to go ahead with surgery, Amy has still found it difficult to come to terms with her new normal.<\/p>\n \u2018It comes with a lot of emotional and physical damage,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I flit between hating my body and being grateful for what my body has been through and recovered.<\/p>\n \u2018I hate how complicated my relationship is with my body but working every day to make it a little less complex.\u2019<\/p>\n When it comes to her relationship with her husband, she feels her hernia journey has actually brought them \u2018closer together\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018My husband has been very good and understanding,\u2019 Amy explains. \u2018He\u2019s been with me through it all.\u2019<\/p>\n She now runs an Instagram<\/a> account (@hernia_troll_uk) where she raises awareness about her experience, although she gets a lot of hate comments.<\/p>\n \u2018I used to be bothered by the online hate and since then I\u2019ve done a lot of work on myself,\u2019 she says. \u2018I don\u2019t need to be validated by random people online.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve blocked a few words, mostly to protect my community from seeing those words. Sometimes I laugh at it, sometimes I answer back, sometimes I\u2019ll ignore it.<\/p>\n \u2018It just doesn\u2019t bother me at all anymore.\u2019<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"hernia_troll_uk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293346909-e27e-e1776333731666.jpg\")
\n\t\tAmy\u2019s hernia has been growing since 2022 and doctors now advise against surgery to fix it (Picture: hernia_troll_uk \/ Caters News)<\/p>\n![\"@hernia_troll_uk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293346918-d70a-e1776333934450.jpg\")
\n\t\tAmy\u2019s hernia formed after emergency surgery for sepsis weakened her abdominal muscles
(Picture: hernia_troll_uk \/ CATERS NEWS)<\/p>\n
\na\u00a0piece of bowel has entered the hernia and become blocked (obstruction)<\/p>\n![\"hernia_troll_uk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SEI_293346911-a534-e1776334070314.jpg\")
\n\t\tAmy\u2019s emergency surgery scar down her abdomen where her hernia would develop (Picture: hernia_troll_uk \/ CATERS NEWS)<\/p>\n
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