45-Year-Old Man Suffering from Hernia the Size of a Bowling Ball Faces 2-Year Wait for Surgery – Advocating for Your Health

Fighting for Relief

• Paul Milham, 45, underwent life-saving emergency surgery on his colon to treat diverticulitis, a digestive condition, then two months later, he discovered he had a hernia, which occurs in your groin or abdomen when an organ pushes through tissue or muscles through a weak spot in that area.
• Now suffering from a mass in his abdomen the size of a “bowling ball,” the hypnotherapist said he is on an agonizing nearly two-year wait for his operation, as his care team deemed it “non-urgent,” but a second opinion says otherwise, so he is trying everything he can to push into surgery sooner.
• Advocating for your health is so important, as you know your body better than anyone else. If something doesn’t feel right or you are not satisfied by a certain outcome when it comes to your health, make sure to do everything in your power to help change it, even if you have to be a little aggressive.

Last June, Paul Milham, 45, underwent life-saving emergency surgery on his colon to treat diverticulitis, a digestive condition, then two months later, he discovered he had a hernia, which occurs in your groin or abdomen when an organ pushes through tissue or muscles through a weak spot in that area, per Cleveland Clinic . Now suffering from a mass the size of a "bowling ball," the hypnotherapist, via reporting by DailyMail , said he is on an agonizing nearly two-year wait for his operation. Understandably, Milham said he is feeling very "sad and angry" about his challenging health situation and says he needs to pay a large sum of money to get in sooner. "I'm working more hours than ever before to try and raise the money. I know people are trying their best but this is my life."

Milham, who works as a hypnotherapist in Hertfordshire, England, says he's in pain from the stretched skin. "I have reduced activity. I don't like to be around people anymore because I look like a freak." "It's devastating to be worried about your life," he added, also noting that the mass makes him looks "seven months pregnant." "This is not a beer belly," he said while displaying his protruding stomach in a YouTube video on his GoFundMe fundraiser page. RELATED : 39-Year-Old Dad of Two Initially Thought His Stomach Pain Was from a Hernia: It Turned Out to Be Cancer Milham shared that his doctors don't believe his condition is life-threatening at this time, but one private surgeon told Milham that it was at the "upper limits" of what is currently fixable. "I've been begging them and begging them for it [the surgery] to be sooner. I've written to the surgeon, the complaints department, the CEO department and got nowhere." A rep for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust gave a statement to DailyMail saying they are "working hard to reduce elective care waiting times and will always prioritize cases with the highest clinical need — including escalating those where a patient's condition has altered following initial assessment." Elective care is what is considered a non-urgent operation. "While we cannot comment on individual patient details," the statement added, "We are urgently investigating the complaint Mr. Milham has made about his delay in his care."

Advocating for Your Health

When it comes to your health, SurvivorNet's medical experts say to be a bit pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don't hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor's perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn't work. Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate As a patient, if you don't feel like each of these four things has been accomplished, just ask. Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate. Milham appears to be doing just that to help alleviate this uncomfortable health condition and will hopefully get relief soon as he continues to push. Physical issues can be very taxing emotionally as well, so it's also important to alleviate as much stress as possible while going through difficult times, and try to take care of your body and mind as much as possible.

What is an Incisional Hernia?

According to John Hopkins Medicine , an incisional hernia like Milham's is a result of his abdominal surgery, as one third of people who undergo similar operations can suffer from a hernia as a side effect or complication. "An incisional hernia occurs at or in close proximity to a surgical incision through which intestine, organ or other tissue protrudes," the site says. Try This Simple, Guided Exercise to Help Manage Anxiety Incisional hernias are most likely to occur anywhere from three to six months post-surgery but can also happen any time after. There is a higher risk for an incisional hernia if the patient goes back to more excessive physical activity too soon after surgery, gains weight, or becomes pregnant.

Symptoms of an Incisional Hernia

After an abdominal surgery, whether it's from a condition similar to Milham's or from a cancer surgery, it's important to look out for early signs of complications, such as an incisional hernia.

• Constipation or "thin stool
• Lump or protrusion in the abdomen or near the site of a previous incision
• Pain and/or a producing stomach while coughing
• Nausea, vomiting, fever or rapid heart rate
• Pain in the abdomen

Be sure to get in to see your doctor immediately if you are experiencing any similar symptoms or other concerns after surgery.