While we would like to think otherwise, the reality is most of us have been in complete denial about our health at one point or another. For instance, maybe you downplayed your cold symptoms to your manager in order to finish a big project or intentionally ignored your stomach pains in order to make it to a much-anticipated concert.
While this behavior is never advisable, it’s typically harmless in the long run. However, it’s important to note sometimes people take things one step further and really do jeopardize their health through denial, maybe neglecting to make an appoint for a mammogram, colonoscopy or skin cancer screening, or even ignoring a significant and painful bulge in their abdominal wall.
Indeed, this pronounced and painful bulge may be symptomatic of what is known as a hernia, a weakening in the muscle of the abdominal wall through which an organ or tissue can protrude.
Curiously, while statistics show millions of Americans develop this condition every year, many opt not to seek any treatment whatsoever, choosing to either adopt a wait-and-see approach or simply ignore the problem — and pain — for as long as possible. Still others, however, unknowingly suffer from the condition after their physician either misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose the condition altogether.
Whatever the circumstances, it’s important for people to consider the following:
The good news for anyone who may be suffering from a hernia is there are viable surgical options available to help treat the condition, including traditional open surgery, laparoscopic surgery and even robotic surgery.
We’ll examine these three surgical options in our next post. In the meantime, consider speaking with an experienced legal professional if you or a loved one suffered unnecessarily because of a misdiagnosis on the part of a medical professional.
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