Hi Drs!
I am a 39yo female, I had a simple umbilical hernia repair done 8 years ago, about 2.5 years ago I noticed that the area above the repair was uncomfortable with certain movements, and had an ultrasound done, and there was another umbilical hernia. It was small. Neither of my hernias have been due to lifting weights, but due to 2 pregnancies. Since that time, I had started lifting weights casually, and then began powerlifting in earnest, and changed diet. The hernia became more visible because of weight loss, but was not painful. At my last physical, the doc said I should have hernia taken care of sooner rather than later, as it would need to be repaired eventually, and, because I lift, I might be at greater risk of it “blowing”. So I had a consult with a surgeon who told me I should be able to lift like normal after a recovery period after the surgery. I decided to go for it, and had it done 3 weeks ago. My recovery has been good so far. I had my post op yesterday, and the surgeon told me I can start lifting again, and ramp my weights back up to what I had been doing prior to surgery over a period of four weeks, BUT… I can’t EVER hold my breath AGAIN while lifting. I told him this was not possible with powerlifting, and he told me that I would just need to drop what I have been doing by “about 10 pounds”. Is there any way to properly brace without holding my breath? Wouldn’t breathing while lifting make my core less rigid, therefore more prone to injury? I am sure I can’t just drop my weights by 10 pounds and be able to breathe, I had been able to squat 2x my bodyweight, bench 20lb over my body weight, and deadlift close to 2.5x my body weight. What should I do?