Over the past week I’ve developed what I think is a hernia in my groin/lower abdomen. It’s a pronounced bulge that seems to be getting bigger. Not painful per se, but I can feel it moving during deadlifts.
I presume this is a case where I should stop training until after I’ve been able to see a doctor about it? Unfortunately it looks like several weeks before there’s any availability.
Earlier this year my brother was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, of which I understand genetics are a contributing factor… seems like that’s likely what I’ve got as well?
Hard for us to say for sure without evaluating you, of course. But if it’s several weeks before you can get seen, it’d be even longer before any sort of surgical repair could be completed, if that’s what ends up being recommended. I don’t think it’s reasonable to stop all physical activity until it’s able to get addressed, but you may need to modify certain aspects of your training based on your symptoms (if any) and tolerance. I recognize this is a somewhat vague answer but we can only provide so much specific advice without evaluating you ourselves.
We also have a video on hernias on the YouTube channel that you may find helpful.