I've had an umbilical hernia repaired. It was a very minor, outpatient procedure. I also lived with it 30+ years before I got it fixed.

I do get the impression that these are minor generally, however I also have an incisional hernia 1 3/4 inches directly above it that grows downward by 1/4 inch every three years.

Sorry to hear that. I avoid trainers for just that reason, they seem to cause more injuries than they prevent.

Ouch. I have an umbilical hernia, too. It's right where one of the incisions for my laproscopic gallbladder surgery was, so I assume it's from that. It started about a year or two ago. It was tender at first, but not anymore. Yours sounds a bit more complicated, though, with the spreading. I saw them fix one on The Doctors last week, and it did look simple. I (no doubt senselessly) worry about having a colonoscopy, though, where they inflate your abdomen; I worry I might pop.

That's my worry, that the bit between the two hernias may be too weak to hold together.

I had to get my trainer (who, otherwise, is really very good) to understand that if an injury cropped up during or after a session, I was not going to "work through" the pain or be shouted at Jillian Michaels-style. Once we understood each other, sessions went much better. We're not talking hernia-level injuries though. Sorry, Ardiril. Hope you're feeling better soon.