Has anyone experienced this before?

I'm seeing a specialist on Monday but I have a feeling this explains my symptoms.

I can feel a little "bubble" right below my sternum that seems to be getting larger over time.

I have excess gas and bloating and over the last couple weeks I've become constipated.. and I recall before the constipation started I noticed the little "bubble" getting larger.

I feel very full and bloated after a large meal which from what I understand is common with these hernias since they put pressure on your guts. I also have dealt with GERD on an occasion.

Not looking for a diagnosis but just curious to see if anyone else has experienced similar things.

Had one for years, a bit lower than yours, never caused me any problems with weightlifting or gas and bloating, some doctors thought it was a torn ab muscle until a specialist had a look and immediately said 'epigastric hernia.'

Had a surgery a week later, took 3 months off the gym, then made my best gains in the following 6 months, my guess is I had been overtrained and taking 3 months off was a blessing for my body.

Don't watch anything funny or sneeze in the first week after surgery, I did and thought I had torn something deep in my guts.

When you say bubble, do you mean it feels like a bubble, or you can feel a bump with your fingers? Unless you physically feel something there with your fingers, unlikely to be a hernia. At least not one of much significance. Could be hiatal hernia though? Or H Pylori. Excessive GERD. Ulcer.