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Hernias are a common ailment among Americans; more than 4 million people develop the painful condition. And although both men and women develop hernias, female patients may be harder to diagnose. Doctors and patients may not realize the abdominal pain a woman is feeling is because of a hernia. Dr. Hien Nguyen, assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said the pain can be mistaken for other conditions with similar symptoms, such as adhesions from prior surgery, endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts.

One of the joys of the beach is its consistency. The tide rises and falls without fail, the sun casts a glow over the water every morning and every night. But Ocean City , for all its constants, continually delivers fresh adventures. We've put together a calendar of something fun to do in Ocean City nearly every day, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Many, but not all, are free, and most are suitable for the entire family. MAY May 23: Check out the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum . From May 21 through June 22, as a thank-you for their service, admission is free for police, firefighters, EMTs, active duty service members, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces.

One of the joys of the beach is its consistency. The tide rises and falls without fail, the sun casts a glow over the water every morning and every night. But Ocean City , for all its constants, continually delivers fresh adventures. We've put together a calendar of something fun to do in Ocean City nearly every day, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Many, but not all, are free, and most are suitable for the entire family. MAY May 23: Check out the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum . From May 21 through June 22, as a thank-you for their service, admission is free for police, firefighters, EMTs, active duty service members, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces.

These groups meet regularly. Center of Light and Love - Second Sunday, 6-7 p.m. Owen Brown Community Center, 6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. 410-995-4647, centeroflightandlove@comcast.net or http://www.centeroflightandlove.org . Chavurah - Second Sunday and fourth Friday. A secular-humanist Jewish group. 410-337-0100. Columbia Ski Club - Second Monday, 7:30 p.m. Skiing, biking, hiking and community service. Columbia Hilton, 5485 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia.

Get in the mud! Here's a look at some of the region's upcoming obstacle mud runs. Note: Check each organization's web site for more race day options. Fees increase for most of these events as the race day approaches. Tough Mudder May 12 and 13: Pocono Manor, PA, final entry by May 5, $200 Sept. 8 and 9: Frederick, MD, "tough" discount through April 30, $125 Oct. 20 and 21: Englishtown, NJ: "tough" discount through April 30, $125 Register at: http://www.toughmudder.com Spartan Race July 14 and 15: Palmerton, PA, $60-$100 Aug. 25 and 26: Leesburg, VA, $95-$145 Register at: http://www.spartanrace.com Warrior Dash May 19 and 20: Mechanicsville, MD; $75 Saturday, $65 Sunday; registration closes May 7. June 16 and 17: Long Pond, PA, $75 July 14: Morristown, NJ, $55 through May 29, $65 through July 2 Register at: http://www.warriordash.com Rugged Maniac July 14: Englishtown, NJ, $68 by May 4, $78 by June 8, $88 through July 6 Register at: http://www.ruggedmaniac.com —Catherine Mallette

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To view more images from inside the new Charles Village Pub, go to http://www.ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com.

Don't feel like cooking for a crowd on Sunday? Get your New Orleans flair from local restaurants and caterers instead. Restaurants: B&O American Brasserie (443-692-6172; http://www.bandorestaurant.com) will serve a five course New Orleans-themed game day dinner, including grilled oysters, a seafood boil and king cake for $50 per person, and 50 cent Natty Bohs and $5 "Hail Marys. " At Tooloulou (443-627-8090; http://www.tooloulou.com) and Ethel & Ramone's (410-664-2971; http://www.ethelandramones.com)

The Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber has created a new series of networking, educational and fun events bringing BWCC members together on the first Thursday of each month. "Go from Awkward to Awesome!" will be held Thursday, April 4, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the BWCC office, 312 Marshall Ave., Suite 104. The series is open to all members and their employees who want to enhance networking skills, share best practice ideas and learn how to build lasting relationships. There is no cost for BWCC members.

These groups meet regularly. Adams, Hanna, Moore Memorial Post 156, American Legion — Third Thursday, 7 p.m. VFW Post 7472, 4225 VFW Lane, Ellicott City. Edward A. Hall, commander, Post 156, ehall@telecomxchange.com or 410-340-7892; John Horan, post adjutant, repairguy9052@comcast.net or 410-696-2343; or post156@yahoo.com . Central Maryland User Group for Windows — Third Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. East Columbia Branch library. 301-774-0331 or http://www.myCMUG.org . Columbia Knitting Group — Third Monday, 7 p.m. Panera Bread, 6345 Dobbin Road, Columbia.

Atholton Title: The Wedding Singer Dates: March 7-9, 7 p.m.; March 10, 3 p.m. Cost: $10 advance; $12 at the door. http://www.atholtondrama.org Centennial Title: The Wizard of Oz Dates: March 21-22, 7 p.m.; March 23, 2 and 7 p.m.; March 24, 3 p.m. Cost: $12. http://www.seatyourself.biz/chstheatre Glenelg Title: Into the Woods Dates: March 7-9, 7 p.m.; March 10, 2 p.m. Cost: $10. Call 410-313-5528 for...

Maryland-bound combo guard Melo Trimble is a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion. The future Terp scored a game-high 33 points to lead Bishop O'Connell to a 58-53 win over St. John's (D.C.) on Tuesday in the WCAC title game at American University . Trimble was strong from the start, as the Maryland recruit drained three three-pointers en route to 13 first-quarter points. ** Terps shooting guard target Dion Wiley spoke to NY2LASPORTS.com about his recruitment . Wiley visited Maryland during the season for their win over ACC rival Duke.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) - CASA/Prince George's County offers the opportunity to help abused or abandoned children in the community. An information session for volunteers will be held Wednesday, March 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Local 400 Union Hall, 4301 Garden City Drive, in Landover. CASA recruits and trains volunteers ages 21 and over to advocate for the needs of children living in foster care. Volunteers spend about 12 hours per month visiting with a child and collaborate with other adults who are protecting the child to ensure his or her needs are met and a safe permanent home is found.

Send sports notices a minimum of two weeks before the requested publication date to Patuxent Publishing/MS Sports Notices, Third floor, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; e-mail tworgo@tribune.com . Include date, time, location, contact information and subsection. Competitive Pipeline Soccer Club holds spring academy for boys and girls, ages five to 10 at Friends School. http://pipelinesoccerclub.com. Towsontowne 11U holds baseball tryouts, Feb. 3. jpk2919@gmail.com . Cockeysville rec holds boys lacrosse registration for ages five to 14. http://www.cockeysvillerec.org . Spots available on our junior A team.

To report an outage and downed wires to BGE, call 1-877-778-2222. To locate a nearby cooling center in Baltimore, call 311. For more storm-related information, go to http://www.mema.state.md.us For tips on making storm-related insurance claims, go to http://www.mdinsurance.state.md.us

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