READER QUESTION: Tips For Inguinal Hernia Repair Recovery

nenif
#1. June 10th, 2009, at 10:19 PM.

i had my inguinal hernia repaired a month ago and i still feel unfit, do you think i will be back into action within a months time??

Carlos
#2. August 21st, 2009, at 3:43 PM.

I had open surgery/mesh to repair an inguinal hernia 8 weeks ago. What do you consider “full recovery”? I’m still quite tender, and seem to have stressed it by trying to return to normal activities (like carrying bags for a trip, etc). What happens when you do too much? Any risks, or just a slower recovery, mild pair/irritation?

Brian Higgins
#3. March 31st, 2010, at 12:27 AM.

I had my inguinal hernia surgery 5 days ago. My surgeon offered to do either method but admitted that she had a bias toward the Laproscopic method. I went with the Laproscopic method mostly for two reasons: one was that the surgery fee was actually less at this clinic than the traditional method (not normally the case) and that the recovery was expected to be shorter.
Getting home right after the surgery I walked fifty feet from my cabulance to my apartment building door and let myself in. Took elevator unassisted, etc. First couple of days I was sore at nearly any movement. Used a lot of ice packs and took percocet frequently. But even after one day I could get up and fix a meal. It’s been four days and I’m walking around outside now. I’m not 100% because every now and then I move wrong but I figure in a day to two I will be able to drive myself to my one week follow-up doctor appointment.
I know a fellow who had traditional inguinal surgery the same time I had my surgery and he is still bed-ridden.
While talking to some doctors before I made my choice I heard that some wouldn’t do Laproscopic. One doctor, a Urologist (unrelated visit) said he had read that some evidence indicated that laproscopic method had a slightly higher rate of failure – i.e. return of hernia. But my doctor said that study results were not that clear. She said the weight and fitness of the individual has a bigger affect on re-occurrence.

David R. Southwick
#4. April 22nd, 2010, at 11:33 PM.

What most surprised me was my surgeon’s fixation on prohibiting lifting following surgery with no mention of the effects of coughing.

My inguinal hernia surgery was two and a half weeks ago. It was open surgery due to the large size of my hernia and was perforned under general anesthesia. I was in by 8:30 and went home by 2:30. I could walk fairly well under my own power from the hospital.

I have not suffered much pain, and took the pain pills for only two days. But the result of the general anesthesia which inserts a breathing tube down your throat was an immediate tickle that caused coughing. Two days later I came down with a very coughing cold, probably contracted in the hospital. Coughing caused far more pain and threatened my incision far more than any lifting I have done. I had to get cough medicine to knock the cough down. Wish I’d known that before surgery and had been prepared.

I feel the focus on lifting to be misguided. My surgeon specified a limit of five pounds for at least two weeks. Lifting is part of my profession and I know how to lift. I was lifting more than five pounds two days after surgery, 40 pounds four days after surgery. 40 pounds had nowhere near the effect of coughing or sneezing upon the incision or the mesh repair. It was not even in the same league.

This week, two weeks after surgery, I went back to work full time remodeling. I hired two guys to do the heavy lifting and grunt work and have paced myself with care and attention. Yet I am lifting over forty pounds carefully and occasionally, and have been on my feet for eight hours a day. It actually feels good and does not strain the incision or the repair. I am a fast healer and the incision is rapidly disappearing.

My point is to watch the coughing and sneezing. Hold your hand over the incision when you do cough and sneeze. If you pay attention to how you lift, that proscription is not nearly as important as paying attention to coughs and sneezes. Listen to your body, it will let you know about activities. Inaction is not healthy. Keep mildly active and your body will work with you to heal.