*** OFFICIAL INGUINAL HERNIA RECOVERY Thread ***

[Briank1986]

HEy man, you will be fine, I was in the same boat as you and felt the same way as you while waiting for surgery.

The best advice I can give is DONT LISTEN TO THESE CLOWNS HERE THAT SAY TO LIFT HEAVY IN 8 WEEKS!!!! these are the same people who are now saying they are feeling some pain. YOu need to let yourself heal. Pick a linear progression program and build up slowly over the course of a few months rather than trying to do 50.60,70 or more % of where you were before.

Im about 9 weeks out from my surgery now, the first 4 weeks of just doing walks really sucked, Im back in Muay Thai and BJJ classes again with a competition coming up in like 5 weeks and Im feeling great, before I had my surgery I had a 1000lb total (not elite by any means but I worked hard for it), Im back on a linear progression program and started squatting just the bar. Check your ego at the door when you get back in the gym and do it properly. Dont be the next guy to say you can go heavy really soon....then post 3 pages later saying youre hurt and you went to fast.

No offense to that guy....but dont be the next "that guy".

Just get the surgery out of the way, get through the initial recovery, then get back on your cardio, when you feel ready, start lifting, but go slow, start with the bar, add a few lbs each time, you'll be back to where you were in a few months and this whole thing will be behind you. The less rest you give yourself and the more you rush things, the longer it will take and the higher the chance of re-injury.

good luck.

With all due respect, I think calling people 'clowns' for being able to begin lifting faster than others is a bit over-the-top.

All hernia recoveries are different, as healing has to do with the type of surgery, how bad the surgery was, how healthy a person is, how active they were before and after surgery, and many other factors. The damage done inside is also different, based on the surgeon and how experienced they are.

I am a month and a day pot-surgery and have been lifting fairly heavy for about two weeks. This week I started back my HIML program and am probably at about 90% of my max. My surgeon, who knows more than you do, told me specifically if I can handle it, I can lift. If you use good form and pay attenton to your body then you should be fine.

He also told me to expect some pain and discomfort for the next 4 to 6 weeks, especially while getting back into lifting. Discomfort and soreness is much different than the pain of injury, which he said he easy to differentiate if it happens. Being an active person and having had worked out (running, lifting) up until the day before my surgery, it was much easier for me to recover than some others. My surgeon was also VERY experienced and knew exactly what he was doing.

All-in-all, I think people calling others names for giving their advice is pretty ignorant. I also believe simply following someone's advice to get back to lifting too early is also ignornt. Listent to your body and talk to your surgeon. It isn't our of the realm of possibility that you could start working out hard two weeks post-surgery, but it is also normal to not be able to start lifting regularly and heavy until up to 8 or 9 months post surgery.

[China505]

Whatever....clown.

My point was that you should listen to your body rather than base your recovery on other people's experiences so pretty much exactly what you are saying. I'm competing in Muay Thai...in Asia 9 weeks post op and doing fine, some people want to wait 6 months before getting back into it.

Calling people clowns wasn't aimed at anybody specifically but I also didn't want to be the ******* saying "get off the net and ask a doc". Again trying to say exactly what you are saying so my apologies if I ruffled your feathers, I mean no offense to clowns or people who have clowns as family members.

[theconomist]

I repaired my right last july, the surgeon did a really good job, I was up and moving the day afterwards and was could easily go up and down the stairs by the third day. By the 5th day I was on a plane (while dealing with a 25kg bag). Anyway, left side needs repair too, scheduled for the 16th of next month with the same surgeon, hoping for a quick recovery so I can finally be back lifting (this whole year has been recovery for me since the 2nd hernia was found in early december ...) .
The right side can still be felt from time to time but it's not too bad. Most days I can deal with it. I can't wait to start squatting again around september next year =)

[Borche]

Hello everyone. Thanks for this thread with all information.

I had surgery for my inguinal hernia on the right side two days ago (April 30). I was able to waddle around a few hours after surgery (pain killers in my system probably made this possible) but did limit my moving around as much as I could. Been waddling around a little yesterday and today as well, but mostly sitting down in couch in front of TV or in chair in front of computer. Scar is 2-3 inches big. My doctor told me I could start running/jogging when "it feels OK" and start working out with weights in 6-8 weeks.

I have no problems sleeping. Been sleeping in my bed every night and without any pain at all when laying on my back. On the morning, when painkillers' effect are out and I try to get up, though, the pain is at its worst. But I manage to get up and take a painkiller and then sit down somewhere. :P hehe

Also, when I was informed I had a hernia (it was approx a month from when I was informed to when I had the surgery) I discontinued deadlifts and ab targeted exercises because they caused pain (very little, but still), but I did continue squatting the same weights without problems. This was probably stupid, but it didn't make things noticably worse.

- Borche

[dpanza5]

Day of surgery: Surgery was scheduled for 2 p.m.. I got to the hospital with my girlfriend at 12. My blood pressure was taken about 47 times. The surgery ended up being pushed back until a little after 3. As I was being put out I asked the doctor what time it was. He replied with the smart @#$ comment of, "Why, you have somewhere you have to be?" That's the last thing I remembered.

I woke up being wheeled into the post op room. I remember coming to pretty quickly. I didn't really have much pain at all. They took my blood pressure another 53 times and in about an hour they wheeled me to the recovery room. The pain was starting to grow gradually, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. They asked me to get up out of the bed and into a chair in the recovery room. When I stood, this is when I felt the pain. DAMN! It was pretty intense. It wasn't unbearable, but I had underestimated what it was going to be in the short time that I had been up. I sat in the chair and they had me drink some water and eat some graham crackers. They gave me a pain pill (******** 5 mg with 325 mg of acetaminophen). It did absolutely nothing. They said once I got up and peed I could leave. I am a very impatient person so I got up as soon as she said this, hobbled to the bathroom (yes it was painful) and left.

On the drive home my girlfriend stopped by CVS to fill the prescription for the pain meds. The doctor recommended I take this with Advil and ice the area 4-5 times a day. He also recommended Colace (stool softener) which we picked up as well.

When I got home I tried not to move from the recycler too much. I was able to get up and use the rest room as needed but it was painful. I slept in the recycler that night.

Surgery + 1: I got up and my back was extremely sore from laying in a chair all night. I was surprisingly able to get up and walk around on my own. I was hunched a little but not as bad as I thought I would be. I was taking the pain meds every 6-7 hours along with the Advil. This really did help. The pain meds (or maybe the combo of them with Advil) was making me a little nauseous. I was also icing as much as I could. I decided to sleep on the couch. I felt I needed to be laying down but without the ability to move too much in my sleep. It was definitely tough to get on and off the couch.

Surgery + 2: I was able to take the dressing off of the area and able to shower for the first time. It felt great to shower! I had steri strips still over the incision so I really couldn’t see much. I walked around my house a little and realized how bored I was. I hadn’t been out of the house in 3 days. I decided I would go out to get coffee with some friends. When we got to Dunkin Donuts I was fine. Sitting in the chair for an hour had my lower back very sore though. I was probably compensating for my abdominals. Standing for long periods of time also made the area sore. This was the first night I slept in my bed. I slept with a lot of pillows under my head so that I could get in and out of bed easier if need be.

Surgery + 3: Able to walk around better still. My lower back was still sore. This was the day I started feeling like myself again. I switched off of the pain meds after this day was over. I did a lot of laying and walking around the house.

Surgery + 4-6: I was able to walk with no problems at all for short amounts of time. The numbness in the area started wearing off and I was a lot more aware of the incision. It did hurt a bit but was not bad.

Surgery + 7: Tough day. I had an interview and had to take public transportation to the city. I felt fine going in but this was the first day I wore anything with a belt and by far the most activity I did in a while. After a few blocks I was hurting. It felt wonderful to be out of my house though. Later on that night I was a little sore so I made sure to keep icing the area and took one of the pain pills with some Advil.

Surgery + 8 Follow up doctors appointment. He took the steri strips off. He said everything looked great! I was very happy to hear that. There were no stitches. He advised me they were on the inside and would dissolve. He advised me not to do any physical activity other than walking for four weeks. The incision site is very hard from scaring.

All and all, no problem pooping, no problem walking, and no problem with incredible amounts of pain.

I will follow up with more in a few days. I would like to update with nutrition and supplements I took.

[wirdo]

Hey i have this lump in in my leg and Im pretty sure its a hernia. Im 17, I wrestle, and I weight lift very often. I think I got it from squating, I did 325 for 8 reps and i didnt feel like it was that heavy. Not sure if Im going to need surgery since I havent gone to the doctors yet. I only feel pain if i touch it and i can move in any way an not really feel it so i hope it's very minor. Am i going to be able to make a full recovery if i get surgery and if i do how long will it take to recover?

[Ramborage]

Almost four months post op and no signs of any ache or pain in the area anymore. All signs of hernia, and repair are gone except I still have a minor lump in the groin from the fluid. Doctor said it can take months to go away so I'm not worried about it, it's a lot smaller now anways. Been hitting the weights harder than ever, and running just like before. I can say while the surgery, recovery may suck, it was well worth it. If you get it, don't worry about it. Take the time off of work and look forward to watching movies and use it as an excuse to be lazy as it won't last long at all.

[AFSG2628]

Idk if i do have an inguinal hernia or no. But last 3 weeks ago, my trainer made me do lunges with 25lb dumbbell carrying on each side. He made me do like 10reps on each leg. He also made me do the form a little bit further than the normal. While on the second set, i felt somewhere on my right groin-mid pubic area really hurt so bad like i couldn't even walk normally anymore. He asked me to cough so I did, then he asked me if it does hurt and i said it doesnt hurt. After the training the pain decreased and I was able to walk normally, until now.

These past few days whenever I go on lunge position(body weight) and try to drag forward the lagging leg towards the leading leg, i feel the pain on that same area, but it doesnt hurt that much. Do you think i just damaged the muscle fiber on that area? cause it was also my first time doing lunges ever and I was wearing a supporter. Can someone help me with this one please and it would be pretty much appreciated.

[Ramborage]

Idk if i do have an inguinal hernia or no. But last 3 weeks ago, my trainer made me do lunges with 25lb dumbbell carrying on each side. He made me do like 10reps on each leg. He also made me do the form a little bit further than the normal. While on the second set, i felt somewhere on my right groin-mid pubic area really hurt so bad like i couldn't even walk normally anymore. He asked me to cough so I did, then he asked me if it does hurt and i said it doesnt hurt. After the training the pain decreased and I was able to walk normally, until now.

These past few days whenever I go on lunge position(body weight) and try to drag forward the lagging leg towards the leading leg, i feel the pain on that same area, but it doesnt hurt that much. Do you think i just damaged the muscle fiber on that area? cause it was also my first time doing lunges ever and I was wearing a supporter. Can someone help me with this one please and it would be pretty much appreciated.

Ummm it isn't a hernia.... Probably DOMS.

[MysteriousPete]

Thanks so much for creating this thread, man. I'm booked in for surgery on my inguinal hernia in a couple of weeks time, I'll definitely refer back to this as a guideline for the recovery period.

[AFSG2628]

Hopefully! thanks man. But i will still get it checked by Monday just to be sure.

[or3stes]

I rarely post here (idk this might be my first haha) but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their inputs in this thread.

I recently got into powerlifting last oct/nov and ran 531 for 6 cycles. Everything was skyrocketing now that I was training with a purpose. Then I looked in the mirror a month or so ago and saw a bulge sticking out of me (inguinal hernia). Never popped or anything I guess I had it for quite a while but the added stress made it worse.

I say that I've had it for a while because I would notice that something would move if I was leaning forward while on the toilet, or doing hanging leg raises and I guess I wanted to play ignorance and say it wasn't anything major.

But after freaking out I went into the doctors office and scheduled surgery an read this thread a lot which helped out immensely. No one understands how much I was scared about never coming back into the gym so I couldn't relate to anyone.

Anyways. Got surgery this Monday (6/03) and I'm feeling a lot better and glad I've got it done. I took the 4 weeks off before surgery (when I noticed the bulge to surgery) and doc said to give it 4 weeks before I'm 100% healed. Obv I'm going to take it slower than that and go back in with some band work and light walking but it is reassuring knowing that in the long run ill be back where I was.

Just wanted to say thanks and maybe offer my own input. Don't wait for it to get painful or worse. Get the surgery as quick as possible to lesson your recovery time. I'm pretty mobile now 4 days later. I've been walking for 20-30 mins outside just because I'm going nuts staying in my house but I'm glad it's getting better.


Sorry for the essay

[lefteris7]

Hey guys. I am chronically constipated and combined with weights I ended up with inguinal hernia. It only bothers me if I really strain in the toilet (which happens often, since I am constipated) and if I do ab work in the gym. Should I do the surgery or let it till it bothers me a lot?

[AFSG2628]

Hey guys. I am chronically constipated and combined with weights I ended up with inguinal hernia. It only bothers me if I really strain in the toilet (which happens often, since I am constipated) and if I do ab work in the gym. Should I do the surgery or let it till it bothers me a lot?

Did you get it checked though? What did they tell you?
just do what you think is right and best for you man

It happened to me also. I strained my abs and became constipated three days straight. Like I take a s**t every time right away after I eat. lmao
after the 3 days time frame it went back to normal.

[whoatemyfries]

First of all, a big thank you to JC for starting this thread, which is full of useful information. I just had my laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery yesterday. Yes, it's only been 24 hours since I came out of surgery, but I wanted to post something on here to give everyone who may have a hernia my take on things. When I found out that I had a hernia, I immediately went into panic mode, particularly after reading horror stories about hernia surgery all over the Internet and watching YouTube videos on the subject. This thread was definitely the one place I ended up finding good information on the topic of hernia surgery. As I said, I literally came out of surgery 24 hours ago, and I'm doing really well. I was lucky in that I had the laparoscopic procedure as opposed to the open incision, which makes for a faster recovery time and less pain. The surgeon I went to was at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia who specializes in minimally-invasive GI surgery. In my mind, I was probably overthinking the surgery and freaking myself out. I mean, it's definitely a scary prospect, but in the end it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was imagining it to be. I will definitely take time to write a longer, more detailed account of my surgery and post it here next week. But, basically, 24 hours later, I can stand up and walk around and am not in too much pain (but I am taking the painkillers the doctor prescribed). I had the hernia on my left side, and the surgeon made what appears to be 2 small incisions just below my belly button (he may have also gone through my belly button; it's my understanding they need 3 openings in order to perform the surgery).

My experience in a nutshell: You can't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery. I had to be at the hospital at 6am. I went with my girlfriend, and we showed up and checked in with the registrar. Almost immediately, I was taken back to a patient bed by a nurse, who asked me some questions, checked my vital signs, had me disrobe and put on a hospital gown, and then put in an IV in my hand. Afterwards, the surgeon came in to check in with me, then the anesthesiologist, then a different nurse came in and wheeled me into the operating room. Once there, I got on the operating table, where they immediately began administering the anesthesia. I started to feel it pretty quickly and told them that. Next thing I know, they're waking me up and getting my girlfriend to come into the room with me. They offered me my choice of apple juice or water or ginger ale. I drank 2 cups of apple juice, then like 3 cups of water, and had some really dry graham crackers. The graham crackers were to make the prescription pain medication easier on the stomach. At that point, all I had to do was pee and they sent me home. That's the hard part. It's difficult to pee after having anesthesia, plus it hurts because during the surgery they insert a catheter into you, but I managed to pee a little bit out, which was good enough that they discharged me. As they were bringing me out of the hospital in a wheelchair, I started to feel a little nauseous from the anesthesia, but I didn't get sick (the nurse said I would feel better if I threw up!). I think I was pretty dehydrated, though. When I got home, I was drinking tons of water and soda, and went a few hours before I had to pee again. I have also experienced a lack of appetite, but did eat some pudding and hummus and grapes and Pringles along the way.

In short, I feel pretty good today. My tummy is a little sore and swollen. I am icing it and taking the pain medicine. Some people on this thread have said that their scrotum had gotten swollen after the surgery, but that hasn't happened to me at all. In fact, everything down there is just fine (which I'm VERY happy about). I'm thinking that by the weekend, I'll be walking around like this was all just a bad dream! I am going to write more about my progress and post it here. I am happy to share my experience with others who may unfortunately find themselves in the same boats as I was in. Good luck to everyone on here with their recovery!

[Tallman509]

That's good news man. I just got diagnosed with an inguinal hernia two days ago, and I'm trying to get scheduled for surgery within the next month. I'm lucky to have only a small hernia on my left side, so it could be a lot worse. Sucks nonetheless though--I was making a lot of gains in the gym, and I probably won't be back until September at the earliest. The major complication is that I'm in Russia, which brings up a lot of complications with insurance and quality of care (getting an operation in a Russian hospital isn't exactly my idea of fun). I'll post again when I know more about surgery dates and stuff. Thanks OP for making this thread--lots of great information and motivation. It's good to know that this isn't the end of my career in bodybuilding...just a stop along the way

[whoatemyfries]

Thanks, Talllman509. I'm sure everything will work out for you. Mine was on my left side, it was small, you could hardly notice it. I debated with myself whether or not I should even get the surgery. In the end, it was the right thing to do to get it repaired, because if you don't get it repaired then it can get worse. If it's small, perhaps it makes for a better candidate for laparoscopic surgery as opposed to open incision.

Today is Thursday. I had the surgery Tuesday morning. I can walk up and down the stairs. I even went for a walk around the block. Will report more progress later. I'm going to take a shower in a little while and take the bandages off, so I'll have a better sense visually of what I'm dealing with!

[Phoenix989]

Got diagnosed with a hernia April 29th, doctor said doesn't need surgery but I need to stop weightlifting. Was on a major downer after this and there was no way I was going to give weighlifting for ever. Went to another doctor the following week. This one said she couldn't feel a hernia but sent me to an ultrasound to check.
Had the ultrasound last week, confirmed I had 2 hernias on my right side and one on the left. Haven't been training since except for a couple of a times I did db curls, triceps kickbacks, and cable lateral raises. Was ok at first but caused pain after so I stopped lifting completely. Lost some muscle mass and density. I'm shrinking in size which makes me feel terrible. I'm afraid to end up looking like woody allen.
Not lifting has also reduced my testosterone a lot and I feel different. I'm constantly tired as well and my posture has become bad.
My waist is quite large at 39" and looks even bigger now that my lats and chest are losing size.
I've been wearing a hernia truss which takes away most of the pain. The pain doesn't bother me so much, not training is what really frustrates me.
I'm waiting to have a consultation with a surgeon but I'm in England so it takes a long time for anything to get done here.
In the meantime I found this site hernia bible that said you can cure a hernia without surgery by doing ab strengthening exercises. Not sure how effective it is but if it doesn't work I'll get the surgery done.
I'm bit scared of the surgery as I've heard all these horror stories on the net about chronic pain etc.
If I do get surgery should I do both sides at once or separately?

[whoatemyfries]

Hey Phoenix989, sorry to hear about your hernia. I actually stopped lifting immediately upon finding out that I had the hernia, which was just a little over a month ago. In that time, I've clearly lost muscle mass (dropped about 7 pounds in that month's time; could be water weight, but I think that I look different/less defined). As for whether or not you should get both hernias repaired at the same time, that's something you should talk to your surgeon about. I had a laparoscopic procedure on my left side, and my surgeon asked me if I wanted him to check the right side for any weakness to the abdominal wall there, but I told him no, if it ain't broke don't fix it. I think his reasoning was that the laparoscopic procedure can only be performed once; after that, if I needed hernia repair again, they'd have to do an open incision. I am scheduled to go back in about 10 days for a follow-up appointment, and can confirm that information when I see my surgeon again. I had also had an appendectomy when I was much younger, and an incision from a previous surgery can play a role in how your surgeon proceeds with your hernia repair.

Anyway, surgery was on Tuesday, today is Friday, and the last 24 hours have been the most difficult, because I've had an extremely difficult time having a bowel movement. I finally had a BM last night, and I felt like I was giving birth! You're not supposed to strain when having a BM early on after surgery, because it can render the entire hernia repair obsolete. I can tell you that my stool was hard as a rock even with the stool softener the doctor prescribed (Docusate). I went and bought some milk of magnesia, but it didn't seem to help with the constipation all that much. The painkillers the doctor prescribe can cause constipation, so between those and the anesthesia you will have your work cut out for you. Without getting too TMI, I would suggest for anyone who is having surgery to have some Vaseline and saline enemas handy, because it's a real possibility that you will need them in order to move stool through your body after the surgery. Remember, you aren't supposed to strain during a bowel movement, but it's almost impossible not to, so be prepared to spend lots of time on the toilet and be prepared to get messy. Just brace the area of the incision and the hernia, and try not to push too hard.

In terms of pain from the incision areas, I'm pretty much okay today. Haven't taken any pain medicine today. Went for a 10-minute-long walk. Been straightening up around the house. Gonna take a shower in a little while. God knows I can use it! Really, the hardest part of this ordeal has been resuming urination/bowel movements post-op. Other than that, it hasn't been too bad. And now that I've gotten past the first couple of bowel movements, I suspect it's all downhill from here. Will post again soon to keep people updated on my progress.

[China505]

The doc probably wanted to check the other side because lots if not most people who get one tend to get one on the other side. May as well do I e surgery rather than 2 if possible. If you are weak in that area and get a hernia, there is no reason to think that you other side is less weak. I feel lucky having both sides at the same time, i know several guys who got one side done just to have to go back for another surgery in 1-3 years of the other side.

All that being said, I got my surgery done early/mid march (I forget at this point), and I feel fully recovered, since the surgery, I have run a few Sid half marathons and built my squat up to 300x8 and deadlift to 385x5. The first days back after the surgery felt pretty hopeless,now it's a distant memory and I'm feeling pretty damn fit.

[Phoenix989]

Thinking about getting the surgery. I have this dull, constant pain that I'm tired of, it's around 4 out of 10 but still annoying. Read some horror story about some poor guys who got the surgery and couldn't get an erection or ejaculate after it. Frightened the hell out of me. The risk of sexual disfunction is 4% but this isn't much consolation if you end up in that unlucky percentile.

[Phoenix989]

China505,
Good to hear that you can lift those numbers after surgery.

[ShoulderBrah]

First of all, a big thank you to JC for starting this thread, which is full of useful information. I just had my laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery yesterday. Yes, it's only been 24 hours since I came out of surgery, but I wanted to post something on here to give everyone who may have a hernia my take on things. When I found out that I had a hernia, I immediately went into panic mode, particularly after reading horror stories about hernia surgery all over the Internet and watching YouTube videos on the subject. This thread was definitely the one place I ended up finding good information on the topic of hernia surgery. As I said, I literally came out of surgery 24 hours ago, and I'm doing really well. I was lucky in that I had the laparoscopic procedure as opposed to the open incision, which makes for a faster recovery time and less pain. The surgeon I went to was at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia who specializes in minimally-invasive GI surgery. In my mind, I was probably overthinking the surgery and freaking myself out. I mean, it's definitely a scary prospect, but in the end it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was imagining it to be. I will definitely take time to write a longer, more detailed account of my surgery and post it here next week. But, basically, 24 hours later, I can stand up and walk around and am not in too much pain (but I am taking the painkillers the doctor prescribed). I had the hernia on my left side, and the surgeon made what appears to be 2 small incisions just below my belly button (he may have also gone through my belly button; it's my understanding they need 3 openings in order to perform the surgery).

My experience in a nutshell: You can't eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery. I had to be at the hospital at 6am. I went with my girlfriend, and we showed up and checked in with the registrar. Almost immediately, I was taken back to a patient bed by a nurse, who asked me some questions, checked my vital signs, had me disrobe and put on a hospital gown, and then put in an IV in my hand. Afterwards, the surgeon came in to check in with me, then the anesthesiologist, then a different nurse came in and wheeled me into the operating room. Once there, I got on the operating table, where they immediately began administering the anesthesia. I started to feel it pretty quickly and told them that. Next thing I know, they're waking me up and getting my girlfriend to come into the room with me. They offered me my choice of apple juice or water or ginger ale. I drank 2 cups of apple juice, then like 3 cups of water, and had some really dry graham crackers. The graham crackers were to make the prescription pain medication easier on the stomach. At that point, all I had to do was pee and they sent me home. That's the hard part. It's difficult to pee after having anesthesia, plus it hurts because during the surgery they insert a catheter into you, but I managed to pee a little bit out, which was good enough that they discharged me. As they were bringing me out of the hospital in a wheelchair, I started to feel a little nauseous from the anesthesia, but I didn't get sick (the nurse said I would feel better if I threw up!). I think I was pretty dehydrated, though. When I got home, I was drinking tons of water and soda, and went a few hours before I had to pee again. I have also experienced a lack of appetite, but did eat some pudding and hummus and grapes and Pringles along the way.

In short, I feel pretty good today. My tummy is a little sore and swollen. I am icing it and taking the pain medicine. Some people on this thread have said that their scrotum had gotten swollen after the surgery, but that hasn't happened to me at all. In fact, everything down there is just fine (which I'm VERY happy about). I'm thinking that by the weekend, I'll be walking around like this was all just a bad dream! I am going to write more about my progress and post it here. I am happy to share my experience with others who may unfortunately find themselves in the same boats as I was in. Good luck to everyone on here with their recovery!

Hey Phoenix989, sorry to hear about your hernia. I actually stopped lifting immediately upon finding out that I had the hernia, which was just a little over a month ago. In that time, I've clearly lost muscle mass (dropped about 7 pounds in that month's time; could be water weight, but I think that I look different/less defined). As for whether or not you should get both hernias repaired at the same time, that's something you should talk to your surgeon about. I had a laparoscopic procedure on my left side, and my surgeon asked me if I wanted him to check the right side for any weakness to the abdominal wall there, but I told him no, if it ain't broke don't fix it. I think his reasoning was that the laparoscopic procedure can only be performed once; after that, if I needed hernia repair again, they'd have to do an open incision. I am scheduled to go back in about 10 days for a follow-up appointment, and can confirm that information when I see my surgeon again. I had also had an appendectomy when I was much younger, and an incision from a previous surgery can play a role in how your surgeon proceeds with your hernia repair.

Anyway, surgery was on Tuesday, today is Friday, and the last 24 hours have been the most difficult, because I've had an extremely difficult time having a bowel movement. I finally had a BM last night, and I felt like I was giving birth! You're not supposed to strain when having a BM early on after surgery, because it can render the entire hernia repair obsolete. I can tell you that my stool was hard as a rock even with the stool softener the doctor prescribed (Docusate). I went and bought some milk of magnesia, but it didn't seem to help with the constipation all that much. The painkillers the doctor prescribe can cause constipation, so between those and the anesthesia you will have your work cut out for you. Without getting too TMI, I would suggest for anyone who is having surgery to have some Vaseline and saline enemas handy, because it's a real possibility that you will need them in order to move stool through your body after the surgery. Remember, you aren't supposed to strain during a bowel movement, but it's almost impossible not to, so be prepared to spend lots of time on the toilet and be prepared to get messy. Just brace the area of the incision and the hernia, and try not to push too hard.

In terms of pain from the incision areas, I'm pretty much okay today. Haven't taken any pain medicine today. Went for a 10-minute-long walk. Been straightening up around the house. Gonna take a shower in a little while. God knows I can use it! Really, the hardest part of this ordeal has been resuming urination/bowel movements post-op. Other than that, it hasn't been too bad. And now that I've gotten past the first couple of bowel movements, I suspect it's all downhill from here. Will post again soon to keep people updated on my progress.

I'm glad everything went well. Have you been able to sleep straight in bed or are you curling up in the fetal position? If you are already fine sleeping in bed with no issues, I'll be jealous.

[whoatemyfries]

I'm glad everything went well. Have you been able to sleep straight in bed or are you curling up in the fetal position? If you are already fine sleeping in bed with no issues, I'll be jealous.

Oh, man, get ready to be jealous, because I had the surgery Tuesday morning, and on Saturday night was already laying flat in bed! The first 4 days, I slept in a chair with an ottoman, and couldn't really stand up straight (mostly for fear of straining the mesh and stretching the incisions). Today is Monday, I feel soooooo much better.

On Saturday, I went for 2 long walks. The first was like 4 miles, the second like 2. I could feel some very slight aching in the area where the mesh was placed after these walks. On Sunday, I went for another 2-mile walk, and the same thing. This is probably not a big deal, because it's only been a few days since the surgery, and things are still healing. As of right now (Monday), I feel pretty close to my old self. I actually think that I'll be able to eventually return to lifting at some point (prior to surgery, I was thinking that all strenuous exercise was over for me for good i.e. understandable pessimistic thinking on my part). Walking is really good after surgery, especially in terms of stimulating your digestive system and having a BM. I would tell anyone who has the surgery, as soon as you possibly can, get up and get moving after the surgery. You will feel much better when you do. And don't be afraid to take the pain meds. You just had surgery, you need them, so take 'em. Just get through the first few days, have a BM, and the rest is pie.

[jessebr]

Hey man i just got one and im going to sugery sometime this week. is it bad?

[China505]

Hey man i just got one and im going to sugery sometime this week. is it bad?

Huh??? is what bad??? GEt the surgery done and gett it out of the way and behind you, the sooner you get it fixed, the sooner you'll be back to normal.

[Buk_Kao]

I had double inguinal hernia surgery with mesh and it was no joke. I was laid up BAD for at least a solid week and walked around like an old man for another week or more after that. I took it very easy for 6 weeks and to be honest, I never really did do ANY heavy lifting of ANYTHING after the surgery. But guess what? Within less than 3 months after the surgery, I had a freakin recurrence! It's been over a year since my surgery and I don't know what to do. The LAST thing want to do is go through that again. But I am extremely dismayed that I went through all that I did for absolutely nothing. Very disappointing.

[whoatemyfries]

Just want to give another update. I'm on Day 10 since my laparoscopic hernia surgery, and I pretty much feel like my old self...minus the hernia, of course! I would say at this point, I basically don't even feel the mesh that was stapled inside of me. I am fully mobile and even feel like I could return to exercise right now (but don't worry, I'm not going to do that and risk messing up the mesh!). I am shocked by how fast of a recovery I've made.

At this point, my one disappointment is that I didn't give the go-ahead to the surgeon when he asked if I wanted him to check out my other side to see if he could spot any growing weakness to the abdominal wall. If he had seen a weakness there, he could have put in a mesh on the other side as well, thus killing two birds with one stone. I don't ever want to go through another hernia repair. I really should've given a thumbs up to the surgeon when he asked if I wanted him to check out the other side. My exact words to him were, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This is something anyone reading this needs to consider if you are going in for a laparoscopic repair. It's my understanding that you can only have 1 laparoscopic repair; if you need an additional repair after that, it would have to be open incision. I will confirm this last statement when I have my check-up with the surgeon on Monday.

Also, I want to correct something I wrote earlier. I had stated that it only looked like there were 2 small incisions under my belly button from the procedure, but actually there are 3. Two of them are being covered by the same steri-strips that they use to keep the incision closed post-op. Basically, right under the belly button is where the largest of the incisions is. The steri-strips are still on, but my guess at this point is that it may be about an inch wide. The other 2 incisions are below the waist line also in line with the first incision that I described, and these 2 incisions are tiny--maybe a half inch wide.

No sexual side effects from the procedure. No pain (the main incision just below my belly button is still a tad sensitive, but that's to be expected considering I just had the procedure; the other two incisions I don't feel at all). Overall, this was a successful procedure. Really, I'm just paranoid that I may end up with a hernia on the other side if I go back to heavy lifting, so when I do return to the gym, I will probably cut out squats, leg press and leg extensions altogether, and focus on upper body...and maybe at some point in the future consider doing very, very light deadlifts again. The deadlift is the one exercise that I felt really helped me to build muscle and burn fat. I really do hope I can get back to performing that lift again at some point.

[Phoenix989]

Going to a consultation with a a surgeonon July 12th. I think I'll cut deadlifts and squats from my routine when I'm able to train again and do leg press, leg extension, leg curl and calf raises for legs. For back I'll do rows and pulldowns

[yourneyman]

I am over 21 days since my right inguinal hernia surgery! Doing well and just finished an hour in the pool...

I opted for a direct incision under local anesthetic. After reviewing all the latest literature, decided to go for the latest light weight mesh and also spoke to a hernia surgeon that is a very active triathlete who ended up having to have his own hernia repaired about a year ago! It is not often that a surgeon undergoes his own operation.

I wrote about my first 5 days on my bodyblog.