*** OFFICIAL INGUINAL HERNIA RECOVERY Thread ***

[EddieFromEurope]

Woah, I hope I don't or/and won't have it. Very, very rarely I have had some stinging pain in the lower ab area, but that has happened only few times over all those years, so I guess it's something else.

[BabelFish]

Had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair done laparoscopically on Jan 24, 2012.

Week 1: pain meds helped a lot. Most discomfort came from bloating, and GI problems. slept in recliner first 3 days, then in bed.
Week 2: switched to tylenol extra strength, started walking, driving, shopping, etc...
Week 3: no more pain meds; still had soreness in the lower abs area from sleeping on my belly.
Week 4: resumed sexual activity; was a little painful but no big deal. Still having pain on the right side when sneezing, coughing, blowing nose (maybe from the internal staples being stretched). A little worried about this but we shall see...
Week 5: pain on lower right side of abs continues, waking me up in the middle of the night.
Week 6: acute pain on lower right side of abs, reproduced when stretching, sneezing, coughing, straining. Contacted surgeon and he said I might have a nerve entrapment (from staples or scar tissue). Recommended prescription strength NSAID with hot compresses over the pain area. Will follow this regimen for two weeks and report back.

Week 7: After two weeks of Rx strength NSAID, pain in right obliques/groin muscles decreased significantly. Still feeling slight pain 2-3 on a scale of 1-10, mostly comparable to oblique/lower abs DOMS. PS: NSAID screwed up my GI system, causing heartburn, reflux, and indigestion, and caused me some nervous system issues like anxiety, restlessness, panic, and irritability...
Week 8: DOMS-like symptoms in right oblique/lower abs/groin muscle continues...probably just from muscle trauma...I recall the surgeon telling me that they had a hard time ripping through my hard muscle tissue during the laparoscopy.

I will wait 4 more weeks before beginning reconditioning.

[cozoner]

had surgery on my left inguinal hernia on december 29th. my experience doesn't sound nearly as bad as most of yours. I couldn't move for the first two days, but after day 2 I switched off of ******** and just got on advil (mostly because I didn't wanna fuk with pain killers anymore). I went out for New Years and was able to be on my feet most of the time with not too much pain.
the doc told me not to lift for 4 weeks, so i decided that February 1st (a week ago) was a good starting point. I've been doing about 80% of my max on most lifts without any pain so far.. and it's been a week. I'm curious as to why I've recovered so much more quickly than you guys, and if I should slow down at all? I have about a 2 inch incision on my left side, and the doc considered it a "small to medium sized hernia".
Let me know what you guys think!

Same here had my surgery march 10th they put Mesh In to repair the hernia pain for 3 days its now march 28th and I went back to gym doing my MMA workouts and heavy bag work plus cardiovascular no pain so far....but the first 3 days were hell

[BabelFish]

Had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair done laparoscopically on Jan 24, 2012.

Week 1: pain meds helped a lot. Most discomfort came from bloating, and GI problems. slept in recliner first 3 days, then in bed.
Week 2: switched to tylenol extra strength, started walking, driving, shopping, etc...
Week 3: no more pain meds; still had soreness in the lower abs area from sleeping on my belly.
Week 4: resumed sexual activity; was a little painful but no big deal. Still having pain on the right side when sneezing, coughing, blowing nose (maybe from the internal staples being stretched). A little worried about this but we shall see...
Week 5: pain on lower right side of abs continues, waking me up in the middle of the night.
Week 6: acute pain on lower right side of abs, reproduced when stretching, sneezing, coughing, straining. Contacted surgeon and he said I might have a nerve entrapment (from staples or scar tissue). Recommended prescription strength NSAID with hot compresses over the pain area. Will follow this regimen for two weeks and report back.
Week 7: After two weeks of Rx strength NSAID, pain in right obliques/groin muscles decreased significantly. Still feeling slight pain 2-3 on a scale of 1-10, mostly comparable to oblique/lower abs DOMS. PS: NSAID screwed up my GI system, causing heartburn, reflux, and indigestion, and caused me some nervous system issues like anxiety, restlessness, panic, and irritability...
Week 8: DOMS-like symptoms in right oblique/lower abs/groin muscle continues...probably just from muscle trauma...I recall the surgeon telling me that they had a hard time ripping through my hard muscle tissue during the laparoscopy.

I will wait 4 more weeks before beginning reconditioning.

Week 9: DOMS-like discomfort continues
Week 10: DOMS-like discomfort continues. Vigorous sexual activity still causing some pain.

[ShoulderBrah]

Week 9: DOMS-like discomfort continues
Week 10: DOMS-like discomfort continues. Vigorous sexual activity still causing some pain.

That's strange you are still getting discomfort. The first two weeks for me was unbearable. However, the pain was pretty much gone after the 9th or 10th week. They say your hernia surgery is as healed as it ever will be at 8 weeks. I did feel pain after workout days and such, but not if I was off for a few days.

[LiveToEat]

Just came back from the doctor.. Definitely have a hernia. Tomorrow i meet with the surgeon, out of track for the season and out of lifting obviously. Really gonna need some support..

[mike0093_OLDONE]

Just came back from the doctor.. Definitely have a hernia. Tomorrow i meet with the surgeon, out of track for the season and out of lifting obviously. Really gonna need some support..

I feel your pain man. I just got diagnosed last week with bi-lateral hernias, after thinking and hearing from orthopedists and physical therapists for over a year that it was a lower back/disc issue. I havent lifted in months, and I am planning on having surgery ASAP. From what I have read and heard from people - hernia surgery is very common and some people can make almost a full recovery in 4 weeks. Good Luck!

[NotScaredHomie]

last week, i came down awkwardly when lowering the weight while deadlifting and just felt a bit off. i was fine doing legs that week, felt fine through the weekend. yesterday during my chest workout, i kinda felt a very slight straining feeling in my groin/inner thigh area, but only if i was bending over to pick up a weight. then today, during deadlifts, i felt off again. i have the same feeling, it's very mild. i probably wouldn't think twice about it, but i ended up spending half of my workout looking up symptoms of hernias. right now it's fine, maybe a little bit of an achy/stiff feeling, but i think it's psychological because i'm so worried about being hurt. i think i'm going to give it a couple weeks, cutting out deadlifts completely, and going extremely light on squats before thinking about seeing the doctor. i'm just hoping it's not a hernia/sports hernia because i'd probably have a mental breakdown from not being able to get in the gym for six weeks. i'm praying it's something minor like a pulled groin.

[darkdragon99]

Im currently recovering from a hernia myself at the moment. I'm on week 6 and have been lifting the past few days with very light weight. I don't plan on doing any squats or deadlifts or abs stuff for awhile. I was wondering when it would be fine to start doing upper back work like rows and lat pulls? Or if anyone has any ideas on something else I could do for the back that doesnt put much pressure on the lower abs?

[ShoulderBrah]

Im currently recovering from a hernia myself at the moment. I'm on week 6 and have been lifting the past few days with very light weight. I don't plan on doing any squats or deadlifts or abs stuff for awhile. I was wondering when it would be fine to start doing upper back work like rows and lat pulls? Or if anyone has any ideas on something else I could do for the back that doesnt put much pressure on the lower abs?

You'll have to go for feel. For instance... even leg extensions, tricep rope push down, and seated preacher curls will put slight abdominal pressure. You just have to take it slow and easy. Your abs will heal up stronger and you'll be able to do more. For back I think I started doing seated low rows with the cable machine. Unfortunately I cant give you a direct answer on when you can start them.... everyone heals up differently... you have to go by what feels good and what feels bad. Good luck.

[darkdragon99]

yeah pretty much every thing I've done so far I started with 10lb dumbells and have slowly been working up to get a feel for everything. I think I will just wait a few weeks until I can get to a gym to worry about doing anything for back. Originally I considered pullups but I will probably just wait to use a machine so I can go light and work up. Thanks for the advice.

[LiveToEat]

My surgery went great. My surgeon was wonderful, got me in the very next morning i met with her so i would be able to recover over easter break from school. She went the direct route (non-laparoscopic or whatever). I had my surgery Thursday, and today i walked on my own after a heavy dose of hydrocodone lol. I'm hoping it just gets better from here!

[tvols05]

48 hours post laproscopic repair. I'm still in a bit of pain, but I think the surgery went great. Surgeon was great and I was able to sleep in my bed the first night. Just wish I could take a deuce.

[LiveToEat]

48 hours post laproscopic repair. I'm still in a bit of pain, but I think the surgery went great. Surgeon was great and I was able to sleep in my bed the first night. Just wish I could take a deuce.

GO AS SOON AS YOU CAN!! eat up the stool softeners and laxatives, take milk of magnesia and lots of fiber.. I didn't go for 4 days after, and it was the worst experience of my life. Far far worse than the pain from the surgery itself

Speaking of which.. how do you tell if the hernia reoccured? I feel like it might have after i went through said experience. There's quite a bit of pain there, and some weird pressure, but i think it may have been from me stopping taking my painkillers? I need reassurance very badly lol.

[ShoulderBrah]

GO AS SOON AS YOU CAN!! eat up the stool softeners and laxatives, take milk of magnesia and lots of fiber.. I didn't go for 4 days after, and it was the worst experience of my life. Far far worse than the pain from the surgery itself

Speaking of which.. how do you tell if the hernia reoccured? I feel like it might have after i went through said experience. There's quite a bit of pain there, and some weird pressure, but i think it may have been from me stopping taking my painkillers? I need reassurance very badly lol.

I felt horrible for 2 weeks. the area was sore and I felt like it was reinjured... but you just have to relax and be patient. it will be at least a month until you even feel comfortable in a bed laying down.

[BabelFish]

That's strange you are still getting discomfort. The first two weeks for me was unbearable. However, the pain was pretty much gone after the 9th or 10th week. They say your hernia surgery is as healed as it ever will be at 8 weeks. I did feel pain after workout days and such, but not if I was off for a few days.

I know...I'm in week 12 now and I'm still feeling pain especially during and after sex.... I'm not sure what to do...haven't stepped in the gym since the surgery...I'm going to contact the doctor again....

[LiveToEat]

Definitely should have taken the time off man... Follow up with the doc

Is there any way to differentiate between a laparoscopic and a traditional open surgery, such as a difference in the scar? I was really never told which one I had done. Edit: Did you begin training legs about the same time as everything else, aside from deadlifts and squats? and

Also, this thread should be stickied! It has helped myself, as well as others, through a very tough and aggravating time. It would also be easier for those who keep coming back to this thread, like myself. It is clearly a well thought out original post.

[ShoulderBrah]

Definitely should have taken the time off man... Follow up with the doc

Is there any way to differentiate between a laparoscopic and a traditional open surgery, such as a difference in the scar? I was really never told which one I had done. Edit: Did you begin training legs about the same time as everything else, aside from deadlifts and squats? and

Also, this thread should be stickied! It has helped myself, as well as others, through a very tough and aggravating time. It would also be easier for those who keep coming back to this thread, like myself. It is clearly a well thought out original post.

Laproscopic should be tiny circle holes...
Open surgery should be a 3-5 inch scar in a straight line.

I didn't train legs for about 6-8 months later.... even leg extension put too much stress on the lower abdominals.

[darkdragon99]

Right now im on my 7th week after surgery. The only leg work I have been doing personally has been calve raises. I haven't been using much weight doing them either, just holding a few very lite dumbells. I think my doctors told me to wait an additional 8 weeks or so to do deadlifts and abs stuff. I cant remember for sure what he said about squats, but im going to wait a while before I worry about even trying them.

[adiadi]

Just an update:

I had my inguinal hernia surgery December 29th, so it has been a little over 15 weeks since my surgery. Shoulderbrah - to answer your question from earlier, I did (and still do) feel some discomfort from certain exercises, specifically tricep push downs. I'm still very cautious, constantly feeling my groin to make sure I don't have another bump, but I think I'm good. On occasion after running or some workouts, I feel discomfort in my balls but it hasn't been anything too serious. I do fear that I am setting myself for another injury though as sometimes I do have a constant discomfort throughout the day in my balls.

In terms of lifts, my upper body strength is through the roof. My bench is the highest it has ever been, and everything else is getting stronger every workout as well. I still haven't started training my legs or abs again, I think I'm going to wait at least until summer to start doing that assuming I don't re-injure myself by then..

[LiveToEat]

Just an update:

I had my inguinal hernia surgery December 29th, so it has been a little over 15 weeks since my surgery. Shoulderbrah - to answer your question from earlier, I did (and still do) feel some discomfort from certain exercises, specifically tricep push downs. I'm still very cautious, constantly feeling my groin to make sure I don't have another bump, but I think I'm good. On occasion after running or some workouts, I feel discomfort in my balls but it hasn't been anything too serious. I do fear that I am setting myself for another injury though as sometimes I do have a constant discomfort throughout the day in my balls.

In terms of lifts, my upper body strength is through the roof. My bench is the highest it has ever been, and everything else is getting stronger every workout as well. I still haven't started training my legs or abs again, I think I'm going to wait at least until summer to start doing that assuming I don't re-injure myself by then..

Good to hear! Encouraging to know that it is possible to bounce back strong from this

[BabelFish]

Had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair done laparoscopically on Jan 24, 2012.

Week 1: pain meds helped a lot. Most discomfort came from bloating, and GI problems. slept in recliner first 3 days, then in bed.
Week 2: switched to tylenol extra strength, started walking, driving, shopping, etc...
Week 3: no more pain meds; still had soreness in the lower abs area from sleeping on my belly.
Week 4: resumed sexual activity; was a little painful but no big deal. Still having pain on the right side when sneezing, coughing, blowing nose (maybe from the internal staples being stretched).
Week 5: pain on lower right side of abs continues, waking me up in the middle of the night.
Week 6: acute pain on lower right side of abs, reproduced when stretching, sneezing, coughing, straining. Contacted surgeon and he said I might have a nerve entrapment (from staples or scar tissue). Recommended prescription strength NSAID with hot compresses over the pain area. Will follow this regimen for two weeks and report back.
Week 7: After two weeks of Rx strength NSAID, pain in right obliques/groin muscles decreased significantly. Still feeling slight pain 2-3 on a scale of 1-10, mostly comparable to oblique/lower abs DOMS. PS: NSAID screwed up my GI system, causing heartburn, reflux, and indigestion, and caused me some nervous system issues like anxiety, restlessness, panic, and irritability...
Week 8: DOMS-like symptoms in right oblique/lower abs/groin muscle continues...probably just from muscle trauma...I recall the surgeon telling me that they had a hard time ripping through my hard muscle tissue during the laparoscopy.
Week 9: DOMS-like discomfort continues
Week 10: DOMS-like discomfort continues. Vigorous sexual activity still causing some pain.

Week 11: Pain in right oblique/groin area continues. Intensifies during and after sex. Area bulges when bladder full or bowel full (similar symptoms to pre-surgery).
Week 12: Went back to surgeon. His statements: "You athletes have no f*cking fat so I had to staple the patches on muscle! This is probably pain from the staples being stretched. The repair is fine, the patches are in place, there is no re-occurence of any herina, and you have rock solid abs. The bulge is probably just your full bladder because you're thin and ripped. Take more NSAID, do hot moist compresses, do stretching exercises, no abdominal workouts, get her on top during sex. It's been less than 3 months, it'll take time to heal completely. If no improvement, we'll try injections to numb the nerves".

I still haven't been back to the gym. My target date is April 24, exactly 3 months after the surgery. I will do swimming, walking, stretching, for a few weeks, then add low weights/high reps gradually.
Will try this regimen and report back...I might be one of those unlucky few who will have to deal with chronic post-op pain.

[LiveToEat]

Went back to the surgeon yesterday, everything seemed to be fine. No lifting still until i meet back with her in a month (today is exactly two weeks). Almost no pain this week, until today. Its been horrible. Anyone else have random days like this?

Does anyone have any knowledge on whether a lifting belt actually contributes to or prevents inguinal hernias? I never had any trouble until I began using a belt when squatting and holding my breath on the concentric portion. Obviously this created a lot of intra-abdominal pressure when I squatted heavily (above 335). However I was told the belt would help prevent this

[darkdragon99]

Yes I had alot of random days where I was in alot more pain than others.

[darkdragon99]

I am also curious as to how long you guys are waiting before doing leg workouts again? Its been about 8 1/2 weeks since my surgery and the only thing I had been doing for them was calve raises while holding some light wieght dumbells. But I had to just recently stop doing that because of one of my ankles bothering me, and so I cant currently run either. I was thinking that I should be good to do some squats now with just body wieght as long as I dont go to far down. My doc has cleared me to do every thing I want now minus abdominal workouts for another month.

Just curious as to when you guys think it would be fine to start doing some light leg workouts.

[stafuccijr]

I have been reading through this thread and starting to get real worried. I had a long day of soccer and hockey back to back and believe I might have a hernia of some type.

The thought got really scared when reading about tricep push downs. I have taken two weeks off all sports activity (minus the gym, upper body only). I was doing tricep pushdowns today and I literally couldn't even complete my set due to the pain in my groin area. I don't exactly have the best 'insurance' so I was trying to just rest it out before going to the doctor. I still have sore groin when attempting to even jog but I can walk and do just about anything else with no discomfort.

Is there any tell tale signs to tell if I should goto doctor for a hernia? Thanks

[darkdragon99]

If your still having pain after 2 weeks and it hasnt gotten any better than you may want to go ahead and go to the doctor. Generally when you get a groin hernia theres a swollen area or lump that shows, but the most recent one I had didnt really show any swelling it just hurt a little when I would bend over and pick things up.

[LiveToEat]

I'm almost done with week four. I'm having a lot more pain again. It seems to have gotten a little worse over the past week or two, although some days are better. Is this normal or have i possibly re-injured it? I know that I probably have done too much too fast, with no other excuse than i'm 17 and stupid. But i haven't done anything outside daily activities

Also, has anyone had pain on the opposite side of their surgery? The pain isn't bad, and it comes and goes, but it still worries me. Any explanation for this?

Edit: I've started a log for my progress off this injury. It would mean a great deal of motivation to me if some of you could check it out from time to time. I'm hoping it may be of help to others someday too. I've linked this thread in it as well

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post876220951

[McTJ]

I was just diagnosed with a hernia yesterday. I meet with the surgeon monday. I am glad to have found this thread, because no one else seems to understand mentally what is going on with me. After going strong at the gym four-five days a week for five months, and eating clean, I have managed to lose 70lbs, and gain a hernia. This is such a setback for me mentally. I was just beginning the next phase of my push to drop bf%, and now I have to stop for what appears to be 2 months or so. This is pretty tough to swallow. I don't want to lose strength, and I don't want to gain weight back. I am also worried that after so long on a couch, I won't have the motivation to start working out again, after settling into a sedentary lifestyle once more. It also sucks because for the first time in my life I was looking forward to summer. I wanted to try wakeboarding, water skiing etc. I was finally excited to buy new swim trunks, and go shirtless at the beach, and live a very active lifestyle over the summer, and continue to progress. Any advice on how not to go crazy during this time? Any advice on how to not gain fat, and to keep my motivation up? I love hiking, and so does my girlfriend, will I be able to do that a few weeks out of surgery? Sorry for the rant- no one else really wants to hear it- my overweight friends don't understand what my issue is, and my friends who have been gym rats for years, and it wouldn't kill them to go this long out of the gym don't get it either.

[ShoulderBrah]

I was just diagnosed with a hernia yesterday. I meet with the surgeon monday. I am glad to have found this thread, because no one else seems to understand mentally what is going on with me. After going strong at the gym four-five days a week for five months, and eating clean, I have managed to lose 70lbs, and gain a hernia. This is such a setback for me mentally. I was just beginning the next phase of my push to drop bf%, and now I have to stop for what appears to be 2 months or so. This is pretty tough to swallow. I don't want to lose strength, and I don't want to gain weight back. I am also worried that after so long on a couch, I won't have the motivation to start working out again, after settling into a sedentary lifestyle once more. It also sucks because for the first time in my life I was looking forward to summer. I wanted to try wakeboarding, water skiing etc. I was finally excited to buy new swim trunks, and go shirtless at the beach, and live a very active lifestyle over the summer, and continue to progress. Any advice on how not to go crazy during this time? Any advice on how to not gain fat, and to keep my motivation up? I love hiking, and so does my girlfriend, will I be able to do that a few weeks out of surgery? Sorry for the rant- no one else really wants to hear it- my overweight friends don't understand what my issue is, and my friends who have been gym rats for years, and it wouldn't kill them to go this long out of the gym don't get it either.

Dude... I know exactly what you are going through. I was so pissed off, depressed, and afraid to lose everything I worked for. Trust me, you will get back into the groove. I came back much stronger. You just have to have patience and have the right attitude. It's hard to deal with, but no one will ever understand what its like until they get a hernia themselves.

It's not like breaking a leg or something..... with hernia surgery, it hurts for me to do preacher curls, leg extensions, standing shoulder presses, etc. Almost every excercise uses a lot of core. You will realize that more than ever once you get back into the gym. I will tell you that I am 100% back and I am stronger than before.