*** OFFICIAL INGUINAL HERNIA RECOVERY Thread ***

[Cortzpain]

I bought a hernia truss and continued to workout and walk/jog until the day before my surgery. Let pain be your guide.

Get educated on your hernia repair options (lots of good back and forth on this thread) and don't blindly accept the repair technique offered by the surgeon. Repairing a hernia, unfortunately, is not like getting an appendix fixed. There a several different options, each with their positives and potential negatives.

I am almost 11 weeks out from my Desarda repair and am back in gym, working out hard again (with lower weights) and feeling great. I don't feel like I have lost too much muscle mass. I had planned on putting off my surgery until this Spring (mainly out of the fear of surgery) - man, I am glad I went ahead and got it done.

Hi can I ask was this done in the USA?

[Cortzpain]

If you believe that because it’s FDA approved then it’s safe go and watch the bleeding edge. I’m begging you...

Hi hope it’s ok to ask-would you mind sharing who did your husbands mesh free surgery in Australia? 🙏

[HPMBlack]

Can I ask if you could share your surgeons name? Was this in Australia? Thank you

I am in Europe. Serbia .

[Bell0c]

Bell0c seems like you had great progress with diet, 9 lbs is very healthy tempo for 4 weeks, and you definitely lost mostly fat.

I will also start some similar diet, I thought to try time-restricted-eating, 9-10h eating window. that's similar to yours. I got 5lbs extra than what I had before surgery, but looks like stomach/waist fat mostly, since I ate a lot (and drinking a bit). Need to loose that.

Now I am at almost 8 weeks, and I miscounted weeks last week and started to run and swim. Originally plan was to wait for the full 8 weeks. I lost maybe 10-20percent of cardio but not much, got pretty good 5k time and 3k swim. And I feel good since muscles/joints got some good rest. Sometimes I feel slight short pain at incision site, but very mild, so I think I can continue with exercise. I also went to gym and did upper body exercise (flat, incline, decline bench, narrow grip bench etc.. but with 15-20 reps and lower weight than usual), and it feels good, I got very strong DOMS day after .

So recovery seems good, hopefully I can do some medium lower body exercises soon.

Hey HPM, glad to hear that everything is going well for you. Sounds like you're doing great! Yeah, I lifted heavier before, then started doing more reps of lower weight when I started back and it kicked my butt! Good way to keep from hurting yourself, though.

Yeah, the time-restricted-eating is really helpful. Of course the point is to avoid the insulin response and let your body do its job, but it also keeps you from snacking in general, making it easier to meet your calorie goals (I've been doing 1000 under maintenance). An added benefit - I've noticed that I'm not sleepy midday anymore. My energy is fine, too. I won't be adding much mass this way, but I shouldn't lose much in a couple of months. Good luck with your plan - you should be able to knock off 5 lbs. in short order!

[ezzy227]

Hi can I ask was this done in the USA?

Yes, in the USA by Dr. Robert Tomas in Ft Myers Florida. Same doc Bell0c used.

[Bell0c]

Yes, in the USA by Dr. Robert Tomas in Ft Myers Florida. Same doc Bell0c used.

Yep. I would recommend him based on my experience there, and the results so far.

[samer122017]

Sorry to hear you've joined the club. You do need to get the hernia repaired, but if you've read through this thread you've seen that most folks are able to get back to their routine eventually, so don't lose hope. Get it repaired as soon as you can.

You may still be able to do a lot of your upper body exercises, as long as you can avoid holding your breath and pushing (which increases the pressure in your abdomen and pushes the hernia out). The big lower body power moves - squat, deadlift, leg press - may be best skipped for now, except maybe at lower weights and without holding your breath. If it hurts or makes your bulge pooch out more, skip it. Though, I should add, if you're having pain doing normal things through the day as you mention, you might want to be extra cautious. Walking should be fine, I would think. You'll be doing a lot of walking after the repair.

I don't think supplements will affect things much one way or the other.

Hang in there, and good luck!

thanks a lot for helping and advising.

[samer122017]

Sorry to hear you've joined the club. You do need to get the hernia repaired, but if you've read through this thread you've seen that most folks are able to get back to their routine eventually, so don't lose hope. Get it repaired as soon as you can.

You may still be able to do a lot of your upper body exercises, as long as you can avoid holding your breath and pushing (which increases the pressure in your abdomen and pushes the hernia out). The big lower body power moves - squat, deadlift, leg press - may be best skipped for now, except maybe at lower weights and without holding your breath. If it hurts or makes your bulge pooch out more, skip it. Though, I should add, if you're having pain doing normal things through the day as you mention, you might want to be extra cautious. Walking should be fine, I would think. You'll be doing a lot of walking after the repair.

I don't think supplements will affect things much one way or the other.

Hang in there, and good luck!

I bought a hernia truss and continued to workout and walk/jog until the day before my surgery. Let pain be your guide.

Get educated on your hernia repair options (lots of good back and forth on this thread) and don't blindly accept the repair technique offered by the surgeon. Repairing a hernia, unfortunately, is not like getting an appendix fixed. There a several different options, each with their positives and potential negatives.

I am almost 11 weeks out from my Desarda repair and am back in gym, working out hard again (with lower weights) and feeling great. I don't feel like I have lost too much muscle mass. I had planned on putting off my surgery until this Spring (mainly out of the fear of surgery) - man, I am glad I went ahead and got it done.

thanks a lot ,,

[samer122017]

Sorry to hear you've joined the club. You do need to get the hernia repaired, but if you've read through this thread you've seen that most folks are able to get back to their routine eventually, so don't lose hope. Get it repaired as soon as you can.

You may still be able to do a lot of your upper body exercises, as long as you can avoid holding your breath and pushing (which increases the pressure in your abdomen and pushes the hernia out). The big lower body power moves - squat, deadlift, leg press - may be best skipped for now, except maybe at lower weights and without holding your breath. If it hurts or makes your bulge pooch out more, skip it. Though, I should add, if you're having pain doing normal things through the day as you mention, you might want to be extra cautious. Walking should be fine, I would think. You'll be doing a lot of walking after the repair.

I don't think supplements will affect things much one way or the other.

Hang in there, and good luck!

No need to be depressed. It happens in one out of four men.

You can continue your normal activities as well as playing sports and gym. The only remedy is surgery. Have it fixed as soon as you find a good doctor.

I only take creatine. BCAA is known to contribute to diabetes, for which there is no cure; so, be warned.

I bought a hernia truss and continued to workout and walk/jog until the day before my surgery. Let pain be your guide.

Get educated on your hernia repair options (lots of good back and forth on this thread) and don't blindly accept the repair technique offered by the surgeon. Repairing a hernia, unfortunately, is not like getting an appendix fixed. There a several different options, each with their positives and potential negatives.

I am almost 11 weeks out from my Desarda repair and am back in gym, working out hard again (with lower weights) and feeling great. I don't feel like I have lost too much muscle mass. I had planned on putting off my surgery until this Spring (mainly out of the fear of surgery) - man, I am glad I went ahead and got it done.

i am also bought a truss and i will see the doctor today to know how much damage. i am encouraged by yr advise and i think i will continue working upper body till do the surgery .. thx a lot

[drgephys]

i am also bought a truss and i will see the doctor today to know how much damage. i am encouraged by yr advise and i think i will continue working upper body till do the surgery .. thx a lot

I wouldn't use a hernia truss unless it's instructed specifically by the doctor. I used that during my childhood hernia and it's horrible. It could make the defect larger and cause complications. Lift without a truss, assuming it doesn't hurt, as I did and get it repaired ASAP.

[drgephys]

I wouldn't use a hernia truss unless it's instructed specifically by the doctor. I used that during my childhood hernia and it's horrible. It could make the defect larger and cause complications. Lift without a truss, assuming it doesn't hurt, as I did and get it repaired ASAP.

"A truss increases the probability of complications, which include strangulation of the hernia, atrophy of the spermatic cord, and atrophy of the fascial margins. This allows the defect to enlarge and makes subsequent repair more difficult."

https://www.bmj.com/content/304/6834/1092.1

[EemmAarr]

Hello guys

I had an inguinal hernia on right side and got it fixed with mesh on both sides, as doctor said that there are chances to get hernia on left side in future. I got it repaired through laparoscopic and its been 4 months by now. Doctor advised that i am free to do all activities and no restriction in weight lifting.

Now i would like to know what kind of exercise that i can do to strengthen my core, to avoid the recurrence of hernia in future. I am skeptical to try anything related to my core, fear of injuring myself again.

Please advise some core workouts post hernia repair. Doctor has no idea as what kinda exercises i can do to strengthen my core.
Also, if anyone can give me a list of workouts that i can do till i get in track. i am scared as hell to lift again, though i started with pushups and light weights.

Any restriction to jog in the treadmill? Will that impact mesh?

Thanks

[Bell0c]

Hello guys

I had an inguinal hernia on right side and got it fixed with mesh on both sides, as doctor said that there are chances to get hernia on left side in future. I got it repaired through laparoscopic and its been 4 months by now. Doctor advised that i am free to do all activities and no restriction in weight lifting.

Now i would like to know what kind of exercise that i can do to strengthen my core, to avoid the recurrence of hernia in future. I am skeptical to try anything related to my core, fear of injuring myself again.

Please advise some core workouts post hernia repair. Doctor has no idea as what kinda exercises i can do to strengthen my core.
Also, if anyone can give me a list of workouts that i can do till i get in track. i am scared as hell to lift again, though i started with pushups and light weights.

Any restriction to jog in the treadmill? Will that impact mesh?

Thanks

Your questions are pretty much central to the point of this thread, so you would do well to read through as much as you can to get a wide variety of perspectives. Everyone's experience is quite different. Generally speaking, my takeaway from reading the whole thread is that by 4 months, with no restrictions, assuming you're having no serious pain, you should be able to work your way back into lifting starting immediately. Take it easy, start off much lighter than where you left off (half or less), go even easier with lower body movements, build up slowly over 2 or 3 months or more, and as they say, "let pain be your guide." A lot of guys report getting back to running pretty early, so you might start back with that now too - if you've been walking (and you should have been), you may have had some indications of how running will feel. As far as core, maybe planks?

Anyway, unless you're having complications or continuing pain, you should probably get to it sooner rather than later. Spending too long sitting around seems to be about the worse thing you can do. Good luck!

[drgephys]

Hello guys

I had an inguinal hernia on right side and got it fixed with mesh on both sides, as doctor said that there are chances to get hernia on left side in future. I got it repaired through laparoscopic and its been 4 months by now. Doctor advised that i am free to do all activities and no restriction in weight lifting.

Now i would like to know what kind of exercise that i can do to strengthen my core, to avoid the recurrence of hernia in future. I am skeptical to try anything related to my core, fear of injuring myself again.

Please advise some core workouts post hernia repair. Doctor has no idea as what kinda exercises i can do to strengthen my core.
Also, if anyone can give me a list of workouts that i can do till i get in track. i am scared as hell to lift again, though i started with pushups and light weights.

Any restriction to jog in the treadmill? Will that impact mesh?

Thanks

Four months? That's a lot longer than what you needed. You can do whatever you want at this point -- no restrictions whatsoever. Long breaks can lead to injuries as well as long comebacks.

With meshes on both sides, you won't get a hernia in the future.

There is no exercise that helps strengthen the inner abdominal wall, where hernia happens, as far as I know. Hernia doesn't happen in your external muscles (like the abs). However, proper form and lifting techniques, such as not holding your breath or twisting your core, will help.

[SoccerAgain]

With meshes on both sides, you won't get a hernia in the future.

Not to start a word battle, just to keep things factual. Recurrences do happen with mesh repairs. How often is unclear, depending on your information source, but there is a measurable recurrence rate. The American College of Surgeons seems like a reputable source for information, they have less at stake than the various hernia societies. They are probably more objective.

They report about 5% recurrence for open repair, and about 10% for laparoscopic. None of the methods and/or materials used are perfect. Good luck.

https://www.facs.org/~/media/files/e...in_hernia.ashx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americ...ge_of_Surgeons

[KeithMlr]

I'm a body builder that has had a hernia repair with mesh, which fortunately involved very little pain and great recovery. Now its 8weeks later and doc says I can carefully resume activities. Problem is, that I feel great like I could load up the bar and continue as if nothing happened, which would be crazy, and so I have no frame of reference as to what others have done to carefully work back up to the routine & weights before the injury? Can anyone make suggestions based on their experience, as I don't want to damage anything??

[drgephys]

I'm a body builder that has had a hernia repair with mesh, which fortunately involved very little pain and great recovery. Now its 8weeks later and doc says I can carefully resume activities. Problem is, that I feel great like I could load up the bar and continue as if nothing happened, which would be crazy, and so I have no frame of reference as to what others have done to carefully work back up to the routine & weights before the injury? Can anyone make suggestions based on their experience, as I don't want to damage anything??

After eight weeks, which is the standard, the hernia repair should be good to go for any kind of heavy weight. However, in eight weeks, you lost a lot of muscle and you will risk injuring yourself if you do the same weight where you left. I would start around 2/3 weight and increase the weight gradually for about twelve weeks to get where I was.

[drgephys]

I'm very happy to report a full recovery from hernia-repair surgery.

As of last Friday, I have regained my strength right before I left for the dreaded surgery (225 lb bench -- 4 reps, 315 lb squats -- 9 reps) and perhaps I got even stronger.

Brief timeline:

2018/06/07: Open Lichtenstein surgery with Ultrapro Advanced flat mesh for primary left indirect inguinal hernia

* First two - three days miserable, pain making me scream, difficulty getting in and out of bed, definite need for pain medication, nobody around to help me and three cats needing care
* I believe I sat down to clean the litter boxes after two days but it was scary, drove after about two - three days and took me a whole minute in slow motion to get out of the car, with a guy staring at me and trying to understand what was wrong
* Pain no big deal after first two - three days, no more need for pain medication
* Able to go to work after about a week (judged by if I can put on my socks), would be a different scenario if work involved lifting

2018/10/08: Back to the gym after a 4-month-long break (probably unnecessarily long, 8 weeks is the standard recommendation), feeling very weak and doubting if I will ever regain my strength. Can't even do dips.

2019/02/15: Full strength regained after 4 months and 1 week in gym, back to where I was before surgery, probably somewhat stronger, weight increased gradually every week

I am now about 171 lb, which is about 10 lb heavier than before surgery but I have no intention of losing weight now, as it makes very hard to gain or maintain strength or maintain muscle mass. I might try a little heavier on the bench than where I was before the surgery. I was heavier (about 176 lb) when I was younger and I was lifting a little heavier (up to 4 reps of 245 lb on bench and up to 445 lb on squats but I stopped heavy squats when I was 28).

Things are looking good, perhaps even somewhat better than before the surgery.

There is still some small swelling between the groin and incision with occasional light dull pain but I expect it to gradually clear away. The full tissue healing and mesh integration seems to be a long-term process. Nevertheless, it doesn't affect any weightlifting or other activities.

As an additional note, the 2-inch-long open incision low in my groin is almost invisible other than a darker line. It will probably eventually become entirely invisible -- the plastic surgeon in the team who closed me did an excellent job.

[Bell0c]

I'm a body builder that has had a hernia repair with mesh, which fortunately involved very little pain and great recovery. Now its 8weeks later and doc says I can carefully resume activities. Problem is, that I feel great like I could load up the bar and continue as if nothing happened, which would be crazy, and so I have no frame of reference as to what others have done to carefully work back up to the routine & weights before the injury? Can anyone make suggestions based on their experience, as I don't want to damage anything??

Thing is, healing isn't like a light switch, where on the 7th week, 6th day, you can't do anything, and on the 8th week, 1st day, you're completely back to normal. There's still stuff healing, still tissues adjusting. Start slow, work up, do it in such a way that if you push too hard, you won't be so far out over the edge that you seriously injure yourself. That will cost real time and pain.

Hundreds of people have shared their experiences on this thread over the last 10 years, specifically for people in your situation to read. Take some time to read through, and you'll get a better sampling than relying on the few people who happen to be watching the thread at the moment.

Good luck!

[KeithMlr]

Thanks Bell0c. Reading thru this blog there appears many different rates of workout recovery after the typical 8wk off period, so yes as you mentioned best to simply work upward slow enough to never feel any pain that could be concerning. I had this surgery done in central america while there for the winter...best job anyone could ask for...walked out of the hospital straight up the next day with a 3inch incision and no pain ever.

[Bell0c]

Thanks Bell0c. Reading thru this blog there appears many different rates of workout recovery after the typical 8wk off period, so yes as you mentioned best to simply work upward slow enough to never feel any pain that could be concerning. I had this surgery done in central america while there for the winter...best job anyone could ask for...walked out of the hospital straight up the next day with a 3inch incision and no pain ever.

Yeah, recovery does seem to be very individual, probably based on too many factors to count. It sounds like your surgery and your recovery have gone really well, so I imagine you'll do fine as you get back into shape. I will say that at our age (I'm actually 53, but it won't let me correct my age for some reason), healing is slower, so keep that in mind. Taking a couple of extra months rather than rushing is a good investment of time, in my opinion.

drgephys, glad to hear that you're still doing well and making good progress. Keep it up!

[KeithMlr]

After eight weeks, which is the standard, the hernia repair should be good to go for any kind of heavy weight. However, in eight weeks, you lost a lot of muscle and you will risk injuring yourself if you do the same weight where you left. I would start around 2/3 weight and increase the weight gradually for about twelve weeks to get where I was.

Thank you, this is a good and logical frame of reference for proceeding back to where I was.

[UnkleDolan]

Hey guys,

I had abdominal muscle pain on my left side of lower abs today while I was working out. I had to stop my workout early and I almost fainted. Could this be a sign of hernia? Now I had no pain anymore, I am wondering if it was just muscle strain? I don't notice anything else except that pain that I had for 10-15 minutes. I do have a bit of lower abs bulge but that's because I have ATP, have had it for a while.

Do you think it is beneficial to get it checked? To those who have had it, What were your signs of hernia?

[drgephys]

Hey guys,

I had abdominal muscle pain on my left side of lower abs today while I was working out. I had to stop my workout early and I almost fainted. Could this be a sign of hernia? Now I had no pain anymore, I am wondering if it was just muscle strain? I don't notice anything else except that pain that I had for 10-15 minutes. I do have a bit of lower abs bulge but that's because I have ATP, have had it for a while.

Do you think it is beneficial to get it checked? To those who have had it, What were your signs of hernia?

Hernia means a bulge. You can also have abdominal-wall or muscle injuries without a hernia. If it doesn't bother you, you're probably fine.

[drgephys]

I found this nice information about sports hernia, also known as athletic pubalgia, which is not a true hernia with a bulge but an injury to the abdominal wall, ligaments, or muscles in the groin. It could also be a true-hernia precursor with a weakness in the abdominal wall but there is no true hernia, which is associated with a bulge of an intestine loop and/or fat.

https://www.sportshernia.com/
https://www.sportshernia.com/sports-...a-examination/

[mothersday]

Excellent work

[reignman76]

I had open inguinal hernia surgery with mesh on Feb 8th. So today is 5 weeks and 1 day since the surgery. Recovery went really well. No need for percosets.

Today I went to the gym and did 5x5 deadlift and squat with just the bar. 5x5 leg press with 50 lbs. 3 rounds of farmers walk with 50 lbs (2 25s). Felt great, no pain. Probably going to increse everything by 20 lbs next week.

Tomorrow is upper body. Shouldn’t be a big deal but will still start with just the bar...

[kstjean]

Hey all. So, been lurking here for a while, hoping to find a situation similar to mine. First off, I'm a female. I read as many pages of this thread as I could and not have not seen one other woman lifter post. Ive been lifting seriously for 13 years now. As in, the most I've ever taken off from the gym is one week after the birth of my 3 children. (Started back slow, come from a medical background, so kinda know what I'm doing). I hate to throw around the term "advanced lifter", but at this point I have to consider myself at least somewhat close to there. I'm 37, 5'1" weighing in at 120. Max lifts are deadlifts 300lb, squat 260 lb, bench 160lb. Was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia in Feb this year. Very very small and unsymptomatic. But seeing as how they only get worse over time and there is no way in heck I'm going to stop heavy lifting, I opted to undergo laparoscopic mesh hernia repair last Monday (3/11).
I'm sitting at 8 days post-op and to be honest, I feel fantastic. Started walking on day 2 after surgery, stepped back into the gym 6 days later just walking on treadmill and upper body lifting with very light weights.
My follow up with my surgeon is this Friday (3/22). When I went in for initial consult and the day of surgery, he promised I would be cleared to do anything I wanted ( AS LONG AS THERE WAS NO PAIN) after 2weeks. Compared to all the things I've read on here it seems like everyone's recovery has been much longer.
If there's another out there with a case similar to mine, I'd love to hear about how you felt getting back into heavy squatting and deadlifting so soon after surgery.

[Bell0c]

Hey all. So, been lurking here for a while, hoping to find a situation similar to mine. First off, I'm a female. I read as many pages of this thread as I could and not have not seen one other woman lifter post. Ive been lifting seriously for 13 years now. As in, the most I've ever taken off from the gym is one week after the birth of my 3 children. (Started back slow, come from a medical background, so kinda know what I'm doing). I hate to throw around the term "advanced lifter", but at this point I have to consider myself at least somewhat close to there. I'm 37, 5'1" weighing in at 120. Max lifts are deadlifts 300lb, squat 260 lb, bench 160lb. Was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia in Feb this year. Very very small and unsymptomatic. But seeing as how they only get worse over time and there is no way in heck I'm going to stop heavy lifting, I opted to undergo laparoscopic mesh hernia repair last Monday (3/11).
I'm sitting at 8 days post-op and to be honest, I feel fantastic. Started walking on day 2 after surgery, stepped back into the gym 6 days later just walking on treadmill and upper body lifting with very light weights.
My follow up with my surgeon is this Friday (3/22). When I went in for initial consult and the day of surgery, he promised I would be cleared to do anything I wanted ( AS LONG AS THERE WAS NO PAIN) after 2weeks. Compared to all the things I've read on here it seems like everyone's recovery has been much longer.
If there's another out there with a case similar to mine, I'd love to hear about how you felt getting back into heavy squatting and deadlifting so soon after surgery.

I've read through the whole thread, though it's been a while. I do remember a couple of women who reported in, and there were at least a handful of men who said they'd gotten back to unlimited activity almost immediately, as you seem to be doing. I could be wrong, but I don't remember them saying there was any special reason why they were cleared for that. Of course, lap has shorter recovery times, so maybe it's that simple, or maybe they had small ones too. With something that apparently depends on the formation of scar tissue for its efficacy, that seems rash to me, but I'm not a doctor. In any case, glad to hear you're doing well, and best of luck - I hope you find someone with similar experiences (hopefully with a long-term perspective) to give you some feedback.

[drgephys]

Hey all. So, been lurking here for a while, hoping to find a situation similar to mine. First off, I'm a female. I read as many pages of this thread as I could and not have not seen one other woman lifter post. Ive been lifting seriously for 13 years now. As in, the most I've ever taken off from the gym is one week after the birth of my 3 children. (Started back slow, come from a medical background, so kinda know what I'm doing). I hate to throw around the term "advanced lifter", but at this point I have to consider myself at least somewhat close to there. I'm 37, 5'1" weighing in at 120. Max lifts are deadlifts 300lb, squat 260 lb, bench 160lb. Was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia in Feb this year. Very very small and unsymptomatic. But seeing as how they only get worse over time and there is no way in heck I'm going to stop heavy lifting, I opted to undergo laparoscopic mesh hernia repair last Monday (3/11).
I'm sitting at 8 days post-op and to be honest, I feel fantastic. Started walking on day 2 after surgery, stepped back into the gym 6 days later just walking on treadmill and upper body lifting with very light weights.
My follow up with my surgeon is this Friday (3/22). When I went in for initial consult and the day of surgery, he promised I would be cleared to do anything I wanted ( AS LONG AS THERE WAS NO PAIN) after 2weeks. Compared to all the things I've read on here it seems like everyone's recovery has been much longer.
If there's another out there with a case similar to mine, I'd love to hear about how you felt getting back into heavy squatting and deadlifting so soon after surgery.

Do you know if you had a femoral hernia, which is more common in women? If so, laparoscopic surgery was the right choice, as femoral hernias are hard to fix from the front. I'm surprised you had surgery if you didn't have symptoms.

Six to eight weeks is said to be standard rest after hernia surgery or other athletic surgeries before starting heavy weights or resuming intense activity. Don't worry about it. I took four months off and, when I started, it took me about four months to gain my strength back, but I'm bigger than before the surgery now. Change does good things to the body, including extended rest periods of a few months when needed.