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Today i find myself sat/lying/leg won't settle anywhere comfortable,looking at 6 weeks not able to get out the bike,after the plan was for keyhole surgery,but that went west when previous patient was too long on table.
Surgeon when asked said to pre opp no going straight in open surgery,if i had protested would have been another 6-12 month delay
So not happy n ball like melons to go with it .
Oh for pain relief n going to the loo.
Ouch.
This is my reply on a similar archived thread:
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/hernia-recovery
Also - please email me if you want some NHS guidance documents from various authorities (i got given nothing).
Op was mid-June 2009
"Post-op my surgeon said I could ride gently to work after two and a bit weeks - if only for the reason that I had no other way of getting to the office.
I was told to take it gently and to stop if it hurt - I pushed up the hill for the first few days. Also used a Brompton for the first week to reduce the need to lift my leg over the cross bar.
After three and a half weeks I went for a spin on my road bike. In hindsight I did too much - 30 miles with an 800ft climb. I got half-way and ached like hell but had no choice but to carry on to get home. I started MTBing after 6 weeks and had no problem with this other than a loss of mojo and pain if I slammed my saddle into the scars. Ouch!
I found the best way to recover was to do some gentle exercise and then rest for a couple of hours before doing a bit more. I slept a lot too!
Chatting a while later to a friend who's a physio and cyclist he reckoned I'd got the recovery process spot on - gentle exercise stops lesions from forming, which is a big risk and causes a lot of pain.
At the end of August I set off on a hilly 6-day cycle tour of Northumbria. I aimed at 40-60 miles a day which caused no problems. Lack of strength and stamina was a bigger problem than hernia pain. Normally I'd aim at 60-80 miles a day but that would have been too much having lost three months of hard cycling (by my standards).
Oh - and riding a fixie ached for several months post-op, but again I think it may have been helping the recovery process.
Hope this helps - good luck with your recovery!
CB
I might add this is in eire ,so HSE who are known for there incompetence.
Did trip down to docs this morning post op to get cert sorted as to claim sick from welfare as we don't get sick pay like many here in Ireland.
N pharmacy for me DRUGS .
Least i can now sit n look out on Mnt Leinster n blackwater mountain n plan summers riding .
Day 4
Did short walk yesterday 1,1/2 km but felt pulling towards end.
Wife has banned me from bike for week at least !!!!
Up date
Today the staples come out .
Been doing some 3-4 km walks out on the lanes ,to keep boredom at bay only so much crap telly i can watch , n believe saoer view is crap here in eire.
It's good that you're up and managing to get out after a week or so.
Mine didn't go smoothly and after I had it done I posted on here that [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/riding-with-a-hernia#post-2162719 ]the recovery period was the worst experience of my life[/url]. As someone who's just spent a few months wearing a halo-brace to heal a broken neck I'd say the hernia post-op was still worse...
It's about 7 years ago now an still doesn't feel 'right'...
Verses .How does it feel around the scar area,mine still feels hard compared to opposite side of the abdomen ,guess that is the mesh they put in to hold it all in ,will get the nurse opinion on it later .
Then i get a consultation with the consultant in about a month to follow up .
The scar felt hard for years afterwards, although a quick sneaky delve down there tells me it's softened up a bit now. I guess the fact I had to check means it's normal to me now...
For a long time after the op I was convinced it would need redoing, but it's never properly flared up again and I'm just used to it being "niggly".
So not happy n ball like melons to go with it .
Ah, I remember that feeling well, literally having to carry the fellas to the loo with me!
Had my carpal tunnel op a week ago so no riding or work (manual labour) for a least a month. I was just getting to feel like I could do stuff again when I got hit with the most debilitating flu. I've not left the house since last Thursday and feel so weak. I've never had an illness like this before and combined with the surgery it's knocked me big-time. Here's to recovery and getting on the bike in time for the nice weather!
Week 5 now post op and did first little spin on the bike last night,steady but carefull.
just good to feel the wind in the face.
But kept active done over 60 km of walking in last 36 days average walks of 7.5 km.
Looking forward to trouble free summer now n conquer few of Irelands Mountains .