[Closed] Hernia recovery time

For me about two days, but I have a desk job with some heavy lifting but was able to avoid said lifting for a couple of weeks.

Did you have open or microsurgery?

I had a bilateral inguinal repair, open surgery last December - meshed. Was pretty achy and stiff for 2-3 weeks, walking properly and on the go after 3-4, on the bike by week 6 building up gently and back up to full speed by Feb.

I had keyhole for mine , I can walk around the house but I'm knackered quite quickly.

Trailwagger- Back at work after 2 days !!

Knackeredness can just be the painkillers (if you are taking them - I find codeine really makes me fatigued and grumpy and that takes a few days to shift after I stop taking them) and the anaesthetics can be in your system for a while too (up to two weeks IIRC)

really though- go on the surgeons reccomendations- there’s more than one way to fix a hernia so don’t base your decisions on the advice of someone whose had a different treatment for the same condition

with some procedures the repair is as strong as it’s ever going to be pretty much when you wake up so then only issue you’re dealing with is pain and deciding how much you can put up with

however with other methods you might be undoing the work if you try to do too much too soon

one thing to watch.... mind you’re back. Discomfort from the surgery means you tend not to use you’re core the way you should when you’re lifting and you can really easily bugger you’re back when you start heavy work again

Trailwagger- Back at work after 2 days !!

Yep, but like I said all I do is sit at a desk. I had a double op too, one in the groin and one just above my belly button. Both keyhole and mesh inserted. It hurt and gave me grief for over a year after but seems to have settled down now. I was back on the bike after two weeks I think.

I am very jealous of the many folk who say they were fine after two or three days!

Nightmare scenario with my two ,both keyhole -inguinal & umbilical began April 2017.  Long story short , I got a quack and he trapped a nerve and I've had sciatic pain in left leg since.

Well ,until couple of weeks ago ,when playing dads v lads footie match on a campsite . I had what felt like a nasty groin strain and after it settled down the sciatic pain has subsided greatly!!

Double here with mesh, was back in the gym 7 days later, some advice, don't do that.

I was told not to do anything that engages the core, consultant said 6 weeks, if you bugger it up it'll be even more time off work.

Interesting reading, I have a small inguinal hernia at present, had it since march, it doesn't give me any issues but I'm keen to start adding in some squats etc with weights to help my running and biking. The hernia is holding me back from starting really, not sure whether to go get it sorted or not...

Nobeer you can get hernia belts, maybe worth a look. I'd go with getting it sorted though, it'll only get worse, what started for me as a major pain with minor swelling turned into a bigger tear every time I got a bad cough (started with a cough as well). I was told to wait until I had kids so was dragging that ****er about for a long time, wouldn't even hesitate to get one sorted now.

OP - six weeks was what I had for what turned out to be a major inguinal, and even at that I was stiff as a board and still a bit sensitive when I returned to work. I realise being self employed means you are losing out but going straight back to square one is even worse.

As for 2 days in the house and back on bikes in 2 weeks, that'll be why you were in pain for so long. Rushing isn't going to earn you any medals.

GP friend said she would not hesitate to sign off desk-work for two weeks for open repair.

(I had bi-open repair and it was very very sore after. Also caught a vomiting bug the next day - that made my eyes water)

I have some NHS guidance - drop me an email and I'll forward it on.

NoBeer - it's only going to get worse and an emergency repair is the inevitable consequence to ignoring it.

Bi lateral inguinal hernia repair with mesh here, keyhole. I was off work for six weeks. On the bike after that.

I had open surgery on mine. Up and about the next day. Hurt when I coughed or sneezed, which someone felt like every 20 minutes.

Awe shit, watching with interest 🤒😳

I'm not quite ignoring it Crispin, GP's advice is to keep an eye on it. Actually, two docs have told me that.

Hurt when I coughed or sneezed, which someone felt like every 20 minutes.

****ing speed bumps.

Two umbilical first one failed after two months, noticed a sharp pain from my scar after vacating a water slide, lump was back. First time it wasn't meshed. Second attempt took 8 weeks to recover as the incision went across 3/4 of my abdominal region. Kept in hospital for two days till the drain was removed.

Did some light cycling after 6 weeks back to work (hospital ward) after 8.

Not wanting to put off those thinking of having it done . 😉

But, my “junk” ,as I’ve heard them collectively called lately , were black!

The post operative check states “ testes in correct position” 😧.

Haha IIRC I had black scroteyness as well 😀

I had open surgery on inguinal hernia. Day surgery so had to walk to car a few  hours after surgery and was walking up and down the road the next day.

I had a two week sick note (desk job) - but took about a week off.

The surgeon stapled the incision so was limited to walking until the staples came out, couldn't even use a bike in the gym.  Once they came out after three weeks ( I think) I was able to run (slowly) and gym cardio. Built up from there. I was to full exercise within a few weeks. But it took months before I couldn't feel anything of the surgery I guess scar tissue breaking down.

Almost 4 years later and it's fine. Lots of bouldering which I think is as good as it gets for stress testing a hernia repair

I've had paraumbilical and inguinal repairs - both open, different times

Paraumbilical was the more painful after the op - coughing'n'shit or even getting out of bed was quite nasty for a week or two.  Amusing referred pain in my shoulders too.  Settled within about a fortnight and pretty much all sorted within a month.  Was back on the bike gently at 2 weeks and full on (for me) training by 5-6

Inguinal was something like painless after the event - and in fact they divided a nerve leaving a large numb area (maybe size of a playing card) below the incision.  It took what seemed like aaaaages to heal properly though; I think my work trousers were rubbing it even through the dressing.  Eventually they swabbed it, found what they imagined was an infection though I'm not so sure, and gave me a week of antibiotics.  Not sure that really sped anything up but did finally skin over about 8 weeks after the procedure.
Few weeks after the op I had a weird feeling where the numb patch was - a dull ache, bit like if I'd been kicked in the knackers the day before - there was some bruising after the op but that had (visually) resolved long before.  That lasted for a month or two.  It now doesn't "hurt" at all and I'm getting some sensation back in the relevant area (about 8 months after - surgeon said I'd be numb for good if they divided the nerve but clearly some returned (not "normal" but not totally gone))

Thanks for the replies,  I stopped using the pain killers and anti inflammatory  and feel a load better .

I took the dressings and steri strips off a few days ago , got some luvly yellow and purple bruising at the moment and the swelling is reducing . Back to light duties next week and see what happens .

Been reading this with interest having just been diagnosed with double inguinal hernias plus an umbilical one...

Been offered laproscopic surgery for the inguinal and they'll repair the umbilical one while they're in there - recovery times seem similar to open but the mesh is on the inside of the stomach wall (which seems to make sense to me - like fixing a tubeless tyre with a patch on the inside) - but with less of a wound to heal?

My incisions are tiny and already healed . What surprised me was they're above the bellybutton , I thought they'd go in lower near the actual hernia .

CheesybeanZ..........Firstly, just a reassurance. You'll be fine and back to everything you need for work and leisure. I had a double inguinal hernia op.....open surgery.....a few years back. The first couple of weeks the pain made my eyes water, 4-6 weeks I was able to do most activities (not heavy lifting) without any discomfort. I know you need the £ coming in, but just be careful and a wee bit more. Any twinges just back off.

Wwaswas.......sounds like your surgeon is switched on. I know they all should be. At the pre-op consultation, mine was explained in simple layperson terms,including fixing the mesh on the inside of the abdominal wall. Several years on now and not even the slightest twinge now. Doing everything I was before. All the best for your op.

I had a double  bi-lateral . Off work for 6 weeks , off the bike and no windsurfing for 3 months.

I think the surgeon hated me as  the nurses got the rota mucked up so I was  late , but I was sat  reading the Torygaph for over an hour before they called me in.

Mesh inserts, then an overnight with Morphine in my behind as I couldnt move , eat or wee afterwards

Home next day then 3 days in bed on Tramadol , before I realised they were making me worse.

Really bad constipation and had get suppositories to sort that , then sciatica down the back of one leg for a few weeks. Off work for 5 weeks before  attempting to go in and failed , lifting 53kg beer casks is what probably caused it , so had to leave  that alone for a while.

Blimey - hoping I get a better immediate outcome than you did!