I just had my second inguinal hernia repair day before yesterday. I'm
a 47 yo male and with the exception of the hernia and about 20 lbs of
excess baggage (fat) am in very good health - ie: no other health
problems or defiencies.  The first operation was about 5 years ago and
was on the right side.

Chopping firewood and the heavy lifting apparently brought on the
second hernia which was on my left side.For both operations they cut
an incision and put synthetic mesh in to block the intestine and
prevent it from pushing into the groin area.

For both operations the doctors didn't have much of anything to say in
regards to the recovery period except -"take it easy; don't exercise
for a few weeks, and be sure not to lift anything that weighs more
than 10 LBS.: for several weeks.

Recovering from the first surgery was my first intensive introduction
to PAIN and I now know, that it did not have to be that way!   I was
in bed for several days and everytime I had to get up out of bed to go
to the bathroom, i experienced excruciating pain - it felt like acid
was being poured on my groin area.

Taking a leak wasn't a problem, it was getting my carcass out of bed
that hurt so much. There was no pain while lying in bed. I'm usually
fairly active physically, so for me this was hell. I falsly assumed
that  I was supposed to spend the first few days after the operation
lying in bed - "taking it easy" -  

Don't make that mistake. STAY OUT OF BED - except during your normal
sleeping hours... that is  unless your doctor specifically tells you
otherwise and move around - don't sit still for more than an hour or
two at a time.

THE BEST ADVICE

The recovery room nurse for the second operation told me that the best
way to minimize pain and to speed up the recovery would be to STAY UP,
TO MOVE AROUND FREQUENTLY and TO STAY OUT OF BED as much as possible  

He said to eat regular meals, to  take walks, to sit up, to move
around frequently, and to stay out of bed except for the normal 6-8
hours of sleep time at night.  He also said to take the meds as needed
- typically for the first 2 to 4 days. After that you should find that
the need for them starts to taper off.  Of course people recovering
from these surgeries are not supposed to do any heavy lifting or
running for a few weeks.

After a night's sleep - the meds have worn off and without them - for
at least the first couple of nights, getting out of bed would involve
a lot of pain.  So I've been taking a couple of the painkillers
prescribed to me,  in bed about 20 mins before I get out of bed.

The recovery room  nurse also told me to put my hand over the incision
and gently/firmly press there before coughing, and to hold my hand
there when walking if desired to provide additional support.  I'm
doing that some of the time and it does seem to be helping.

He also said taking deep breaths every now and then, would help
accelerate the healing - by increasing the oxygen intake.

Also,  you'll probably be walking slowly and like an  old man (or
woman) for a few days,  but don't worry, that too will pass. You
should get a little bit better every day.

================

My surgery was at 9 am Wed morning and I was home at 4 pm the same
day.  I walked around a bit outside and inside and then took a nap for
about an hour, got up and ate a light dinner, and  walked around for
about half an hour.  I was up moving around the house - reading,
computer, and tv that night til about 11 pm.  Yesterday I did light
chores around the house, and spent some time reading and writing.

I've been following the recovery room nurse's advice  carrying on at
home as I normally do on days off, except there's been no lifting of
anything over 10 lbs.  The operation was abou 48 hours ago -and I feel
great. I will be back at work on Monday.  The difference between the
present recovery and the one about 5 years ago is like the difference
between night and day.

My search on the web for information on hernia recovery advice was
very disappointing - so I'm posting this in hopes that it will help
some folks to have a speedy recovery with minimal pain.

I'd enjoy reading comments  from others who have had inguinal hernia
operations and   think that others who will be getting an IH operation
would too.

Disclaimer: Since  I'm NOT a medical professional - I think it's best
if I encourage you to check with your physician to get his/her
professioanl opinion before following any of the suggestions in this
message. What you do or don't do doing the recovery period is very
important - so for your own good, please  make sure that you give it
the consideration that it deserves.

All the best,

BRW

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sources for national and international news without a bunch of
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