# Recovery from hernia operation



## shimanoman (Sep 3, 2007)

I am shortly going for a hernia operation. Since I do a short commute to work everyday
(approx 6Mi/9kmx2), and go to the gym 3-5 times a week, I think I have a probable chance of recovering a little quicker than the average person. Does anyone know approx. how long until I can hit the trainer in my basement. I will be off of work 3-4 weeks, but hopefully it wont be that long that I am off the bike!!
Thanks
Shimanoman


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

what type of hernia and what method of repair?


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## shimanoman (Sep 3, 2007)

Its the normal everday hernia in the groin region.Its day sugery, in and out in 5-6 hours including pre-op. Doctor said he has to make a small incision, cut away the affected herniated area, stitch it up, apply the mesh and viola. Actual op. is less than 1 hour!!
Thanks for the help!!
Shimanoman


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## MOMBIOUSHIBACHI (Dec 1, 2004)

I just had the same procedure and I was off the bike for three weeks. My first ride on my road bike was Jan. 9th, the day my Dr. said I was OK to ride. He initially said two weeks but after the surgery he bumped it to three. My recovery has gone well and I have been keeping track of my trail miles since getting back into it, 171 mi. so far. This is the first time I have paid any attention to my total mileage. I think 171 miles is pretty good for less than a month!


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

shimanoman said:


> Its the normal everday hernia in the groin region.Its day sugery, in and out in 5-6 hours including pre-op. Doctor said he has to make a small incision, cut away the affected herniated area, stitch it up, apply the mesh and viola. Actual op. is less than 1 hour!!
> Thanks for the help!!
> Shimanoman


cut away the affected herniated area????

GET ANOTHER DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!

an inguinal hernia is simply a weakness or tear in the muscle wall of the lower abdomen/groin. NOTHING needs to be cut away! NOTHING!

find a surgeon that will use a tension free method rather than re-sewing the muscle together. this creates un-naturally high tension on the abdominal wall and can lead to greater resultant tears, especially in those who are very active. this is minimized by combining the mesh with the high-tension repair, but the mesh alone (tension free method) is all that is needed for almost all inguinal and umbilical hernias.

using the tension free method the defect is repaired immediately and most people can resume their normal activities within a few days.


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## sru (Sep 26, 2005)

*What Monogod said!!!!!*

My brother had the same procedure your talking about. It ripped about 10 months after the surgery, got infected, it was nasty.

I don't know were you live, but this place is the cats arse for hernia repairs.

http://www.shouldice.com

There were guys from Canada, United States and Europe getting repaired the week I was there. Everyone from pro athletes to an ahmish farmer from Pennsylvania. I had mine done there and has been completely trouble free for 10 years. I play hockey 2-3 times a week and ride once a week. My brother did not get his repaired at Shouldice.

Be careful.


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## jyeager (Nov 30, 2006)

Each surgery will likely be different in this regard, but I had mine repaired on a Thursday and was in the gym for an upper body workout the following Monday. Then that Tuesday I did light squats (relaxed abdomen!). I wasn't doing any cardio at the time except swimming....he made me take 2 weeks off from swimming for fear of infection. If I'd been riding I would have been on a trainer the next day pedaling gently. if I'd been running I'd have been running easy by that Monday. 
You can return to training almost immediately as long as you are doing so in a way that doesn't stress the abdominal muscles. Mine was in the belly-button which would be better than the groin though.


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## jayjudy13 (May 8, 2004)

I had a rather large inguinal hernia repaired with the mesh patch about 5 years ago. The recovery for me was about a month before I felt up to hard riding again. The downside to my surgery was the pain immediately following, for a few days it really sucked but my incision was pretty big (9 staples big) I still have some sensitivity in the area now... I've crashed a couple times and jammed my stem in the groin and Damn that hurt. Anyone who says they were exercizing the week after surgery especially abs, is one tough SOB... I sure wasn't.


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## Surfinguru (Feb 6, 2004)

I had the umbilical hernia surgery done a few years ago. Took about two weeks to get back at it. Again, everyone is different and has different pain thresholds. Good luck!


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## Hirvi (Oct 8, 2007)

I went through an operation to fix inguinal hernia in october. There was a rupture about 3 inches long and they had to cut me open about 5 inches. It took two weeks pretty much resting and a month to be pretty much healed perfectly.
It's much of a personal thing, but i'd say the first week or two are pretty uncomfortable and then it gets better fast and you get to the gym again. Good with your operation!


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

Hirvi said:


> I went through an operation to fix inguinal hernia in october. There was a rupture about 3 inches long and they had to cut me open about 5 inches. It took two weeks pretty much resting and a month to be pretty much healed perfectly.
> It's much of a personal thing, but i'd say the first week or two are pretty uncomfortable and then it gets better fast and you get to the gym again. Good with your operation!


sounds like they did a tension repair rather than a patch.

with a patch people are generally up and around and back to their normal activities (excluding lifting weights) with a few days to a week.


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## Hirvi (Oct 8, 2007)

monogod said:


> sounds like they did a tension repair rather than a patch.
> 
> with a patch people are generally up and around and back to their normal activities (excluding lifting weights) with a few days to a week.


No, i had a mesh patch sewn in there, but it was a quite large incision they had to make to repair all the stuff. Off work for 4 weeks and back in action in two. Walked home from the hospital (i live near) few hours after the op.

The first week was a lot of pain, but I was back on my bike dirt jumping in three weeks.


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

Hirvi said:


> No, i had a mesh patch sewn in there, but it was a quite large incision they had to make to repair all the stuff. Off work for 4 weeks and back in action in two. Walked home from the hospital (i live near) few hours after the op.
> 
> The first week was a lot of pain, but I was back on my bike dirt jumping in three weeks.


certainly not arguing with you, just clarifying my thoughts here...

it sounded like a tension repair from the size of your incision. if they used a mesh patch then it sounds like you may have had a hybrid repair. generally a mesh repair will only require an incision of 1" or less and there is very little post op pain involved so its curious that such a large incision would be used for a mesh only repair.

tension repairs (muscle sewn back together), on the other hand, require larger incisions (3"-8") and result in more post op pain. good thing they did a patch if they did do some tension repair, because a tension repair alone will usually re-tear 90% of the time. its almost a guarantee for athletes. with a mesh reinforcement the recurrence of tear is drastically reduced.

glad to hear that it was a success and that youre up and going again!


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## storf (Oct 13, 2005)

*Shouldice*

I noticed that you are located in Ontario shimanoman, and if thats the case I would strongly recommend that you have your operation done at the Shouldice hospital in North York. http://www.shouldice.com/. They perform only hernia reparis there and it is like a mini vacation. You spend a total of 3 days, and it is a truly enjoyable experince considering that youre there for surgery. The hospital itslef is more like an old estate manor than a hospital. I had both an inguinal hernia repaired there when I was 21, and an epigastric hernia when I was 19. Both times I was there I met patients who had flown in from around the world after having the hospital recommended by doctors.

Both times I was there I was realeased on Wednesday. At the time of the first surgery I was working as a cook and I needed to take the remainder of that week and the following week off. The fact that the surgery was above my belly button made it hard to stand upright. After the second one however, which was in the groin, I had an office job where I was seated all the time, and I returned to work the following week with little discomfort. I was back riding after 2 weeks but it is definitely uncomfortable.

Anyways, don't know if you have looked into Shouldice or not, but thought I'd let you know about it.


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