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inguinal hernia and recovery
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Has anyone had experience with recovery after having inguinal hernia surgery? I have had discussions with the doctor about recovery schedule, but I wanted to hear form anyone that has actually gone through it.

I am following exactly what the surgeons have suggested for recovery, but it is taking a lot longer than expected. Up to the stage of being able to carry/lift 40lbs, but still not able to swim, bike or run. Because of the lack of movement I am obviously tighter and upper hamstring (very upper) is causing a lot of tightness and aching, not sure if that is the effect of the hernia or not exercising. Doctors say "people get all kinds of aches and pains in the mid section, some are routine, some not so routine". Was also told that the swelling could stay for up to 6 months or more. Stretching is hard because of residual pain still, but I am trying that as well.


Anyone gone through this that can provide some of their experience and strategy for a more efficient (hopefully fast) recovery?




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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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brian_j_smith wrote:
Has anyone had experience with recovery after having inguinal hernia surgery? I have had discussions with the doctor about recovery schedule, but I wanted to hear form anyone that has actually gone through it.

I am following exactly what the surgeons have suggested for recovery, but it is taking a lot longer than expected. Up to the stage of being able to carry/lift 40lbs, but still not able to swim, bike or run. Because of the lack of movement I am obviously tighter and upper hamstring (very upper) is causing a lot of tightness and aching, not sure if that is the effect of the hernia or not exercising. Doctors say "people get all kinds of aches and pains in the mid section, some are routine, some not so routine". Was also told that the swelling could stay for up to 6 months or more. Stretching is hard because of residual pain still, but I am trying that as well.


Anyone gone through this that can provide some of their experience and strategy for a more efficient (hopefully fast) recovery?




I had Laporoscopic Inguinal Hernia surgery in December (actually, 12/12/12). Boy, I wasn't prepared for that one. From everything I heard, I'd be 100% back to normal after a few months. Nope. Not so. Did you have it done laporoscopically?

I was extremely sore after the procedure. A week later, I was walking around a track. I had to be careful when crossing the street to not step off the curb awkwardly or risk pain. Two weeks later, I was doing run/walk combos. Walk for a few mins, run for a few. It was fine. I was running short distances after 3 weeks, then upped my training (for Boston) pretty quickly after that.

I didn't get into the pool until 6 weeks after the procedure. I was very cautious and kept it very, very easy. I think that actually helped with recovery. I can't say for sure, but reaching out (very gently) and not letting that area tighten up felt good at the time.

Every once in a while, I feel a tug, or pull in the abdominal section. I've consulted with my doc and he said that's normal, since it can take up to 6 months to completely heal.

In my opinion, you should try to stay active, but keep it very non-strenuous. I think it will help with recovery.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [d00d] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for your feedback!

Unfortunately I was one of the lucky ones that required the open surgery, I was unable to get the laporoscopic procedure. Not that I wish I had either procedure, but from what I have been told the laporoscopic would have been a much faster and easier road to recover.

I prob should have mentioned the type of surgery in the original post to make it clear...
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I had open (not lathroscopic) bilateral sports hernia surgery a couple yrs ago. Not sure how it compares with inguinal hernia surgery. I spent a lot of time on the elliptical machine until things closed up. Then hir the pool. and gradually worked on core exercises and runing. surgery in december. 1/2 marathon PR in March and marathon PR in June. Presurgery symptoms made running semi-painful at times. No sharp pains, just a fair amount of dull pain.

I think a lot of tightness will come from the healing process and scar tissue. After I was clearly recovered I used a trigger point ball on the groin area to work on scar tissue. Not an md, so take the info as such.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [fastwiley] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Fastwil...that is helpful info for sure. Different hernia but similar surgery.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I've had two open and one laproscopically done hernia procedures over the last 30 years. Seem to last about 10 years for me. Anyway, the laproscopically repaired one was a much faster recovery and less painful overall. I still took a while, maybe a couple months. Biggest thing is don't rush it. You'll know when it is ok to do something. Listen to your body, let it heal. In the big scheme of it all, it isn't that much time.
Wishing you the best!
Kurt
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [kjanracing] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Kurt, I appreciate your feedback...we all know how it is sitting here wasting time knowing how much you want to get out there, hell I just tuned up the bike tonight, and still can't ride it. Time will tell I guess..
Last edited by: brian_j_smith: Apr 24, 13 21:43
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I'm probably the outlier here, and not very sensible.

I had double laparoscopic inguinal repair last summer, few days before the Olympics started, not a bad fortnight to have off work ;-)

3 weeks later I raced in the UK National Club Relays and ran an 18 minute-ish 5k. First fews days after surgery I did nothing, about a week after I tried sitting my bike on the turbo and did a gentle spin. Light jog which developed into short zone 2 run after about 10 days, after around a fortnight I did a tempo-ish 10k and a sufferfest (HHNF if I remember..) threshold sesh on the turbo. Relays went ok, a bit weak on the bike and the swim was really poor because it was tough to stretch through the mid section, but I ran pretty close to PB pace.

Different strokes for different folks, it's obvious I'm not in the majority and as above, it was probably pushing it quite a bit. No long term damage, it seems. I had a follow-up MRI as it was still a bit lumpy a couple months after repair, but came back clear with no recurrence.

Rich.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [knighty76] [ In reply to ]
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Rich, I could only wish I was on that side of the bell curve that you were on! Thanks for your input.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Brian, I had an open elective surgery 3 years ago (right side inguinal hernia) and involved only putting a mesh around the opening and stitching the mesh to the flesh. Back then, I wasnt into swimbikerun yet but was playing basketball & windsurfing frequently.

The doctor's orders were no contact sports and no heavy lifting (+10kg) for 4 weeks. I played lightly from 5th to 8th week and was back to normal play starting week 8. However, when I was windsurfing (which involves heavy lifting the sail) 8 weeks after, I felt pain in the area for 2 weeks and was constantly dreaming of re-occurence, which scared me. I didn't windsurf until week16.

It was also the time I started running (5 weeks post op) and so far the doctor cleared the sport. The one thing that you dont want to do is stretching the torso area which is really painful. LOL (I did my usual hip extensor stretch and shouted at the track during the first few days of my running). I got my first bike about 8 months after which was no problem. I was back to lifting weights only after a year.

I hope you'll have a fast recovery and back in action soon. :-)
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [koykoy] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Koy. That sounds very similar to the level I am at now unfortunately, similar mesh insertion as well. Again I will follow the directions, and hearing helpful info from you guys here is always good. I know everyone heals differently, I just hope this is not a 6 month plus healing process. Appreciate your feedback!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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Inguinal 5 years ago, just mesh in place. doctor said I could run in 3 weeks, tried and failed...took 8 weeks. Probably would have been okay at 5-6, it was more a mental thing..I felt like my bladder was weakened, I guess it is a "rare" hernia for females. I had numbness and tugging for several years...mostly felt while biking.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [RunaroundS] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Runaround, the biking in my concern as well based on the positioning, so how s it now, did the numbness and pain go away since?
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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brian_j_smith wrote:
Thanks Runaround, the biking in my concern as well based on the positioning, so how s it now, did the numbness and pain go away since?

The "tugging" was never really painful, just concerning as I felt like I was ripping something. Numbness went on for several years, just an annoyance.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I had open surgery to repair a right inguinal hernia just under 4 weeks ago - so i'm still trying to figure out what exercises I can and can't do.
- walking : good.
- gentle cycling : that was a mistake! Caused the sensation of pressure I had before the surgery to return! I stopped this immediately and won't try again for a few more weeks. Luckily it seems to have subsided since then. Fingers crossed it hasn't caused any lasting damage.
- gentle swimming : this was great, will do more of this. I was able to push quite a bit harder than I had expected too.

re swimming: I read somewhere the water equalizes the internal abdominal pressure, making it less risky than other types of cardio exercise for hernia recovery. But, i'd advise you to do your own research here rather than taking my word for it.
Last edited by: renderdan: Dec 20, 13 7:37
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [renderdan] [ In reply to ]
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I had laproscopic inguinal hernia repair 4 weeks ago yesterday. I am 55. I am back to everything except heavy lifting. Was cycling after 2 weeks. Started swimming this week. Swimming tugs a bit on my stomach and feels a bit strange. Cycling is fine now but hurt a bit after two weeks. Standing and talking, which is what my job is about, was the most painful before and after the surgery. The more I talked the more painful it was, which is why I had to have the surgery.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I had this repair done approx 20 years ago. The procedure must be more advanced now?
I was operated on june 30 and was back racing beginning of Sept. I was told I could do some EASY jogging 4 weeks post.
To me...this was an extremely painful procedure(maybe I had a butcher?).....I truly hope the techniques have improved for you. I will never forget the 6 days post surg. I felt great day after in hospital with demerol......then released. Come home and feel great...then WHAM once demerol wore off....tylenol just didn't even put a dent in the pain.
I had swelling around the incision for approx 4-5 months. I didn't even try to stretch due to pain.
Good luck.....If you are smart and careful....you should be back racing soon
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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Hey there,

I thought I would Google "Inguinal Hernia Triathlete" and walahh

I have a 4mm Inguinal Hernia on my right side where I am booked in for Laparoscopic Surgery on the 12th of June. I pretty sure I got it from tinkering at home with the new camper trailer, but none the less, 8 days before my 40th and in I go for hopefully something simple that may never haunt me again???

I'm curious to see how you are going and your progress as I have already missed 4 weeks training due to the pain. It has taken them 3 months and another Ultrasound to work out the issue. With an Olympic race coming up in August i'm feeling very doomed and that maybe I should cut back to a sprint?? Most feeds here seem positive which is great, although, when people say listen to the body post surgery.....having a niggle, twitch, pain, pull or whatever, it will hopefully be easy for me to recognize it and slow up or stop.....

Lets hope most people including me can get back to full speed within 8 weeks at the latest?


Troy
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [pipermeridian] [ In reply to ]
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pipermeridian wrote:
Hey there,

I thought I would Google "Inguinal Hernia Triathlete" and walahh

I have a 4mm Inguinal Hernia on my right side where I am booked in for Laparoscopic Surgery on the 12th of June. I pretty sure I got it from tinkering at home with the new camper trailer, but none the less, 8 days before my 40th and in I go for hopefully something simple that may never haunt me again???

I'm curious to see how you are going and your progress as I have already missed 4 weeks training due to the pain. It has taken them 3 months and another Ultrasound to work out the issue. With an Olympic race coming up in August i'm feeling very doomed and that maybe I should cut back to a sprint?? Most feeds here seem positive which is great, although, when people say listen to the body post surgery.....having a niggle, twitch, pain, pull or whatever, it will hopefully be easy for me to recognize it and slow up or stop.....

Lets hope most people including me can get back to full speed within 8 weeks at the latest?


Troy

I would say 8 weeks is plenty of time. I was back in the pool and on the bike post 4 weeks. Trust me, the first couple of weeks you're not going to want to do anything but rest! I had two inguinal hernias on the left side laproscopic repair on Dec 4th last year and was back at training in January, 2014. They had to put in a 4x6" piece of mesh for my repair. For the first week it is difficult and somewhat painful to get around. The second week better, and so on. Your belly will be blown up like a fish, but no worries it will go away. TAKE it easy and listen to your surgeon!!
Good luck.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [IronHoosier] [ In reply to ]
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As I posted in my reply above, I had an inquinal hernia and had it repaired laporoscopically in December 2012.

One marathon (Boston 2013) and two Iron distance races later (B2B Oct 2013 and IMTX May 2014) and I'm headed to the doc today to get it checked out b/c I think the mesh has torn or failed in some way. I sure hope that's not the case! Doc told me it should last about 10 years for most people.

I went in one and a half years ago to have the procedure done. Have any of you experienced a failure in that short a time?
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I'm 39 and had laproscopic inguinal hernia repair (mesh, left side) in October 2013. I had just finished up Augusta 70.3 and wanted to get the surgery done as quick as possible after my 2013 A-race was over. I took 4 weeks COMPLETELY off except for some light walking. Did a couple of light spins on the bike trainer in weeks 4-6. Was pretty much back to full training after the 6th week. Was hitting bike records shortly thereafter.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [d00d] [ In reply to ]
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I've been having lower abdominal pain now for about a month. I've had blood tests, xrays, and a cat scan and everything has been negative so far. The doctor still says it could be a hernia because they get missed on cat scans, so I'm in a waiting game. Any of you had difficulty diagnosing your hernia?
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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Had laproscopic repair with mesh. At 1 week checkup, asked Doc what i could and couldn't do, etc. He told me do whatever I wanted as long as I could bear the pain, the mesh wasn't going anywhere. I did light lo impact for a week or so and then right back to my normal workouts. Was sore/tender for about 2 weeks, but nothing major.

Good luck with recovery.

SF
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [d00d] [ In reply to ]
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Hey- did you get an answer from your appt? I had inguinal hernia repair in October 2013, been marathon training for a couple of months and today I'm feeling irritation under the incision site....scared something may have happened. Hoping it's just tweaking of the scar tissue & googling reasons why I feel this discomfort is not helping!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [pipermeridian] [ In reply to ]
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No such thing as a 4mm inguinal hernia! Sure it is not 4 cm? Even then there is no mechanism to measure. I have NEVER utilized ultrasound to diagnose/treat inguinal hernias.

Average 100 inguinal hernia repairs/year over 23 years.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Your a doctor/hernia?? And you have never heard of ultrasounds being used to diagnose and measure hernias?? Remind me to never recommend you Doc. Would you like to see the ultrasounds so you can avoid any future embarrassment? I am happy to email them to you.

As for the surgery, had it 20hours ago and am now home resting up. Must say I didn't expect to have this much pain. I have been told I can hopefully go for a light jog at 10 days but will take the advice here and rest a bit more.....even though my Surgeon who has been doing this for 20 years (probably 100 every 6 months) thinks I won't have too many dramas if I am careful in this first 10 days.

If anyone in Qld wants a specialist in this area give me a yell.

And yes, doc, it was a typo and should be cm not mm....other than that, you clearly should not be practicing medicine if you don't know what ultrasounds are capable of, where they are better than MRI's and that how they measure things. Have you ever had a baby or know someone that has, just ask them about the early scans!!!

Anyway, sorry that I had to sound annoyed people at some idiots comments!!! If you have a hernia, day two hurts:) if you have a history of it in the family, I am the 6th one and did not know about that there was a good chance I would at some stage go through this. I am confident I will be back into action at 4 weeks, but will leave the pool till 6 as advised by surgeon.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [v0coder] [ In reply to ]
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I had a pulling sensation from my right testicle up into right side of stomach...ask for an ultrasound to be done. I had some sharp stabbing pains too. Change docs if your worried about a hernia and you have not had ultrasounds yet!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [pipermeridian] [ In reply to ]
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Thank goodness for the INTERNET and those less educated. Hopefully surgery will help your symptoms. 3 months to diagnose? Thats.....
Last edited by: rph60: Jun 13, 14 17:13
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Yes that's right, only an ultrasound ended up picking it up. And yes, it's fantastic to hear from fellow triathletes and how they managed the same issues and in particular recovery.

It's a great forum, not a competition:)
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [SethB] [ In reply to ]
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SethB wrote:
Had laproscopic repair with mesh. At 1 week checkup, asked Doc what i could and couldn't do, etc. He told me do whatever I wanted as long as I could bear the pain, the mesh wasn't going anywhere. I did light lo impact for a week or so and then right back to my normal workouts. Was sore/tender for about 2 weeks, but nothing major.

Good luck with recovery.

I had the same but bi-lateral, left side was bigger than the right side.
Day 8 i was cleared to do whatever I wanted as long as I could bear the pain. He said i couldn't tear or break anything.
At the same day i ran 5 miles. A few days after swimming caused more soreness and a weird feeling although i think it was mostly in my head.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Hayward] [ In reply to ]
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Hayward wrote:
Hey- did you get an answer from your appt? I had inguinal hernia repair in October 2013, been marathon training for a couple of months and today I'm feeling irritation under the incision site....scared something may have happened. Hoping it's just tweaking of the scar tissue & googling reasons why I feel this discomfort is not helping!

Once he checked, doc stated that everything seemed to be in place. He said that I might have just strained the area during training or pulled the mesh a bit, which could result in a little bleeding. Not a big deal.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I had bilateral inguinal hernia surgery in mid-may 2012. As luck would have it, my Surgeon's wife competes in half-iron and full-iron distance tris. He basically told me that I could do nothing more than slow walking for the first two weeks and then I could get back on the bike very slowly. He said to start out easy spinning for the first week back riding and then let pain be my guide. I had traditional repair surgery which consisted of two 3" long incisions. I was in lots of pain the first week! After two weeks of recovery, we drove to colorado for vacation and I took my bike along. The first week we were there I just rode easy for 15-20 miles per day and that was it. Towards the end of the second week I threw in some easy climbing and more moderate efforts on the flats. My first road race of that year was mid-July and it was definitely too much too soon. I got some major lower abdominal pain with 25 miles into the race. Two years later the incision scars are still numb and I get a little pain from time to time. Just be careful with some core exercises like wheel roll-outs etc. Good luck
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [redbudtri] [ In reply to ]
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I had inguinal hernia repair via laparascopy 12/2013. My hernia was rarely painful and I don't think it affected my sports. I was reluctant to lift weights though. I finished my first IM the month before.
Surgeon told me no sports for two weeks then I would be fine. I was able to walk after the surgery though it was painful for the first 2-3 days. I could walk on the treadmill and ride the trainer slowly at the end of the first week. I was fine by the end of the second week. I did have some testicle pain when I ran for about a month. I am guessing that it might have been a groin muscle issue. All good otherwise. Good luck!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [redbudtri] [ In reply to ]
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I knew there would be a ST thread about this. Diagnosed with a small right side inguinal hernia earlier this year. Doc said to not worry about it until it gets worse. Seemed okay up until a couple of weeks ago. Any pressure to the abdomen area results in discomfort and that awkward feeling that my guts are going to spill out of my body. It's not painful per se. Just uncomfortable.

Went back to the doc this past Friday. He said it has grown and if I were your average couch potato that he'd recommend holding off on the surgery until it became painful. Given my very active lifestyle and the fact it's "off-season" we thought I might as well just get it done now and not worry about the need for surgery popping up during the race season.

I should have the surgery consult this week. I'd like to have it done the Friday before Thanksgiving week so that I can take medical leave during Thanksgiving week.

Reading this thread does give me some pause. Recovery seems to be longer than everyone anticipated.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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GMAN19030 wrote:
Reading this thread does give me some pause. Recovery seems to be longer than everyone anticipated.

Not for me, but as per post #8 and as the OP observed, I'm probably at the outer edge of the bell curve. Swimming was the last thing to come back, but who wants to swim in the off season anyway?! ;-)

Good luck, you'll be back up and running in no time. Turn it into a positive and take the time to do some of the stuff that normally takes a back seat to triathlon.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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Going under the knife on November 19th. Having open and not laparoscopic.

Doc advised four weeks of recovery but advised me (active, athletic, workout obsessed) to not even think about swimming, cycling, or running until week six. Just to walk a lot to keep mobile and sort of active.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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I had the mesh inguinal hernia surgery in July and recovered fairly quickly. Hard to move around for the first three days, went back to a desk job 4 days later and was fine with just general walking around by that point. Hit the pool and ran easy 10 days later, and biked the following day. Swimming was the most uncomfortable for me from days 10-20. Four weeks after surgery I was back to normal training.

It's definitely a good idea to have the surgery, especially since it's off season. Good luck with yours and hope you have a quick recovery!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [knighty76] [ In reply to ]
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knighty76 wrote:
Turn it into a positive and take the time to do some of the stuff that normally takes a back seat to triathlon.

If we can't swim, cycle, or run, how are cleaning up the garage/workshop, mulching/replanting the flower beds, or painting the house, going to be viable alternatives? Smile

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last edited by: ms6073: Oct 29, 14 8:17
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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[quote GMAN19030

Reading this thread does give me some pause. Recovery seems to be longer than everyone anticipated.[/quote]


Had my open hernia repair with mesh on September 9. Two weeks of very easy stuff; light spinning on the trainer, easy swims (had the surgeon use glue on the incision so it was water tight) and walked 2-4 miles per day around the neighborhood with my wife starting on postop day 3. At the two week postop point I started training again. No really hard stuff but a lot of IM pace work. Now, seven weeks out, I am training almost as hard as I was before the surgery. Planning IMAZ in 2.5 weeks.

Still a little bit of soreness at the incision and where the mesh is sutured in. I am thin enough that I can feel the mesh and the surgical knots through my abdominal wall which is interesting. Swelling is 90-95% resolved but not quite 100% back to normal. I took vicodin for one day and then transitioned to motrin so I could go back to work.

This was a pretty small hernia and I had planned on getting it done after AZ but it was getting larger in size fairly quickly and it really got uncomfortable after a HIM in the beginning of September so I got it done even though the timing was bad.

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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rph60 wrote:
Thank goodness for the INTERNET and those less educated. Hopefully surgery will help your symptoms. 3 months to diagnose? Thats.....

Your restraint is commendable.

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [wannabefaster] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you!!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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Had surgery yesterday. Sore as hell today. Had open as opposed to laparoscopic. The doc told me the incision would be about 4" but it was still surprising to see that cut.

I need to poop right now and it's terrifying.

Also kind of bummed by the pain pills. Codeine??? I joked with the doc that I was hoping for some Oxy level shit. He said I'm better off with a less powerful drug so that I feel "something" so that I don't move around like an idiot.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [wannabefaster] [ In reply to ]
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I agree with wannabefaster's comment posted on Oct 29 regarding rph60's restrained reply.

Now my question: are any of you participating in, or reading this forum women? I am female, 62, marathon "runner", and just had my first inguinal surgery last week (direct heria, open surgery with mesh). Everything went ok. I'm walking about 1 mile a day. I'd like to walk (8 h) a marathon in two days, which would be 11 days post-op. I feel okay, but I don't want to tear any underlying sutures. (Skin was closed with steristrips, about to fall off.) Any comments or observations? Any of you women?
Last edited by: sespperson: Jan 8, 15 19:42
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [sespperson] [ In reply to ]
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I'm 7 weeks post-op. Went back to training last week, so about 5 1/2 weeks post-op. Everything feels fine. I'm out of shape since I haven't been able to workout since July but there are no ill effects from the surgery. My recovery was not as easy as some. I was completely worthless the first five days. There was no way I could walk a marathon less than two weeks post-op.

I could've started training earlier but what's the point with Christmas and all that. I figured I would just heal up and commence training after Christmas.

I also had a little setback about 2 1/2 weeks after surgery when I got a staff infection indirectly related to the surgery. That really sucked.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [sespperson] [ In reply to ]
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OK, had good repair. I'm very liberal with my patients return to activity. Walking 1 mile/day good. Walk marathon in 2 days-NOPE. What's the hurry. You won't tear any sutures but will probably set you back while!!!
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Last edited by: rph60: Jan 9, 15 17:41
Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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Glad you are doing ok. Staph is ok and usually superficial. Never not Staph..
You may get sore with amount of time you took off but hernia will not recur.
You will have some pulling/discomfort...
With your profile pic 4" big incision. But no big deal..

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, rph60. I decided not to walk the marathon. I'm walking 1 mi/day, though and will increase.
Thanks for taking time to read and reply.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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rph60 wrote:
Glad you are doing ok. Staph is ok and usually superficial. Never not Staph..
You may get sore with amount of time you took off but hernia will not recur.
You will have some pulling/discomfort...
With your profile pic 4" big incision. But no big deal..

Robert

The staph infection was a carbuncle on my keister. I couldn't sit for a few days and it hurt like a mofo.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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That's putting it mildly....

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like I will be the next ST guy getting surgery for inguinal hernia. Got back from a 12 mile run yesterday and noticed the bulge. I have my consult with the physician tomorrow. Ugh. So much for the 100 runs in a 100 days this year. I hope I am on the short end of the recovery period. Kind of reminds me of the scene in Johnny Dangerously with the PSA on "Your Testicles and You."...

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Snyderman] [ In reply to ]
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big long thread about it on cycling forums

http://www.cyclingforums.com/...rnia-recovery-advice
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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That's good info... If someone wants to talk to me can DM and will give cell #....

Always willing to help..

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Had an inguinal surgery done laproscopically (sp) on 1/8. I'm 3 weeks post-op tomorrow. Have to wait 4 weeks and can go back to full exercise per Dr's orders. R side only, but he also found a femoral hernia. Mesh inserted. quite stiff and sore for several days, but have been walking 2 miles every day since surgery including the day after. Had the hernia for about 10 months and raced Nationals, a 70.3, and 2 IM's with it:)

______________________________________________________
Sub-9 IM. Navy SeaBee deep sea diver. Can Do!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [irontri] [ In reply to ]
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I go back to the doctor for a 2 week check-up. I ended up having to go on back-to-back trips and lugged suitcases across North America for 7 days. I feel like I might have stressed it and delayed recovery. The recovery doesn't seem quite right. Might all be in my head, but the stiffness and swelling is more than I expected. I hope the doc says this is normal and just the result of not resting enough. I am climbing the walls and cannot wait to put this in my past.

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Snyderman] [ In reply to ]
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Well, the doctor agreed and now I have to wait until next week for a sonogram. My fear is that I have to go through a second hernia surgery.

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [irontri] [ In reply to ]
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I had bilateral inguinal hernia surgery (laparoscopic with mesh) in 2007, and even to this day I still get discomfort when I push too hard, particularly big gears or picking-up my young kids. I can actually see the lower abdomen area 'swell' out sometimes, against the mesh. The Op was what actually got me back into Tri nearly 8 years ago now, and iirc it was about 3 months from the Op to doing a few races. Bear in mind I hadn't swum or biked properly for 10 years, but running is the hardest to get back into in any case.

I had a Vasectomy just over 2 weeks ago, and there can be added discomfort or complications there too, if you've had hernia surgery. Let's just say my recovery was rushed, and I had to reign myself back in somewhat! I'm now finding the Cross-Trainer & Spin bike (lots of standing work) to be my ally here.

All I'll say, is recovery is generally longer than you expect - especially if you rush it! Oh, and if possible, have any of these Ops after the season has ended i.e. Sept or Oct ideally, the longest time to recover and no pressure to get fit.

29 years and counting
Last edited by: Jorgan: Jan 30, 15 2:43
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Jorgan] [ In reply to ]
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Just open hernia surgery and was just wondering how long it's going to take before all the abdominal bloating will go away? Does anyone have any experience with this? I had surgery two days ago and so far have avoide taking anything stronger than ibuprofen for pain and it hasn't been too bad. I've had a dull headache and a slight fever. The bloated belly and swollen testicles are the things that bother the most. Any feedback on these two specific side effects would be very much appreciated.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [90kestrel200] [ In reply to ]
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Open or laparoscope? Shouldn't have any "bloating" with open..unless constipated..

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [90kestrel200] [ In reply to ]
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90kestrel200 wrote:
Just open hernia surgery and was just wondering how long it's going to take before all the abdominal bloating will go away? Does anyone have any experience with this? I had surgery two days ago and so far have avoide taking anything stronger than ibuprofen for pain and it hasn't been too bad. I've had a dull headache and a slight fever. The bloated belly and swollen testicles are the things that bother the most. Any feedback on these two specific side effects would be very much appreciated.

The swollen sack is something everyone deals with. It will go down but it takes time. I'm 10 weeks post-op and my right nut area is still about 2x the size of the left but I don't really feel it. Fluid build up is all.

The bloated belly might be from constipation as rph60 alluded. I couldn't take a dump for the first 4-5 days. Miralax is your friend. And listen to rph60 as he's a doc that performs these surgeries.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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Must be constipation. Surgery was open. Haven.t had a bowel movement yet and going into my third day today.Just started taking over the counter "stool softener" for it yesterday. Walked 2 miles yesterday. But not eating that much.


Thx for the replies.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [90kestrel200] [ In reply to ]
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I would rest as much as possible and not push it. I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and didn't rest. I went to the surgeon on Thursday and something seemed wrong to me in my left scrotum area. The doctor agreed and I have a sonogram scheduled for Monday morning. I think either I re-injured the hernia or the doctor missed one. The anticipation on not knowing is killing me. Moral of the story - just because we are healthy doesn't mean we are invincible. Take the time to heal properly. I will let you know what I find out next week. Ugh!

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [90kestrel200] [ In reply to ]
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Stool softner good for regulation. To get going use milk of magnesium (MOM)..

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Snyderman] [ In reply to ]
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HIGHLY unlikely a problem with hernia repair. Sometimes the vascular supply to the testicle could be affected during repair but there are plenty of collaterals that will take over but could take months. As a result the testicle will swell. Another possibility is swelling/hematoma from the repair. GRAVITY causes a lot of the swelling to go downhill...

Robert
Last edited by: rph60: Jan 31, 15 17:51
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the reply (I think...). I will let you know what the sonogram reveals. Seems like an extra cord down there. Very troubling and painful. Way worse feeling than before the surgery.

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Snyderman] [ In reply to ]
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The active patients aren't very patient but in the long term the quicker you get back the better you heal. Been only 2 weeks...Again after you see your surgeon and if you want to call me DM..

Robert
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Snyderman] [ In reply to ]
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Doc released me to run two weeks post op after open surgery. Ran 3 miles about 40 sec - 1 min slower pace than pre surgery. Felt good after until later that day so one at work pushed his chair into me and struck me directly on the incision. Hurt the rest of the day. Right Testicle swelled up again. Went back down this morning. Going to run 3 miles today. Hopefully all will be good. Hang in there everyone.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [90kestrel200] [ In reply to ]
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Question to all: Did you guys notice pain or discomfort, which led you to get the surgery? Sports med doc just did my annual physical and said i had a "small" inguinal hernia, but I haven't noticed any pain or discomfort at all. He said keep on going then until it starts to hurt. Won't ever get better on it's own, but it may not get worse. I've had some tightness from time to time in my right lower back, right side in general, but always attributed it to muscle imbalances from previous ACL surgery on R knee. Will I "know" if I make the hernia worse? Anyone else had a similar experience? Kind of makes it hard to go all out when, in the back of my head, I'm worried that I'll make things worse.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [ajminn] [ In reply to ]
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My experience will likely not be helpful, but I went out on a run and noticed my left testical area was severely swollen. Turns out the swelling was my intestine popping out. Ugh. So, yes it was noticeable. What I don't know is when i experienced the inguinal hernia, how long it was there or what caused it. Others I have heard go a long time with a hernia without getting it repaired. Hopefully someone else can give you better info.

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Does anyone have any opinions on having a hernia repair with the Shouldice method versus mesh.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Pett'rifier] [ In reply to ]
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I would also be interested to here comments since a Google search returns results with high praise, some referring to this procedure as the gold standard of hernia surgery.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last edited by: ms6073: Feb 19, 15 20:03
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [ajminn] [ In reply to ]
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Mine was found totally by accident. I was seeing a consultant for a suspected Sportsmans' Hernia and he found an inguinal one instead. Totally unrelated, nothing to do with the problems I was having that led me there (other side, different area). And then after seeing the surgeon for the inguinal pre-op, we found there was one on the other side and it became bilateral repair.

I was asymptomatic other than the lump he found, and whilst it did warrant surgery due to the size and proximity to "the lads", I agreed to put the procedure off until after my 'A' race that year (IM Austria). Didn't bother me at all.
Last edited by: knighty76: Feb 20, 15 3:06
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [Pett'rifier] [ In reply to ]
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I learned the Shouldice repair in training in the 80's. Your own body's tissues are used for the repair. So there is a lot of tension after surgery. Walk bent over for a while.
Learned Mesh repair in 1990 and never went back. No tension with this repair and much quicker recovery...
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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I have been having abdominal pain for 6+ weeks, saw the doc as there was no obvious lump and I was able train and race with relatively low or no pain, but god help me when I sneeze. My primary care had an ultrasound done which showed a 1.6cm hernia high in the inguinal canal. Went to see a surgeon, he couldn't feel anything either and ordered a CT scan, sure enough it confirmed the hernia high in the inguinal canal. After much discussion I'm holding off on surgery until after Boulder 70.3. Discussing thing with the surgeon, primary care, and PT doc I was seeing for an unrelated injury they're all in agreement that if I haven't made things worse with my current training/racing load I should be safe until after Boulder, my limiter being pain tolerance.

Getting old sucks.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [mck414] [ In reply to ]
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24 hours post surgery. The surgeon ended up not going with laproscopy and I'm the proud owner of what looks like a 4 inch incision site. Felt pretty good this morning and thought i could man up the day without any vicodin. Nope, made it about 8 hours before the pain got to be too much. Hopefully day two will be easier.

The surgeon said no workouts for 2 weeks then i can start swimming again but not sure about running and cycling.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [mck414] [ In reply to ]
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I had surgery for right inguinal hernia, sports hernia, and lipoma removed at the end of July 2015...5 months ago. Dr. Nannery in Canton/Norwood, MA. Recovery went ok, competed in a sprint tri about 7 weeks later but still felt like I was pushing it. Couldn't run at all until maybe week 5.

Generally I'm 25mpw with one 25mi bike ride and a swim session every other week. Enough to run 5k's and do sprints and occasional Olympic.

During recovery I had some setbacks - about 10 weeks in I had to revisit the doc because I overdid it one weekend. He told me to back off but the repair was still solid. Then two weeks ago out of nowhere - well I say out of nowhere because I was feeling good and ran a few consecutive days of 4mi trail runs, not anything crazy to me - I felt extreme tightness on both sides, up by the inside hip flexors. I ran 3mi one morning and by lunch my groin on the opposite side (left) was killing me. 6/10 on the pain scale, hurt to walk.

I thought it was just tight hip flexors, I took a day off, got a little better, but doing hip flexor lunge-stretches seems to make things worse, not stretch them to make them better. I can really feel something bad in that left hip flexor area when I do a trunk turn towards my right side.

When I had the left side hernia, I felt a true "pop" one morning putting on my socks and my right nut ached for days. This time around, my balls don't ache, I have no pain when coughing, but it feels like I've got a strain or tear in the left ab/groin/hip-flexor. While running I'm ok - I feel a twinge or two down there, but no sustained pain - I can generally continue to run and it goes away.

Anyone else feel super tight on the opposite side of their repair?
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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Hi all,
I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia 4 weeks ago due to which I’m not able to eat or drink anything. The terrible feeling of heartburn and throat heaviness had made me so embarrassed and uncomfortable. My doctor in Shouldice hospital advised me to reduce my weight by following proper diet and exercise. He also advised me to avoid alcohol, chocolates and products which contain caffeine. I’m trying my best to follow up the hernia diet, but am fed up with this vomiting and chest pain, none of the heartburn drugs worked for me. I heard that a hiatal hernia does not need any specific treatment but I wonder how could I manage this disease. Is surgery a wise option? Has anyone had an experience with hiatal hernia surgery? If so, Kindly share your experience. Thank you.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [brian_j_smith] [ In reply to ]
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I am an active 57 yr. old male and I just had an 'open' navel hernia repair surgery with mesh and thought I would share my training recovery. My surgery was unremarkable. The procedure took about 30 min. and I was released from the hospital within 2 hours of surgery. I rested the day of the surgery with minimal pain or discomfort. Mostly it was an excuse to binge watch bad TV and eat ice cream.

Day 1 walked 2 miles; Day 2 walked 2 miles (little minor pain); Days 3-6 I walked 4-4.5 miles each day at ~4 min per mile (1 hr/day as fast as I could walk). Very minor soreness after some walks. I used ice packs on and off while awake the first 4 days along with advil, tylenol and Vicadin at night. I never had any trouble walking, getting in or out of bed or getting dressed.

Day 6 and day 7 I started on the stationary bike; day 8-10 I was back on the road and had logged 67 miles by the 10th day post op. Stationary was good because I could stop any time (didnt need to) and it required minimal core. 1st day back on the road (day 10 post-op) I was careful and did feel a little tightness in my stomach so I took it very easy and just did 5 miles). One more indoor spin and I was good to go on the road - no more odd feeling in my stomach.

I logged 101 miles Days 13-19 post op; and another 101 miles 20-26. Id say from a cycling standpoint I was back to normal in 3 weeks post op. From the day of the operation through the first 30 days I only took 4 days off training. In the very beginning my Watts were low as I was taking it easy - Id say 110-125 avg Watts the first 10 days post op. After that I was back up to 140-160 avg Watts per 60-90 min workout. Day 25 I did a 42 mile ride and noticed my stomach muscles were a little weak and upper abdominals were a little sore after.

Overall the surgery was an order of magnitude less disruptive than a normal injury cycle of say a back or knee injury except that it being a core injury it was harder to get above 75% max HR for the first 10 days. I experienced no pain, bleeding or swelling from the site of the surgery as a result of any of my exercise and I believe it helped recovery. My doctor was surprised at how quickly I returned to activity but I made sure to clear each activity and the agreed schedule of activity Before surgery. At my 1 week post-op check up I again got clearance from my Dr. for all of this. I was prepared to stop any activity upon feeling any pain or weird feeling at the site of my incision (I never did).

I am now one month post-op and have not yet returned to sit-ups or lifting mostly because I dont like sit-ups or lifting :P so its an excuse at this point. Prior to surgery I imagined I would be lying in bed for weeks on end without any exercise. In my case I was active every single day post-op save for one rest day each week. I hope this helps anyone worrying about upcoming surgery - for me it was just not a very big deal. I average about 3,000 miles cycling per year and I swim, run and lift between riding. I average 6-7 hours per week of exercise (at 80%+ max HR) year round because it keeps me sane (mostly). For some this will seem a lot for Triathletes this will seem light duty. I made sure to workout a lot in the months before surgery and I think that helped.
Last edited by: donow: May 16, 18 17:36
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [The GMAN] [ In reply to ]
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The GMAN wrote:
I'm 7 weeks post-op. Went back to training last week, so about 5 1/2 weeks post-op. Everything feels fine. I'm out of shape since I haven't been able to workout since July but there are no ill effects from the surgery. My recovery was not as easy as some. I was completely worthless the first five days. There was no way I could walk a marathon less than two weeks post-op.

I could've started training earlier but what's the point with Christmas and all that. I figured I would just heal up and commence training after Christmas.

I also had a little setback about 2 1/2 weeks after surgery when I got a staff infection indirectly related to the surgery. That really sucked.

Bob - you are years after-the-fact now. How is it? I started noticing an occasional lump back in Apr and my GP said probable right inquinal hernia. I'm seeing a surgeon next week for confirmation. I get sporadic discomfort on the bike but not if I wear a hernia belt. No pain running or swimming. At IM Norway I put the belt on over my kit in T1 and had no issue. If I need surgery, I'm hoping to postpone until November.
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [HuffNPuff] [ In reply to ]
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Paul, no issues with the hernia. It's been all good nearly four year later.

The swollen sack thing did turn into an issue for me. It never went away on its own. I had to have another surgery to fix that. Google hydrocelectomy if you want to know more. So that sucked. I had that done about 16 months after the hernia surgery.

If you do need surgery, see if you have the option to have it done laparoscopically. The recovery is not as bad but my understanding is that it has a higher recurrence rate than open surgery.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [The GMAN] [ In reply to ]
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I saw the surgeon today and he's saying pretty much the same as my doctor...e.g, I'm describing a hernia but he can't see it or feel it, and thus says no surgery indicated. So, it's another 2 month punt for another follow-up. I have IM Ireland and Kona (legacy) next year so hope to have this resolved by spring 2019 before I start an IM block.

Re hydrocelectomy - yeah, I hope I don't get that!
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [HuffNPuff] [ In reply to ]
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Mine started out like that too. I went once and pretty much described a hernia but the doc wasn't able to find it. Went back maybe a year later and he was able to find it but it was small. He told me to comeback in a couple of years when it worsens. I think I was back in less than a year.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [donow] [ In reply to ]
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This thread is a great resource. I will add my own experience and edit as needed until I am back to normal training.

I am 61 and developed a right inguinal hernia around April 2018. It slowly progressed over the year but my GP and surgeon both cleared me to continue racing. I did an Ironman on 1 Jul and a 70.3 on 2 Sep. In Oct my surgeon cleared me for IM Florida but we scheduled the surgery for a few days later on 8 Nov. In IM Florida (Haines City) I felt it on the downhill portions of the run and was holding my side in for the last 7 miles. It was definitely time for the surgery.

8 Nov: I went in for laparoscopic repair at 9am and the doc told me he would look at the left side and do it too if necessary. I had an open repair of a left inguinal hernia in 1967, but apparently it was still in good shape. However, I was not allowed to leave the hospital until after 4:30 pm when I was able to finally start peeing. I did not have any post surgery nausea. I walked a slow half mile the next day and one mile today. I am not going to push this as I don't want any setbacks at my age. I did not have any problems or pain taking a dump, nor did I experience any swelling or discoloration of the boys. Cue the hallelujah chorus! I am icing my gut which looks like a small pot belly from the gas they pump into you. My ankles are a little swollen so I am elevating them when sitting down.

18 Nov (10 days post op): I feel 95% recovered although I don't think I would want to try sit-ups at the moment. Bandages are off, but I still have the steri-strips over the incisions and am supposed to leave them on until they fall off. The stomach bloating is almost entirely gone. I'm getting in and out of bed without limitations and can roll over on either side with no pain. I'm walking a brisk 3 miles per day. I feel that I could start back running but I won't see my surgeon for another 8 days and want his clearance. I have a full plate for 2019 and can't afford a set back from being too aggressive.

26 Nov (18 days post op): I walked 24 miles last week and had my first post-op appt with the surgeon today He told me my hernia was the "real deal" and I had a "bleeder" at my upper incision which is the only location with minor residual soreness. I feel ready to go, but he told me to walk one more week, then I can start back slowly but with no intensity until I am 6 weeks post-op. I don't need to meet with the surgeon again but he gave me his card...presumably in case I screw things up by coming back too fast. As much as it pains me, I will continue the walking for one last week.

27 Dec (7 wks post op): Final Post - I am off all exercise restrictions. The past three weeks I ran 10-15-20 miles. Biking is up to 115 mpw. I only started swimming last week and will do just 5000 yards this week. I did one bike workout this week with 6 x 15 secs all out and felt nothing other than being out of shape.

Looking at my USAT scores for 2018, I peaked early in the year and slowly slid backwards throughout the year as the hernia progressively worsened. But getting the surgery done in the off-season at least allowed me to complete all of my planned races for the past year. And listening to the doc and not trying to come back too fast was a good decision. Now I'm looking forward to 2019 without any limitations. If anyone has a hernia and is reading this thread, then I hope I've provided some reason to be optimistic. Good luck!
Last edited by: HuffNPuff: Dec 27, 18 7:52
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Re: inguinal hernia and recovery [rph60] [ In reply to ]
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Doc

I’m in Atlanta and would love to talk to you before I consider going under the knife... you can email at ashman2002@yahoo where you can leave me a number I can call u at... I wanna train but not be stupid
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