Anyone had a inguinal hernia? Advice appreciated

[BeaverHunter]

I had 2 done last year via robot, went pretty well. Had another done 12 years ago, that one was laproscopic that went went poorly and I was back in the ER next day cause the doc nicked a blood vessel and I filled up with blood....sucked big time.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Why did you have to get them done 12 years later? Different areas?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I gotcha. Going under and never coming back is mine so i get what you're saying. I'm also the type of guy that finds it interesting to watch myself get stitches.
I also read that about the laproscopic being more likely to tear again. Thanks for the heads up.

I agree, going under and not coming back is pretty scary and it happens occasionally. YOud never even know, you just wouldnt wake up. Sort of like a lethal injection.

 

[rino]

had an umbilical (belly button) hernia surgery...different region, i'm guessing similar recovery time. I was back and forth on the mesh or no mesh issue. No "problems" but I think I can feel slight tugging sometimes. doc said he could do it either way. I mentioned I work construction, am pretty active and I was leaning towards the mesh. But...do your own research as there have been problems tied to the mesh before.

 

[BeaverHunter]

had an umbilical (belly button) hernia surgery...different region, i'm guessing similar recovery time. I was back and forth on the mesh or no mesh issue. No "problems" but I think I can feel slight tugging sometimes. doc said he could do it either way. I mentioned I work construction, am pretty active and I was leaning towards the mesh. But...do your own research as there have been problems tied to the mesh before.

Yea. Sounds like some pros and cons to both. Such is life I gues.

 

[handwerk]

yep beaver hunter, different area(s)/injuries. Even thought the last two went smoothly, you're never the same after being opened up and foreign materials put in....hell getting older I guess.

 

[260madman]

I had two repaired at the same time laparoscopic 13 years ago. I was out for two weeks and back at it no restrictions. I won’t say it was all roses though. I ended up with some nerve damage and felt like I still had a hernia. That wasn’t the case but it was weird feeling. It lasted about a year. Occasionally I get that old familiar feeling but that’s been a few years now. I had mine done in time for my turkey season, doc was more than happy to help me out in that aspect.

The best advice I can give is don’t skip the pain meds for the first 5 days. Abdominal surgery is no joke and the meds help keep you limber. You don’t want to be in bed and have to pee but can’t get up because you felt pretty good on day 2 and skipped the meds. I did this. You don’t want to do this. My wife barely got me rolled out to where I could sit up. Set an alarm and take them on time. I couldn’t wait to get off of them but they certainly helped. I’ll never make a good drug addict.

 

[TripleJ]

I must be a big wuss. I had it done in July of 2017. Mine had grown pretty big by the time I had it done. I had the conventional surgery. Keep in mind, by no means am I trying to scare you. I went into it not expecting much as far as pain or down time. I was completely wrong. They day after the surgery was the one and only time in my life I passed out from pain. I was trying to use the bathroom of all things, and ended up in a heap on the bathroom floor. I took a week off work, and struggled with work when I came back for a couple weeks. I drew a once in a lifetime archery elk tag unfortunately that year. I wasn't allowed to draw my bow until 45 days after the surgery, which was a week before opening day. I couldn't hardly hike on anything but flat open ground for the 1st week of the season. Needless to say I didn't kill a bull on my tag. I was finally able to return to the gym about the middle of October. Prior to my surgery, I worked out 4-5 days a week. It took more than a year before I could do certain gym movements without having hip flexor/groin pain and soreness on the surgery side. The good news is I'm back to normal and without pain now. The pain before the surgery was getting pretty bad, so all in all, it was definitely a win. It was just a long long recovery, for me.

 

[BeaverHunter]

I must be a big wuss. I had it done in July of 2017. Mine had grown pretty big by the time I had it done. I had the conventional surgery. Keep in mind, by no means am I trying to scare you. I went into it not expecting much as far as pain or down time. I was completely wrong. They day after the surgery was the one and only time in my life I passed out from pain. I was trying to use the bathroom of all things, and ended up in a heap on the bathroom floor. I took a week off work, and struggled with work when I came back for a couple weeks. I drew a once in a lifetime archery elk tag unfortunately that year. I wasn't allowed to draw my bow until 45 days after the surgery, which was a week before opening day. I couldn't hardly hike on anything but flat open ground for the 1st week of the season. Needless to say I didn't kill a bull on my tag. I was finally able to return to the gym about the middle of October. Prior to my surgery, I worked out 4-5 days a week. It took more than a year before I could do certain gym movements without having hip flexor/groin pain and soreness on the surgery side. The good news is I'm back to normal and without pain now. The pain before the surgery was getting pretty bad, so all in all, it was definitely a win. It was just a long long recovery, for me.

Sorry to hear that. I hope mine goes smoother than that. My hernia is really small at the moment and not really painful at all. More like a different feeling. But not painful. Yet

 

[Ta406]

I had the robotic surgery for an umbilical hernia. The recovery was miserable. At the time, I would have swore they left a few tools inside of me. Its been about a year and its all good now. Just a piece of advice, start talking milk of magnesia the day after your procedure. Pain killers tend to constipate people and believe me, its a bitch just to sit down on the toilet so the last thing you want to do is to try to push out a brick.

 

[Mike 338]

My advice is to follow your doctor's advice. My experience is just that, one single experience. As I recall, what the doc told me was pretty much how it was. Then again, that makes sense as he's seen hundreds.

 

[ndbuck09]

Had Laproscopic in early December 2012, after hunting seasons. I was riding up Mt Lemmon in Tucson on January 2nd, less than a month later. Taking that first piss is painful, as is your sitters....that and you initially feel like you'll never be able to use your abs again. But rest, and healing get er done.

 

[Agross]

I had the robotic surgery for an umbilical hernia. The recovery was miserable. At the time, I would have swore they left a few tools inside of me. Its been about a year and its all good now. Just a piece of advice, start talking milk of magnesia the day after your procedure. Pain killers tend to constipate people and believe me, its a bitch just to sit down on the toilet so the last thing you want to do is to try to push out a brick.

This! I had the same thing done. Holy shit I couldn't believe how sore I was . Then I was feeling a little better about a week after surgery and went to push the trash down in the granger can. STUPID on my part. Put me back a few days. I had it done two months ago and am back to normal pretty much but can still feel it when I move a certain way. He sewed mine shut and did the mesh because of my line of work(concrete flatwork) .
I also had the inguinal done about ten years ago. That was open surgery and I had about a three inch cut to repair it and put mesh in. You don't realize how many movements you use your groin for. You will after the surgery. Sitting up, getting out of bed and going to the bathroom suck. I take meds as little as possible but used them after these surgeries. Drink a lot of water, the last thing you are gonna want to do push when you go to the thrown .
Listen to yer doc, take it easy, and ease back into things.

 

[Titan]

I have had it done. Regular, not laproscopic. I read everything online about the recovery. I have come to the conclusion that it is 50/50 on whether or not it will be no big deal or absolutely horrible. There is no in between.

Mine was horrible. Maybe laproscopic would have reduced the recovery, but it turned out I had 1 bad spot and 2 more that were going to cause problems down the line. He said it would have probably been missed with a scope. I'm not sure which was worse though - the pain or what muh boys looked like afterwards with all the swelling.

I couldn't hardly get around for a few days. Slow walks around the neighborhood after a week. And back to running, etc. after 3 weeks. Still had pain, but manageable while active.

I had some tightness issues with the mesh for about a year. I could actually see some of the suture spots in there underneath my skin. Still have numbness below the incision, but its way better than the pain of the hernia. I would say I don't even notice it now unless I hit that area or something.

Good luck man!

 

[idahohikker]

I had the old school inguinal hernia surgery in 2007. Great timing for getting two hernias--a month before my senior season of football. Waiting months to get it prepared is painful and not recommended The recovery was easy and I had no pain or further issues.

I was doing a pull-up in 2011 and felt the burn again. Two more hernias repaired shortly after with the mesh laparoscopic. I guess the hernias wer nearby the old repair site but in a slightly different place. The area has always been a little tender and sometimes feels like I still have a hernia issue. I don't think that's the case but it feels painful sometimes after lifting.

The doc says I have generic weak lower stomach walls and not to lift heavy.

I would recommend the new school method overall. I don't think mine coming back had anything to do with the first surgery method.

 

[GotDraw?]

Appreciate the posts. I have one that needs to be repaired. Minor, but just bad enough to do... and I want to lose as little training time as possible.


JL

 

[Poser]

I had the mesh installed in early 2006. I used the prescribed pain meds for a day or 2 and just used marijuana from there. I was back in the gym inside of 3 weeks. Lots of heavy lifting, hard training and athletic activities since with no issue.

 

[BeaverHunter]

Met with surgeon today. Doing the robotic and mesh method. He said it has the quickest recovery and only method he will do anymore. He says people in good shape typically recover in a couple weeks barring any “issues”. Going in and getting it done next week. Says his office does about 130 a year. Mostly him and 1 other surgeon. So he is very experienced at them at least.

 

[Oregon]

I half assed read through these responses. I had it. It sucked donkey balls for roughly 1.5 days.

I learned a very important lesson with this surgery.

Constipation is real, and more painful than recovery.

Take softeners and eat your greens!!!!
Truth!!

 

[Poser]

I half assed read through these responses. I had it. It sucked donkey balls for roughly 1.5 days.

I learned a very important lesson with this surgery.

Constipation is real, and more painful than recovery.

Take softeners and eat your greens!!!!
Truth!!

Freakin lorotabs.... I didn’t shit for a week!

 

[Buckshotaz]

As been mentioned going to the bathroom after surgery can be an issue. Laxatives will help and speed up recovery