Hernia operation looming, Tips and experiences of other fellow cylists.



big_h

New Member
Oct 24, 2001
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I have to go for a hernia operation. It is a hernia on my stomach wall. It does not worry me much but my surgeon reckons there is a risk. I allowed me to keep on cycling until the Kremetart Stage race in our Northern Province later in the year. The race is in our winter and it will be logical to go for the surgery after that. How long will my recovery be??? How long before I can start training again???? What must I watch out for???? Any other tips or suggestions?????
 
[I am 68 and had the surgery where there are only two small holes,one at the belly button for the camera and one for the instrument to place the patch. I was on the bike in less than 5 days and have had no problem since.You may check to see if that type of procedure is available to you.
 
I am on day6 of recovery. I stopped the pills Tylenol3 after 3rd day. It was alot of discomfort and a bit of pain. Lots of rest, move slow, bend over like your touching your toes when you cough, avoid laughter, and walk around house a couple hours a day after first couple of days. Mine was inguinal, leaving hospital was easy and quick as you are doped up big time and still anethesized a bit. Its when that wears off does reality set in. First couple of days plan on doing nothing, I lost my appetite due to pain medication, constipation is normal till you stop taking drugs. Have someone come over and get you stuff and help out. After that, every day you slowly get better. Day 6 and I figure another 3-4 days I will be walking normal again and then I just have to go easy for 6 weeks. Everyone heals differently, good, luck.
 
How long will my recovery be...
I was able to ride again the next morning after my surgery. Tho I had to ride the exercycle at the hospital, because I was confined to a hospital. There was zero pain from riding. The only "real" pain was the first 6 hours after surgery.

I was 56 when I had the surgery, a little over a year ago -- 2 inguinal hernias, one on each side, repaired 2 days apart.

I had my surgery done by a hernia specialist. I believe the recovery period with a non-specialist can be dramatically different. My surgeon told me that some things might hurt a bit for 2 weeks, 3 at the max, but starting 3 days after my operation, there was nothing I could do that would damage the repair. I believe he was right.

It is not accepted by all surgeons, but the best surgeons seem to insist that early ambulation and exercise speeds recovery and minimizes pain; and that sitting around and taking it easy prolongs recovery.

Starting on day 4 I began riding a real bicycle. That was the first thing I wanted to do, because it was the thing my hernia interfered with the most, and one of the first things I had to stop. For three weeks I did nothing competitive, and no pushing of my limits. But several hours a day of moderate riding was no problem. I never experienced any pain. I did not ride every day but I believe I could have, with no problem.

While there appears to be no board certification in hernia surgery in the United States where I had my surgery, nevertheless, some surgeons limit their practice to hernia surgery, and that is the kind of surgeon I chose, and I believe it made a big difference. I did quite a lot of consumer research beforehand. I'm glad I did. You hear a lot of "horror stories" from people who weren't too careful about their selection of a surgeon. I think there is a dramatic difference between one surgeon and another. Everyone who had my surgeon reported similar results to me. So it isn't that I'm a fast healer, that I had no problems; it's that I had a good surgeon.

There is some limited info at http://OurHernias.ORG to start you off comparing the kinds of surgery you can choose from, and why you should choose a specialist. It says the choice of a surgeon is way more important than the choice of a kind of surgery, and I tend to agree.
 
I'm 25 yo and I'm having surgery for an inguinal hernia in one week. I'm going to Shouldice hospital in Toronto here in Canada. It was highly recommended by my doctor and I have spoken to many people who's dealt with Shouldice. I've heard nothing, but good things. Most people say in and out practically the same day and a recovery time of 8-10 days for most people.

Then of course, the several weeks of taking it easy.

I certainly hope it should go well. Hernia operations are all they do.
 
GG-
I just had laparoscopic hernia surgery yesterday. I'm a 42-year old age-group competitive triathlete. Yesterday post-op was pretty miserable for about 24 hours mainly due to the effects of the anesthesia. Today i'm walking around the house carefully with very little pain.
I've spoken to a couple other triathletes who have gone thru this in the past year or two. One who was about my age at the time, bounced back quickly and actually competed in a sprint tri about 8 weeks after his surgery. The other is a 34 year old pro who said he jogged 6 days after his surgery, swam the next day but didn't ride for a couple more weeks. As triathletes who ride in the aero position, I think it puts more stress on our "core" abdominal area so that requires a bit more healing time. As an upright cyclist I suspect you could get back to easy riding in a week or so if all goes well.
But I think it would be wise to keep everything very easy and aerobic for the first 4 to 6 weeks. Good Luck!
TriMan62
Louisiana
 
One week minus a day since my surgery and I feel pretty good. Walking normally with no pain. Only a little tight in the mornings when getting up, but that is normal.

Surgery was not laproscopic and only a local anasthetic. I was walking within 5 hours of the operation. I feel pretty good.

If anyone needs a hernia repair, I recommend researching Shouldice Hospital in Toronto. Very well known. I met people from Brazil, Spain, Germany, Sweden, the US and Canada.
 
big_h said:
How long will my recovery be???
I've had 3 hernia operations. Always cutting me open. And, everytime, it's been 6 weeks before I even wanted to get on the bike. Take it easy and follow the doctors orders. Thats why they get paid the big bucks.
 
Same here...I had surgery in 98 with a 4 inch incision. I didn't want to move for 3-4 days after. I went out to friend's house after a week or so and had to leave early. I thought the pain was pretty brutal unless I was totally still in bed watching TV/movies.

The pain/recovery competely depends on the procedure used.

-={T}Bone=- said:
I've had 3 hernia operations. Always cutting me open. And, everytime, it's been 6 weeks before I even wanted to get on the bike. Take it easy and follow the doctors orders. Thats why they get paid the big bucks.