advertisement


Hernia op recovery

My sporting colleague friend recently had an op. (stitched, I believe) and he was amazed at how well he felt so soon afterward. He wasn't allowed to play tennis for 6 weeks though.

I suggested he had it done in Hernia Bay but as we're in Norwich that was too far away.
I heard your hospital had closed:

Norfolk in patients.
 
Umbilical Hernia had it for about 10 years before deciding it was time to get it sorted, Consultant said allow 2 to 3 weeks min for recovery, but to be honest I was like new within a week, Ok I could not lift anything heavy but hey that was a small price to pay. Meshed my repair, with no apparent problems so far (op was about 12 weeks ago)
 
Norfolk in patients.

Oh dear !:). Luckily we have a modern (2004 ish?) and enormous hospital with, I believe, every treatment department. My recent (this year) course of radiotherapy was so efficient that I wrote to the c.e.o. I got a reply saying that I'd made his day as he was under a lot of negative pressure from above at the time. I felt quite gratified. Administration is another matter, though !
 
I had open bilateral inguinal surgery on Saturday. The op had been scheduled for mid January but cancelled because the private hospital had been commandeered for NHS Covid use - fair enough. My surgery took place in a small private hospital just off Harley Street. Interestingly one of the nurses said that any slack in the hospital was being taken up by fitting in NHS operations which had fallen off the waiting list due to Covid.
My surgeon was brilliant, we'd talked about the benefit of open versus laparoscopy and opted for open, local but deep sedation. I thought I was chatting to the anaesthetist all the way through but apparently I 'bottomed out' someway through, I do have a clear memory of both incisions being made.
I'd Boris biked there and was able to walk out and get the tube two stops home. On Saturday evening I felt quite uncomfortable in the stomach area but no need for pain killers, in fact I'd decided that I'd only take them if absolutely necessary because I wanted to be able to feel if I was stressing the repaired area.
The advice to make sure that you had someone with you on the first night was spot on. It's one thing sitting on the side of the bed but lowering yourself down or pulling yourself off the bed is nigh on impossible without putting enormous strain on the wounds. I'm becoming much more independent after a few days.
I've tried to rest as much as possible this week and working from home due to Covid has really come into it's own.
I'm finding that the more I walk the better. I've never drunk so much water in an attempt to stave off constipation / bowl issues. I've been trying to eat lots of greens etc but last night's chickpea curry proved to be just a little bit too much excitement.
Hoping to progress to getting back on a bike soon but not too soon, it'll be a step through Boris bike first. As for running, it's definitely a case of don't run before you can walk. A mate told me I was walking like an old man today. Well at least I'm walking and things will hopefully only get better.
 
I'm still waiting for a date for my hernia op. I think it's over three months since I saw the consultant, but I've just got to wait it out. At least the company and workmates are all understanding and making sure I don't accidentally overstep the mark with pushing/pulling/lifting.
 
I'm still waiting for a date for my hernia op. I think it's over three months since I saw the consultant, but I've just got to wait it out. At least the company and workmates are all understanding and making sure I don't accidentally overstep the mark with pushing/pulling/lifting.
I had a double keyhole hernia done about 6 years ago. The problem was three weeks of trying to get to sleep on my back, which i have never been able to do, because sleeping on either side was agony. Apart from that no problems since.
 
I had an open inguinal 4 years ago, its been a 5hit show ever since. Felt like it ripped internally within the first few days, like tearing a sheet of stamps, it has mostly held up but it still feels I'm being pinched in the groin and I wouldn't dare do heavy squats or leg presses in the gym.
 
I had a double keyhole hernia done about 6 years ago. The problem was three weeks of trying to get to sleep on my back, which i have never been able to do, because sleeping on either side was agony. Apart from that no problems since.
My back feels really uncomfortable after a nights sleep with no tossing and turning. Just about able to turn on my side now but it's slow progress.
I think that the skill of the surgeon is quite crucial. Mine said that typically most of his patients didn't need painkillers after the event and that problems after surgery were 4 in a 1000. I asked him about chronic mesh irritation and he was of the view that what was used and how it was used was all that mattered.
 
I'm still waiting for a date for my hernia op. I think it's over three months since I saw the consultant, but I've just got to wait it out. At least the company and workmates are all understanding and making sure I don't accidentally overstep the mark with pushing/pulling/lifting.
If you can live with the problem a few more months it would be safer to wait until we have all had our 2 jabs.
 
If you can live with the problem a few more months it would be safer to wait until we have all had our 2 jabs.

I’ve no choice, I’d say. I’m not going to phone the hospital to ask about an appointment, that’s for sure, but if an appointment is offered I’ll accept.
 
I too am waiting for an inguinal hernia op.

Good luck, andrew. Please keep posting updates.
 
I had a unilateral inguinal hernia in my 20s and had to wait a long couple of years for an operation. Meanwhile I had watch eating gassy foods like beans and brassicas as digesting them could cause enormous pain in the region and nausea. I found that quick and careful manipulation of the area while lying on my back relieved things in an instant. Much later I learned that those symptoms indicated intestinal strangulation which was an emergency.

The op went without issue. I was surprised it was under general anaesthesia. It was open surgery and I don’t know if it was meshed or sutured. The after effects were something else however as despite following instructions to drink plenty of water and eat shall we say movement-promoting foods I became terribly constipated. I’d needed codeine for the first couple of days. After seven shitless days I was in sufficient agony that my housemate took me to A&E. I was shot up with morphine, oh the irony, and an X-ray was made. I’d have thought a diagnosis would be obvious without one. They were being cautious.

The doctor had a fine sense of humour. “See this? You’re full of S-H-1-T.” Yes, I’ve been told that before, I replied. “We’ll treat you with Fleet, to make you fleet of foot; and if you think that’s an amusing name, we used to use something called Golightly.”

Fleet duly applied shortly after, I was indeed fleet of foot as I made my way to the toilet. Impacted poo wasn’t what I thought as a hailstorm of hard pea-sized balls rained inside the stainless steel bowl.

They made me stay overnight. A middle aged man in the bed next to me asked me what I was in for. I’ve had an inguinal hernia op, I replied. “Is it your first?” he asked. What?? “I’ve just had my second one. Apparently it’s common to get a hernia on the other side later.”

So for the last 25 years I’ve been wary of any strain I might feel on the left side of my groin on lifting anything heavy (I avoid doing so as much as I can). So far, so good.

andrew d, I can’t imagine the joys of a bilateral hernia and attendant operation. You must be hugely relieved. I was told to do light duties only for six weeks after my op. Take care!
 
This is topical for me. I've put up with mine for five years; i blame having to move a pair of bricks.

I can't get it done through the public system, not bad enough, so decided to treat self, I'm only 51, so the sooner I get it done, the longer I will have to enjoy it. I can get my modelling career back on track, too.

Booked in for a laparoscopic mesh repair on 21 April
 
Thanks for the warning. Codeine gave me very uncomfortable constipation on the only occasion I needed to take it's a reminder to plan ahead for vege curry and crunchy stir frys

Without broccoli!
 


advertisement


Back
Top