Anybody ever have hernia surgery? If you get it, do you come back “good as new.”
I got a hernia recently from (get this) coughing too much after I got a cold.
I really don’t want to have surgery and come back feeling worse than I do now, because nowadays, I can work out comfortably, and the hernia is just some discomfort, and not pain.
Any thoughts?
Hernias are no fun.
My brother had a hernia from lifting and the doctor told him surgery wasn’t immediately necessary, so he continued to work out until school was over. He did have to avoid heavy lifts and power lifts (sorry, no squats/deadlifts/rows). He had to stick with arms, shoulders, chest, and some minor back and leg work (dumbell lunges).
After he got the surgery, he was out for a week (that’s why he waited till he graduated from college).
He still has to avoid heavy lifting because he can feel the pressure against the stitches.
I don’t think he’s “good as new” yet, but hopefully he will be soon.
PS: I just got a hernia and I really don’t want to have surgery either. It only bugs me when I do ab work (my hernia seems to be near my top abdominals) so I just don’t ever do ab work. I’m going to see a doctor about it soon.
I had a double abdominal hernia, and had laprosopic (spelling?) surgery for it. They gave me 3 small incisions about 1/2-1" in length and two years later you can only see one of them, it got infected, and it isn’t real noticable (maybe it’s all of that damn body hair, lol)
Anyway I was out (and I mean out from everything) for about 3 days. After the 3 days I was able to move around fine and returned to work after 1 week. At my 3 week follow-along appointment (which is the time they suggest to take off from work) I ask the doctor when I could start lifting again.
He told me to take it easy, and if it hurt - settle down, but no specific weight restriction because everyone is different; my work note did have one, but that is for liability purposes. Anyway, he said that if I wait 3 months or 3 years - it was going to hurt a little and be uncomfortable, but that one should get past that as soon as possible to break-up scar tissue and regain mobility and keep from losing it - the sooner you start training, the better (within reason).
You will feel or at least notice where the mesh is at first, I had 32 titanium rivets placed and ab lower abs felt VERY tight from about a month or two (two-three after surgery) but do not notice them at all now.
Regarding whether or not to have the surgery - I would. By me having it done laprosopicly it is now impossible for me to get a hernia other than my belly bottom now. You might not notice much now, but as time goes by, the hernia will get bigger and more uncomfortable - for me it got to feeling like there was a limp dick under my skin.
It started where I would only be able to feel it at night and in the morning in was gone, and as time went on I could feel it all day, and then it started to get impinged and that’s when it starts hurting.
By the way, hernia’s tend to be genetic and if you got one by coughing (as I did!!!) then you will get another one down the road - stop it now. Everyone I know that got one, got another one within years.
Hope I helped, any other questions, feel free to ask.