Second hernia operation for 78-year old otherwise healthy man?

My friend is 78 years old and had surgery on an inguinal hernia back in January. Imagine the pain you guys are having, and then imagine being 78 and going through it. To make matters worse, I encouraged him to get it done. (It was so bad he had to stop whatever we were doing and lay down to “drop it back in.”) Plus I was worried about strangulation. Well, after about four long months, he recovered almost fully. He’s in excellent physical shape (except for the hernia), but after just a month of “back to normal,” the hernia “came out on the other side.” And this is even worse. Sometimes he can’t even get it to “drop back in.” Then eventually it does, but he is in agony. He is overseas right now, but I am hoping he will make it back safely, and we can take care of this…whatever the best solution is. My challenge is going to be convincing him to get surgery after that grueling recovery period. Frankly, I think the doctors who did it were hacks, and they messed something up. It was REALLY painful and REALLY bad. And this guy is not a whiner at all. Has anyone had a second surgery? Any older gentlemen out there? Does anyone recommend a hernia specialist in the Bay Area? What are the dangers if he doesn’t have the surgery?