Hernia Recovery Expectations/complications (Page 2)

Hi, all I had open repair to a left inguinal hernia repaired with mesh 22 days ago. I am walking the dog fine with pain but my movement is good. I still have pain low on my left side in my groin is this normal? I was hoping to be able to go back to activity afte 4 four weeks. Is it safe to excercise?

Had small right inguinal hernia repaired open with prolene mesh 2 weeks ago. Each day has gotten slightly better and I can walk normally now, albeit with still some discomfort. Can't wait to start running again!

I read just about everything there is to read online before the surgery and fortunately my op and recovery has been easier than expected. I was off the pain meds completely in 3 days. Fingers crossed that steady progress continues.

If you're going for one of these soon, stop worrying so much and get it done. You'll feel so much better when it's over!

Hi
I had inguinal hernia surgery 5 days ago, the first three days the pain was very unconfortable. Today I was in the phone with a friend and felt like the Hernia pop out again. Is this happen to anybody after surgery

Just found this site so thought I'd post my 2¢.

It's now three days after my inguinal hernia mesh repair surgery (left side). My general level of soreness has reduced to the point that I have stopped taking regular pain killers. I am still taking anti-inflammatory tabs three times a day.

The first night after my op was the worst, when the local anaesthesia had worn off and the pain killers hadn't really kicked in (bad timing on my part). I tried to stagger to the loo and nearly passed out on the way! The first two days were not much fun at all, although day 2 was a definite improvement over day 1.

Swelling around the wound is going down but it is still pretty swollen; it looks larger than my hernia ever did. I have been told that I cannot damage the repair because it is stronger than it was originally (before my hernia) but that I should let any discomfort guide me as to what I can and cannot do. I hope this is true, though I have no intention of lifting anything heavy just yet.

I was dreading a visit to the loo for a No2. No bowel movement until day 2 and, as expected, it turned out not to be very pleasant. I tried to allow gravity to help as much as possible. Any kind of pushing produced a sharp burning pain. Releaved when it was over. Next day was not as bad.

In general, there is still a constant dull ache in the area of the incision and I still get some burning pain when sitting in certain positions or when standing after sitting a while; can't seem to pinpoint exactly where it is but it seems to be low down at the base of the scar. Twisting is bad too.

For rehab, I have been 'walking' about as much as feels comfortable and I have been doing 20 mins of gentle cycling on a stationary bike each day since my op. I actually feel better afterwards - a little less sore and less stiff - so I'm going to keep this up and increase the intensity a little each day, as long as it feels ok to do so.

thanku sideshowlol
I am in the same position as you on the third of mend. I admire you geting on the bike. I am sore still like u are and truly afraid Ill do some damage to the site of repair. I had an abdominal hernia right under the umbelicus.I hope I recover soon. am a kindergarten teacher and have to go back to work in 2 weeks. Perhaps Im being pessimistic but I wish I had a longer break. Right now I feel so sluggish and sore. Hoep u recover soon=)

thanku sideshowlol
I am in the same position as you on the third of mend. I admire you geting on the bike. I am sore still like u are and truly afraid Ill do some damage to the site of repair. I had an abdominal hernia right under the umbelicus.I hope I recover soon. am a kindergarten teacher and have to go back to work in 2 weeks. Perhaps Im being pessimistic but I wish I had a longer break. Right now I feel so sluggish and sore. Hoep u recover soon=)

Hello! I had surgery about 4 weeks ago (found out I had 3 different hernias when originally thought there was only an incisional hernia to deal with).

Other than discovering I had 2 blood clots (that were already there, and quite extensive, and could have killed me!), recovery has been pretty good.

My belly looked massive prior to surgery, and I was delighted to have a rather flat belly after.

I now check the "flat belly" on a daily basis. I marvel at it one day, and I freak out the next that it looks "bigger." I know.....obsession....

Anyway, today I wore real clothes (not jammies) for the first time and I went to Breakfast with Santa, church, and Bible study.

I felt fine until Bible Study (the first two hours were painless). All through Bible Study I felt like my belly was being tortured by my waistband. Mind you, I still have an incision that is healing, but I can't determine if that is the issue.

Once I got home and changed, I have been paranoid. The pain I feel (after looking in the mirror to help pinpoint) is right where my incisional hernia was just repaired.

If I run my hand very lightly across my belly, the skin is sensitive and hurts a bit. However, I also have been aware of that burning pain I had already come to recognize as the original hernia's pain.

Above my belly button, the belly really does look flat (I guess I was meshed up quite a bit). Below the belly button is a little pooch (not a hernia bulge. The little pooch has been like this all four weeks and doc said it looked good last week). I don't know if there is mesh below belly button. That area seems to feel squishier compared to higher up.

So-to summarize after that long tangent....I am freaked out I broke my hernia repair by wearing pants. I felt fine until I had been up and around for 3 hours and then felt like my belly was on fire (outside of belly, not inside).

Am I over-reacting? Please say yes.....please.....

Had bilateral open mesh inguinal hernia repair 7 weeks ago. If I'm ever to fully recover I would be able to move around 90# bags of cement again. But now still have
pain which is worse by end of day. The mesh pulls like a tight rope and is mildly painful. Wanted to carry two quarts of beer 3 blocks home but could only carry one at a time. Feel like my recovery is slower than most people.
After my 1 week post surgery visit my doctor will not see me again unless I choose to go back to him. So how is he to know how long his patients are taking to recover. For this reason doctors really don't have very good statistics on recovery times etc. The only way I can have sex is by standing (wife on edge of bed). Nerve sensation after climax is very intense (feel strange nerve tingling all way down in my feet) not necessary bad but strange and really to the point of being unpleasant. Hopefully this will go away.

Hello,
I had a hemicolectomy surgery in late Jan which developed an infection, and sure enough resulted in an incisional hernia in my abdomen after 3 months. Had a mesh-repair done first week Nov. Feel OK most of the time. Flat belly was wonderful, but need to gain weight, which shows up first along the waist - Anyway, pain returns to the repair scar when I drive the car because the trouser bites, or the seat belt bites. So I loosen up a bit and feel better. Mild pain while having sex, but bearable. I lift 2kg weights dumbbell on each arm to stregthen my bicpes, but try to avoid weight pressure on abdomen. I beleive it is normal to hvae some pain because of nerve endings, but that should go away gradually (maybe it will take a year?). Anyway, good luck all of you.

I had right inguinal hernia surgery 13 years ago at the age of 24. Though my surgery and recovery went well, one of the less fortunate side-effects is that my right testicle (the same side as the former hernia site) descends lower that my left. I seem to have lost all voluntary control of it. I'm 37 now, and my right testicle will sometimes hang as much as 1-1.5 inches below my left. It doesn't hurt, but it can make sitting on a plane or train uncomfortable at times. No more boxers for me: now I have to wear briefs for the extra support. I can only imagine what life will be like when I'm 70.

Has anyone else run into this particular side-effect? I've spoken with my doctor and it seems to be a residual effect of a severed nerve, either from the hernia itself or from the operation to repair it. As long as all my junk functions (ie, I can still sire a child, if I wish), my doctor says, then I should not worry about it.

Hi there... I see I'm not alone -- I don't know whether to feel better or worry about that. My hernia surgery was about 10 years ago -- 5 hernias (umbilical both sides, inguinal both sides, and the other I can't remember what it's called). I believe they used mesh for all sites... it's been 10 years and I wish I can remember better what they did.

Just this past weekend I moved in a weird way that now, depending on how I move or what muscles flex, I get an intense pain and burning sensation under my skin at that spot that lasts about 10 seconds. It feels like the mesh might be giving way, and I'm wondering if the other pieces of mesh are going to do the same. I spoke to a doctor on call at my medical place, and they said to take it easy for a while and it should fix itself... only if there's nausea/vomiting should I be concerned. Any thoughts?

I'd be very grateful for some advice in advance of my hernia (groin) operation next week. The operation is on Tuesday and I'm expecting to stay in bed two days afterwards. But I have important work on Friday. I won't need to walk anywhere - just sit up straight and talk sense for a few minutes at a time. Am I crazy to think I can do this?
Also my surgeon tells me that while the British health service will pay all the costs of a regular incision operation there is an alternative available that involves keyhole surgery and leaves no scar. Does anybody have any experience of this? I may be able to pay the difference.
Thanks in advance!

I too have had hernia surgery 3 times. The last time, about 10 years ago, I suffered for weeks and months with what I believe to be nerve damage. Over the last 10 years there have been ocassions of discomfort and long periods of good health and no pain. I get this throbbing in my left abdomen and stinging sensations, sometimes all over. Last week, my Dr. indicated that I may have a double hernia. Since then, this throbbing has started up and I am quite uncomfortable. I meet with a surgeon next week for a second opinion. I dread the thought of another hernia surgery, which I said I would again endure. Regardless of the outcome, it is not fun and hard to get relief from

I just had a hernia repair for an umbilical hernia. i'm 35, thin, fit, active. i think i got it when i was constipated during christmas and tried pushing too hard while on the toilet. anyways... had the operation, and then it smelled. so today i thought i'd go to the hospital and have them just take a look. ...it's infected. doctor had to drain it, lots of pinky/purpley blood stuff came out. i have to go back everyday for a week or more so they can drain it. it hurt like hell. they have to poke around, clean it, etc. not looking forward to tomorrow. BUT, afterwards it didn't ache nearly as much as it had been. so i guess there IS a silver lining.....albeit a painful one.

Hai i had a inguinal hernia surgery in my right side before 2 years. after the surgery i felt so much comfortable and after that i cant get erection and i felt erectile disfunction after one year i got pain in that area and nowadays also if i eat more i am getting pain in that place still now my erection problem is not yet rectified. please anyone can suggest me on this problem.

its been 3 weeks since my hernia repair, mesh, open surgery..I have been questioning if its been worth it. no one told me it would feel like I was kicked by a horse or that my scrotum would swell to 4 times the regular size. I''m walking a few miles a day now and off the pain pills but still have shooting pains along with what feels like a sprained testical..I figure it will get better with time. good luck all.

I am still early in my recovery, it has been 8 days since the surgery. I was diagnosed with a sports hernia and I lived with that for 7-8 years. Something I did in the last month made it much worse. I was told then that I had a tiny hernia, I requested surgery at that point in time. I am 35.

Surgeon was just going to use a little badminton type plug but said the area around the hole was more damaged than he anticipated and ended up using the mesh. I could really care less what he used as long as it works.

Yesterday was day 7 of the recovery and I have been feeling slightly better each day. I went to the grocery store last night and did a fair share of walking. By the time I was done walking around and pushing a mostly empty cart I felt like I had never had the surgery in the first place and my testicles were pretty achy again.

I took (2) Aleeve and felt 80% better in an hour or so. I was fairly discouraged though to feel that achiness back again, even if for a short while.

I tried searching online for what to expect after a hernia like I had but most of what you find online is people talking about bigger issues after surgery and not just the general recovery.

Was it normal for me to be achy in the testicles after walking around for 45 minutes? I was hoping I had seen the last of the achy testicles, that''s why I got the surgery.

I play a ton of tennis and I am anxious to get back into it once I am healed up. After last night I am either healing slower than I expected or I am not healing right at all. Not sure if I should be reading anything into last night''s occurrence or not.

Seeing the surgeon in 3 days for the 10 day check-up. I will be asking such questions then. Would love to hear from others though.

Thanks!!!

I am 29 and just had surgery 2 days ago. With a bilateral inguinal hernia. The surgeon did the surgery laproscopicaly so I had three sites on my belly one on each side and one dead center in the belly button. I am feeling pain down by my groin but that is what the Dr. said I would feel because the nerves had been pinched by all the muscles that had dropped through the torn muscle. I was up the second day walking around Costco but did have the pain in my groin area and sharp pains in the abdomen, every so often. The most pain I think is from all the gas that builds up and waiting for the first bowel movement. When it finally comes, What A RELIEF!! I felt the weight and pressure of my stomach had been let free. I plan on being back to work tomorrow after only the weekend to recover. I find standing up a lot more easy on the belly.

I posted this elsewhere but this is really the correct forum I think.

I''m British living in France and I''ve just a just had a right inguinal hernia repair - open but with no mesh. They unexpectedly found my inflamed appendix stuck to the hernia as a bonus!
A rare condition apparently known as a herniated appendix or Amyand''''s Hernia. Very nearly serious!

The surgeons were great (and excited by the medical discovery....) but again didn''t tell me exactly what to expect after.

I came here on the forum looking for information on lumps and swellings and can see now that this ''''healing ridge'''' is quite common.
Thanks everyone for sharing experiences.
I have the ''''ridge'''' too and it got a little bigger (size, shape and feel of a gherkin) after the 13 staples came out on day 9 and the skin moved about. The wound is clean and closed but I still wash it with antiseptic twice a day and lightly cover it for protection.

Went back to work after 12 days (I''m a teacher so nothing really strenuous there). Was driving carefully after 1 week. Still in some discomfort rather than pain but mostly from a swollen testicle and bruised lower penis plus itching spikey pubic hair stubble starting regrow which makes movement sore. There is also alot of numbness below the incision but they did say some feeling will return after a while.

Coughing and sneezing still hurt a bit but laughing is much easier now and that''s important!

Hello,

I''m on here hopefully looking for answers for my boyfriend because he has all the main symptoms that many of you list here. He has had 2 hernias and, due to an incompentent doctor slicing off a nerve in the incorrect way in the 2nd operation, a 3rd operation to remove a nerve in his groin to relieve him of the pain with no success. The last operation was May last year. His symptoms are:

- pain while sitting or after an active day but less so when driving, doing mild forms of stretching etc.
- pain after sex, but less so after certain positions
- strange feeling with the mesh, it sometimes feels as if it''s protruding.

Has anyone found any solution to relieving this pain? He doesn''t want to see his doctor again as he is frustrated at the lack of results. He is only 25 and it breaks my heart that he lives with this pain every day and it restricts him from living a full life. His profession is also an active one.

Any advice would be most welcome.

My double inguinal hernia operation last October left me with an extremely swollen scrotum and that lasted for a couple of months but even now, one testicle is still tender and seems to have shifted to a spot where I sometimes aggravate it by sitting wrong... or working the clutch in my car. small passing pains around the edges of my groin and where the mesh was tacked in up my belly a little way.

i had Ingunial hernia repair about 4 months ago on my right side i am 27 years old first one i am fit work on cars etc my right testicle is still alot larger then my left one there are alot of sharp pains in that testicle after i ejaculate not all the time some time alot sometimes a little but some times its terrible like it hurts like i dont want to but i notice a bump or somthing on my right one on top that hurts the most when i do any one have any tips or if i should get that check like cancer i hope not or somthing bad in recovery