Recently had a double open inguinal hernia repair. None of that keyhole nonsense - 3" long scars on both sides.
It's 10 days now and can walk almost completely pain free, with just a wee ache on one side. Sitting back is pain-free but sitting at a desk gets sore after 30mins or so. Haven't tried hoisting my year-old son onto my shoulder yet.
Any tips on getting back on the bike or on general recovery?
I was thinking of a very gentle bimble on my Brompton next weekend - just a mile or so - which will allow me to get to work. And then maybe a gentle road ride the following week and a gentle mtb ride the week after.
Cheers!
Hmm - I was months off mine following a similar repair - a few more weeks yet at a guess - you are waiting for the deep tissues to repair - not the skin.
Get proper advice - you don't want to bust it open again
I would check with your surgeon rather than listen to a load of opinions from, at best, dubiuosly qualified web jockeys......4-6 weeks would seem pretty quick to me, with a gradual build up.
I would generally say that between 6 weeks and 3 months is the usual recovery time for this procedure, and varies very much from person to person.
It is best not to rush the return as you risk damaging the internal repair, allowing the herniae to recur. All AFAIK etc etc.
I was diagnosed with one a year and a half ago, by my sports massage bloke. I have since seen 3 consultants, 4 physios, who all tell me it isn't an inguinal hernia. I am due to go for an MRI scan, where they are talking about cortisone injections, again. How long did yours take to get diagnosed and treated? All mine has been private health care and a year and a half down the line I am still in the same boat, except I have constant pain in BOTH sides now.
Any excuse:
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I had mine done before Christmas, was told no riding for a month and then take it easy for a while. It's not the cycling itself that can cause a problem, it's falling off.
Cheers everyone.
The surgeon chap just said I was brave to ride a mtb and left it that. The surgeon's assistant agreed that two weeks before the gentle bimble to work on the bike was reasonable as long as I stopped if it hurt - it's only two miles on a very quiet road. I thought the Brompton would work as it has a low step-over. I don't have a car (wifey uses hers for work) and so it's a bike or Hobson's choice.
IHN - my hernia was diagnosed in seconds. I just dropped my kecks in front of my GP. That was January. Then I went to the hospital and it was prodded by someone who confirmed the diagnosis and said I needed surgery. Then I went to another hospital for pre-op checks. That was April. I asked not to be operated on until the end of June as I had a cycle tour in mid-May. The surgeon checked them on the morning of the op, and just said they need to be fixed. I'd had them for years but weren't causing any problems until very recently when they ached if I coughed.