Discovered a hernia in my low left abdomen a couple days ago, no pain but some discomfort. Any advice from folks who have experienced the same about exercise limitations, surgery or living with the hernia?
No living with it; get it fixed before it gets worse.
BPC-157 if you want to speed up your recovery.
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I used to work on that side of the business. @Andrewgen_Receptors nailed it. It won’t repair on its own, there’s real health risk to letting it go, and it will grow larger - which means you’ll end up with a more difficult repair and larger mesh the longer you wait.
Have you had it diagnosed or is it obvious enough you stuck your finger into your abdomen?
EDIT: I need to clarify I am not a doctor; I’m on the industry side.
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I had an umbilical hernia and had a mesh repair. I would recommend going to the doctor to get it checked out and repaired! The surgery sucks but it’s better to address the problem before it gets worse.
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Thanks for the replies. Yes, I intend to get it repaired, but I can’t get an appointment with my Primary Care Physician for 3 week…3 weeks! Then a surgeon to evaluate and finally surgery. In the meantime I want to continue working out (though I’m sure in a limited way) as much as I Safely am able. So what do you think I can do? Walking, light resistance, kettlebells (?), biking, what else?
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You’ll live lol. There’s a weird phenomena of people pushing this surgery off for years… that was the concern expressed in this thread. 3 weeks, you’ll be fine.
I’d avoid hinge movements and anything overly taxxing, but everything you listed sounds fine to me - sans squats/lunges/leg press etc.
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I trained normally for years and continued to prepare for powerlifting meets (not the most intelligent choice) before I finally went and got mine repaired. You will definitely survive!
3 weeks isn’t a long time… however, you’ll want to be extremely cautious AFTER the surgery and allow appropriate time for your recovery. If you screw up the mesh it will be much more painful the second time around!
Good luck with your consultation and the surgery. Keep us posted!
Random tip: Don’t watch videos of the surgery before you do it
*I made the mistake of doing that and freaked myself out 
I’m glad I got mine fixed but the only issue I have with the mesh is that I hold fat around the surgery site and I never had issues there before. It was a struggle for a couple of years after the surgery.
My husband had the same surgery but doesn’t have mesh, just stitches. When he’s very lean he can actually feel the knot and the end of the stitches.
If you have any random questions about the surgery or recovery, feel free to ask!
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Thanks again. I’m used to working out intensely so I’m trying to adjust and finding it hard to come up with a plan that wouldn’t do further damage while at least maintaining my current conditioning. So most machines would probably OK for resistance training. What about exercises like Burpees, KB swings, Pullups, Pushups, Concept Rower, Leg Press, Body weight Squats? Any others? Which should I avoid? I want to approach this cautiously, but not wimping out. Your advice, especially from those who have experienced this is truly appreciated.
^^^
FWIW I had an inguinal hernia about a decade ago.
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As did. I remember the post-op being shockingly uncomfortable!
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Had an inguinal hernia about six years ago, I ignored it and kept putting it off, soon paid the price for it. So my only advice, as mentioned above, is to not put it off!
I was bed bound for the first few days, but was stubborn enough to get up and moving as soon as I could. I was a runner back then so can’t comment on lifting, but I don’t suspect I would be squatting or deadlifting heavy in a hurry. I did place 2nd in a 10k about 6/7 weeks after the op, so can’t have lost much fitness, but quite adamant I’d have won if I dealt with the hernia at first opportunity, though!
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I found out in 2013 that I had an inguinal hernia, small marble size , but it was bothering me and pain was running down to my hip, So I had it repaired , was out of the gym for ab out 3 wks, but fully recovered pretty quickly. I have a smaller marble size one on the opposite side, but doc wont repair since its not bothersome and its not getting worse. I squat and deadlift with no issues. Im don’t even notice it except when I cough sometimes.
Mine is about golfball size (inguinal). Seeing surgeon today to schedule.
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Hernia update: while waiting for surgery, I got a hernia belt from Amazon to try to push the bulge inside, absolutely saved the day, was able to walk and do some workouts comfortably (including Pullups and push ups), with lighter weights.
Surgery yesterday (2/22). Went extremely well. Very efficient crew. Pre-op 30 minutes, surgery about 45 minutes, went home about an hour later (8:45 - 10:20). Pain moderate, I’m going to try not to take the prescription (Norco, It contains an opioid) pain reliever and a non-opioid pain reliever acetaminophen. Took Tylenol in the afternoon, and 3 Advil PM before bed. Some pain this morning, took 3 Advil (600 mg). I think I can manage the pain. Only concern is possible constipation.
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Great stuff!