I finally have an appoinment with a surgeon for my hernia on wednesday, and hopefully will get into surgery soon after that. My big problem is I can’t work out at all, and I may be looking at a couple of months off from the gym. What the hell am I going to do ? Has anyone out there managed to incorporate some type of training into post surgery life that has at least kept the blood flowing. At this point I’m willing to go in and bench the bar for reps just to get a little pump going. I guess the real question is, what am I realistically capable of doing without making things worse. Any help or ideas would be appreciated
Brad,
I had a hernia a few years back and was in a similar situation. During my “off” time I couldn’t do much but wait. After three months my doctor gave me clearance to begin lifting again.
When I began training again I was very aware of the pressure at the hernia site and thought maybe I was doing too much. It turns out I was correct. My doctor (not knowing how intense weight training really is) didn’t put a mesh in. He just threw in some stitches. They tore and I had to have the surgery again.
I guess the main things you can take from this are:
Make sure your doctor uses a mesh to fix the hernia.
Wait longer than they tell you to before you start lifting again. Then start slow and listen to your body. You’ll be happier in the long run.
Maybe you could focus on cardio and stretching?
When I had a double hernia operation two years ago, I had it done liposcopicly (I probably slaughted the spelling) they only do 3 small cuts about 1/2" long and unroll a mesh under your entire abdominal area, thus, no chance of ever having one again, ever. If your talk with most people who have had a hernia they usually get another one down the road. If you can have it done this way, I highly recommend it.
On to your question, my doctor told me to wait 3-4 weeks before I worked out again and to slowly work up to where i was at according to my own comfort levels, he said to push a little. He also TOLD me that i should start streching and training my abs as soon as I could, he said that whether i waited a year of 4 weeks it would still hurt (or at least be uncomfortable.) The biggest reason for at least streching and working the abs is to avoid internal scar tissue from building up, so I told. Talk with people who have had other surgeries, any(i’m assuming) specialist doctor talks about soon, almost immediate rehab to avoid loss of flexibility and avoiding internal scar build up. My doctor who performed my operation specializes in hernia operations and is the only one in the state of Wyoming who performs it, people from Colorado and Nebraska come to him, the reason why I tell you this is that most doctors who perform the surgeries are general surgeons and do not keep up on the current literature regarding hernia operations since they are so simple, it’s becomes just a routine.
I hope I have helped in someway.
I had a left inguinal hernia surgery on January 7th of this year. I had it done the traditional way with mesh, though was given the laproscopic option. My doctor said the option was mine, and either way was unlikely to reherniate, but the few patients who did come back had it done via the laproscopic procedure. I decided that since I lift I’d rather do the traditional procedure. I do have probably a 4" scar though that will never completely go away. It doesn’t bother me at all but if it would bother you, you might want to take this into consideration.
I was given the clearance to start lifting again at 4 weeks, and was actually told I could start stretching/working abs at 2 weeks after my followup appointment. I chose to wait 8 weeks b/c I was genuinely afraid I’d reherniate it, even if the doctor said I was fine. I’m completely back to normal now, lifting heavy etc, but I do still occasionally have pain in the area, I’m not totally sure why, and while most of the nerves have grown back, there’s still a small area that I can kind of feel, but not completely.
Well that’s all the info I can give you.
OOC, how did you guys get hernias? Always been ignorant on how they come to be…Was it lifting, sports…?
[quote]Jason05 wrote:
I had a left inguinal hernia surgery on January 7th of this year. I had it done the traditional way with mesh, though was given the laproscopic option. My doctor said the option was mine, and either way was unlikely to reherniate, but the few patients who did come back had it done via the laproscopic procedure. I decided that since I lift I’d rather do the traditional procedure. I do have probably a 4" scar though that will never completely go away. It doesn’t bother me at all but if it would bother you, you might want to take this into consideration.
I was given the clearance to start lifting again at 4 weeks, and was actually told I could start stretching/working abs at 2 weeks after my followup appointment. I chose to wait 8 weeks b/c I was genuinely afraid I’d reherniate it, even if the doctor said I was fine. I’m completely back to normal now, lifting heavy etc, but I do still occasionally have pain in the area, I’m not totally sure why, and while most of the nerves have grown back, there’s still a small area that I can kind of feel, but not completely.
Well that’s all the info I can give you.[/quote]
i’ve had that same problem, and i didn’t even work out much of any when i had mine. i’ve started working out since. sometimes, that muscle feels sore and i’m paranoid i’ve reherniated. since i was in 6th grade i’m not sure which kind of method i had done. stitches that just naturally faded away were involved, if that tells anyone what kind i had. but anyway, when i feel sore in that muscle, i do the same cough check the doctor does, i’ve never felt anything there, so i’m not sure what causes that pain.
One more thing Brad, I was told to put Vitamin E on my scar as it healed to make it less visible. To be honest, I’m not sure it did much, but it’s worth a shot.
Sonny,
When you’re in the womb your testicles drop down from your stomach to your scrotum through something known as the inguinal canal. The canal is supposed to close up for the most part. In some people the opening remains large and part of the intestine slips through. This can also be caused by heavy lifting or even straining to take a dump.
Brad:
My Father had a hernia operation when he was in his early 70’s. He was out of the hospital the next day. Climbing stairs and doing light gardening the day after that.
You are a strong young bull and will bounce back from this so fast you won’t believe it!
(By the way, Vitamin E is worthless when it comes to removing or preventing scars)
Good Luck Pal!
Zeb
Thanks guys,
I meet with the surgeon in a couple of days. I’ll post when I find out exactly whats going on