I am going to spend the next few minutes talking about a topic that many patients ask me about and that is: what is the recovery like after groin hernia surgery?
I am going to divide that into two parts: what to expect in terms of symptoms after hernia surgery, and what you can and cannot do after hernia surgery.
Common symptoms after groin hernia surgery
Pain This is the commonest symptom that patients experience after any surgery in general and hernia surgery in particular. Pain does gradually improve with time so expect the worst pain in the first 24-48 hours but that does improve over the days that follow surgery and usually the pain resolves completely by 10-14 days after the operation.
Your surgical team will provide you with painkillers in the early stages after surgery and that is usually simple painkillers like paracetamol, codeine or an anti inflammatory. Most people find that they do not require these painkillers after a week or so.
Indigestion In the early stages particularly after keyhole surgery you may feel a little bit bloated and you may feel some indigestion after surgery. You may find that your stomach cannot tolerate food very well in the first day or two but that usually settles down and you are usually able to eat normally after 3 days or so from the operation. An important point to make here is that you should not avoid eating food altogether but rather have small portions at regular intervals depending on what you can tolerate.
Nausea and vomiting The feeling of sickness is usually limited to the first 24 hours or so after the operation and is associated with the anaesthetic and can be linked with pain. Vomiting is rare and the feeling of sickness usually settles within 24 hours. Depending on the degree of sickness, the surgical team may provide you with an anti sickness tablet to take as and when required in the first day or two after surgery.
Tiredness This is a symptom that may last longer than some of the other symptoms. It is not uncommon for some patients to experience tiredness for up to 3 weeks after surgery. Tiredness may be the limiting factor that stops people from going back to work early after hernia surgery. It is an expected symptom and is caused by the body using up some of its resources during and shortly after surgery and then having to replenish these resources further down the line.
Tiredness after hernia surgery is not usually severe and most people can get back to work after two weeks, particularly if the nature of their work is not strenuous.
Dos and Don’ts after groin hernia surgery
Activities In terms of the things that you can and cannot do after hernia surgery, generally speaking you are limited by the symptoms that you are experiencing, particularly sickness, tiredness and pain. Most people will not be able to go out for a run a day after surgery because of pain and tiredness. But if you want to go for a walk a day after surgery and you are not finding it uncomfortable then there should not be a restriction on that.
You will find after a few days that you are able to do more things like going shopping or walking the dog. Again, you are mainly restricted by pain and other symptoms like tiredness.
In short, listen to your body. If you try to do something and it causes pain then that is a sign to stop and maybe reattempt that activity in a week or two when you are in less pain.
Driving There are things that I would advise you not to attempt very early on, for example driving, because most people will find it very difficult to perform an emergency brake in the first week or so after surgery. I would not attempt to drive for at least seven days, preferably 10 days after surgery. Other examples include operating heavy machinery in the early days after surgery.
Going back to work That depends on your symptoms and the type of job that you perform. For less strenuous work you potentially could get back to work after two weeks if you are not feeling very tired. If you are feeling tired, consider a phased return if your employer allows that. You might want to wait a little bit longer, for example 3-4 weeks after surgery, if your job is more physically demanding.
Lifting objects That also depends on the amount of effort required and your degree of comfort. If you want to lift shopping and it does not hurt then that is the thumbs up from your body telling you that you can do that. If it is uncomfortable then maybe do not carry that item at that point in time. In most cases, you should be able to lift reasonably heavy objects after 6 weeks from surgery.
Always remember to contact your surgeon or your surgical team at any point after your procedure if you have any queries or concerns.
