Hospital stay
Hospital stay will depend on the type of hernia and the anaesthetic. For example most men having a groin hernia can go home the same day or the next day. However other medical conditions and the type of anaesthetic may require a longer stay. For example a patient on blood thinning drugs.
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Many smaller abdominal wall hernia patients can also go home the same day. A large incisional hernia may require several days stay.
Keyhole surgery ?
Interestingly keyhole surgery does not always make the hospital stay shorter. This depends on the type of hernia repair.
Post op pain ?
Perfect: Take your camel for a walk in the first few days. Your dog will be ok.
Pain and discomfort will depend on the type of hernia and the operation. Keyhole surgery is generally a little better. For example a keyhole groin hernia repair will feel a bit like a dull ache in the low abdomen for several days. It generally takes a solid week for the initial discomfort to settle.
For large incisional hernia the pain will be more obvious.
Several things are done to make the post op recovery better. This includes long acting anaesthetic, regional blocks and a mix of different medications that are really effective. So despite the trepidation, the recovery is not too bad.
Return to activity
Tissue healing is slow and there is no way to speed it up. It takes about 6 weeks for the fibroblasts to lay down enough connective tissue to make the hernia repair safe. Even then it is only about 60 -70 % healed. Because of this we recommend no heavy work for 6 weeks.
However it is recommended to get back to low stress activites earlier. Flexibility and low impact aerobic activity is fine. For example riding a bike is OK but falling off is not. Kicking the Copyright sign is not a good idea in the first 3 or so weeks.
Much of this is common sense. If you do a high intensity sport, a longer recovery should be planned.
When can I drive ?
This is a big issue in men who have had an inguinal hernia repair. It takes about 10 days for response times and reflexes to return to close to normal after open surgery. This is a little quicker after keyhole surgery. So a minumum of 10 days seems sensible after repair of a groin hernia.
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It will take much longer after repair of a large incisional hernia.
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You insurance company will not be too happy if you drive early and have an accident and you may not be covered.
When can I have sex ?
You will probably not take any notice at all of what we say. Sex is unlikely to cause any trouble but it is sensible to wait until you are comfortable.
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