Hernia surgery is one of the most common procedures in the world because it is a very easy injury to sustain. Usually caused by improper lifting, one in five adult males will suffer from some sort of hernia that requires surgery in their lifetime. When surgery is put on the table, many people immediately get nervous because it can mean taking time off work and possibly having to take a pretty big hit financially if your health insurance has a high deductible. Fortunately, recovering from hernia surgery really isn’t too big of a deal if you follow instructions and do it right.
Before you have your surgery, make sure you get educated on what a hernia is and what the entire process entails. You will need a little time to heal even if you have a job that isn’t too physical, but it is a longer ordeal if you have a labor-intensive career. For example if you own or work into a small shop and you have to carry small boxes. It’s a really easy job as far as lifting is concerned, but its still needed to take nearly a week off before the doctor cleares you to work. This surgery does not affect your health for long time.
Types of Surgery
Recovering from hernia surgery will be heavily impacted by the type of surgery you have. Most doctors offer laparoscopic surgery which only requires a few small holes because they use a camera to see what is going on inside of your during the repairs. However, if you have too large of a hernia for that type of surgery to be viable, then you will need to have open surgery.
Open surgery for hernia repair will require a longer period of rest to recover because they have to cut a much larger hole. The surgery usually goes a bit quicker, but it can add days or weeks to your total recovery time. Make sure you find out what type of surgery the doctor is expecting to preform so you can know how long you will need to take off work.
Following Instructions
The best way to ensure a speedy and incident-free recovery form hernia surgery is to follow the doctor’s instructions very closely. Many people listen to what the doctor says and determine their own type of plan to try to heal, but this is a big mistake after something as invasive as having a hernia repaired. The problem is that you will have a piece of surgical mesh placed over the inguinal canal to keep your bowels from protruding out again. This takes a while to fully attach to your abdominal lining and also needs to be flexible to prevent it from tearing.
In order to have your surgical mesh heal properly and have the proper characteristics to avoid reinjuring yourself, you need to get the right mix of rest and activity. You need to rest your body enough for the mesh to heal into your body properly, but not getting up for 10 minutes every now and then can cause problems too. As long as your follow your doctor’s instructions exactly, you can have a very fast recovery form you hernia surgery with little risk of problems down the road.