Inguinal Hernia
So after having it for years, I finally decided (a few months back) that I’d get surgery and have it taken care of.
The surgery occurred 3 days ago. From what I’d read, I was expecting to be walking around fine, and without pain, within 2 days. Turns out that’s not quite the case. The swelling has gone down around the cut itself, but certain other unmentionable areas are really blue and bruised looking.
The surgery I ended up getting was a large incision (not laparoscopic, as I was expecting), and insertion of a kevlar mesh. So I’m bullet proof now, but it will probably take another month before I’m ready to hit the gym again. Which really sucks; I’m having a really difficult time taking it easy. I want to be up and about. I already miss doing weights, yoga, rock climbing, running and being independent. Not that I really need someone to wait on me, but just getting out of bed hurts right now.
Ok, until I really need it again, enough whining. It’s not like it’s going to heal faster if I whine more 
May 3, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Dude, I just went through the laparoscopic repair last summer (see my blog). Whatever you do, please follow my advice.
It’s going to take about two weeks before you can do anything normal — like drive a car. It’s also going to take a lot longer for you to do your usual gym routein: 3 to 6 months. What’s most important is that you make sure the repair heals correctly — which means live a very sentary life for a least 3 months. (If it doesn’t heal correctly, you may experience complications that will send you back to the doctor.)
While you’re waiting out your three months, suck down these vitamins twice to three times a week:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/univ/animalpak.html
You are going to want to go back to the gym as soon as you stop feeling the pain — but trust me it’s better to wait and allow your body to completely repair itself. Any type of exercise — even walking — is going to stress the hernia repair and you’ll feel it *after* you’ve over done it. Eventually, you’ll feel it less and less until at about 6 months you should be able to resume training and start to make progress again.
When you do go back to the gym find a trainer that has studied exercise and have him show you the correct form — like don’t hold your breath when you do squats, etc. This will prevent you from having to go back under the knife a second time.