Hernia Surgery

[broken chain]

I recently had surgery for an Inguinal hernia.How long a recovery process before I can get back on the bike?

A little personal information:58 yrs. old,excellent physical condition,37 bpm rhr,can hold 82% of max hr for an hour.8% body fat,170 lbs. 5'10".I do some weightlifting for tone and 20 min. a day core work.5 days a week.

Doctor says He won't release me to work for minimum 6 to 8 weeks because my job entails pulling,pushing and lifting.

How should I start out?Duration,intensity etc.?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Velosopher]

I had the same surgery a while ago. Took the week of surgery off the bike. I did as much walking as possible as soon as possible. It's important to keep moving if you can to stay flexible. The next week I did about 7 hours of easy riding. The following week (2 weeks after) I did about 14 hours of moderate training including a hard group ride by the end. 3 weeks after I was racing again. I was not lifting weights at all during this period. I would be more careful with including that back into your training. Cycling is a lot easier on the abs. I am a 27 y-o cat 1. Check with your doc about riding though, I consulted a few and they gave me some good advice. Mostly they said the only limiter would be pain; there was little risk of re-injuring the area.

 

[David Suro]

Different people recovery at different rates from surgery. Also, no two surgeries are the same.

I would not advise you to go against your doctor's orders. That said, I would also recommend pestering your doctor for clearance to ride.

Whenever recovering from any injury or medical procedure it is always wise to ride very slow for very short distances at first. The most foolish thing you could do would be to go out and re-injure yourself, thus prolonging your time of recovery.

Dr. Suro

 

[Oldman]

I recently had surgery for an Inguinal hernia.How long a recovery process before I can get back on the bike?

A little personal information:58 yrs. old,excellent physical condition,37 bpm rhr,can hold 82% of max hr for an hour.8% body fat,170 lbs. 5'10".I do some weightlifting for tone and 20 min. a day core work.5 days a week.

Doctor says He won't release me to work for minimum 6 to 8 weeks because my job entails pulling,pushing and lifting.

How should I start out?Duration,intensity etc.?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I had similar surgery at 54 yrs. Easy riding on a trainer where the risks are minimized worked for me. I was racing fast crits after a gradual buildup in about 4 weeks. Crashing would be bad so consider that as avoidable.

 

[JessyBurke]

Inguinal Hernia surgery should never be ignored as it could get worse than ever. You might want to ask your doctor about it so that you could get a definite answer. It's wise to ambulate yourself to promote circulation but no serious trainings or exercise whatsoever for at least a month so you could achieve OLOF.

 

[philiboy]

I will have this surgery next week... I am so scared... i dont know if I could be in the same shape after surgery

 

[broken chain]

I'm 11 days into recovery,still very sore in certain positions,getting up from seated position,a few sleeping positions.
I have sneezed a couple times,laughed a few times,coughed a few times.AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Already losing abdominal tone,and put on 7 pounds even though I have kept my food intake the same.
I have been walking a little every day but am very impatient,can't wait to get back on the bike.
Doctor will evaluate my condition on Feb.15th and decide if I can start to work out again.
Frustrating to say the least,good luck with your surgery.

 

[DonTickles]

I had the surgery about 7 years ago. It was two weeks before I could really walk around without excessive pain, even driving was painful (it was on the left side and working the clutch hurt). It was two months before I could move around completely freely and 3 months before I could run again. Back then I wasn't biking, just running, so biking may have been easier, but I can't imagine it would be too much better. I'd heard from others that they were exercising again at 3 weeks, so I guess it varies a lot by individual.

I still had the occasional twinge of pain or twang of discomfort for 6-8 months afterward, like if I stretched the wrong way it felt like tissues were tearing, but all that is long gone now.

 

[JessyBurke]

Just stick to what your doctor tells you to do. Better safe than sorry.

 

[broken chain]

I will have this surgery next week... I am so scared... i dont know if I could be in the same shape after surgery

You won't be.
I'm 20 days into recovery,was in excellent physical condition before surgery.
The way I feel now leads me to believe I won't be riding for at least another month
Still painful in certain positions,I am already out of shape,retaining water....yadda.yadda,yadda.Very frustrating to say the least.
I now have a much better understanding of the trials and tribulations of being handicapped.

 

[Biciclette Bianchi]

I'm 20 days into recovery,was in excellent physical condition before surgery.
The way I feel now leads me to believe I won't be riding for at least another month

I'm sorry to hear this. I've got a double Inguinal hernia, but I'm doing all that I can to put off surgery. Maybe I'll do something about it in the fall (when racing is pretty well done). Still your experience is serving to convince me that there is no real upside to having the surgery. Really, is waiting all that bad (other than the quite visible bulges when I'm wearing bibs)? Worst case is emergency surgery in the ER. Is that really any worse than doing elective surgery? I hope that you are feeling better soon, and quickly regain your fitness.


Dave

 

[broken chain]

I'm sorry to hear this. I've got a double Inguinal hernia, but I'm doing all that I can to put off surgery. Maybe I'll do something about it in the fall (when racing is pretty well done). Still your experience is serving to convince me that there is no real upside to having the surgery. Really, is waiting all that bad (other than the quite visible bulges when I'm wearing bibs)? Worst case is emergency surgery in the ER. Is that really any worse than doing elective surgery? I hope that you are feeling better soon, and quickly regain your fitness.


Dave

Thanks for your concern,I didn't want to have the surgery either but did so on the advice of my doctor.I didn't have any pain except for a slight strained feeling every now and again.I attributed this to maybe just a routine muscle pull.
It wasn't till I physically felt the bump that i went to the doctor.He said if I let it go too long it would eventually pop through.
In the event that did happen,surgery would be longer due to more repair work internally,not to mention the fact that your intestine becomes pinched and blocked.
Recovery time could very well be doubled.I elected to have it done.
The doctor finally released me to ride this week with a few stipulations.
1.)Indoor upright stationary only.(Crash factor)
2.)No or very little resistance,I can spin quickly 120 rpm's max.
3.)30 minutes max for now
4.)NO core work,much too hard on the abdominals
5.)Light weightlifting only,exercises must keep arms close to body,nothing that would extend arms outward while standing.
In the end run the choice is yours(I wanted to wait also)but Doc scared the heck out of me!
Good luck with whatever route you choose to take.

 

[Biciclette Bianchi]

I'm glad that you are agiin able to get on the bike. I know that it's not much, but it's a start.

In the end run the choice is yours(I wanted to wait also)but Doc scared the heck out of me!
Good luck with whatever route you choose to take.

As for me, I did discuss this with my doctor. He said that I there's no real harm in letting it go. Of course the danger is that intestine will get strangulated. He said that if this were to occur, there would be no doubt about it and that I would be in the ER for emergency surgery. I decided that this is a risk that I will take until the fall... We'll see how it goes.

Again, good luck to you with your recovery.


Dave

 

[skipbadger]

I'm glad that you are agiin able to get on the bike. I know that it's not much, but it's a start.



As for me, I did discuss this with my doctor. He said that I there's no real harm in letting it go. Of course the danger is that intestine will get strangulated. He said that if this were to occur, there would be no doubt about it and that I would be in the ER for emergency surgery. I decided that this is a risk that I will take until the fall... We'll see how it goes.

Again, good luck to you with your recovery.


Dave

I had the surgery in November as mine was causing me pain. Two doctors (my doc and the surgeon) told me that eventually the pain would go away and I could function as normal, but since it was fall, I figured I should just get it done. The pain I was feeling was from the trauma of the initial tear.

If your hernia doesn't bother you, no need to get it fixed. If you start having problems, you will know immediately (fever, intense pain).

I was off the bike for 2 weeks, then 2 weeks of short, easy rides, then ramped up to my standard distance. Started intervals on the trainer 6 weeks after surgery.

 

[singlespdr73]

Hernia Post Op

I had a right hernia repair (open with mesh) on 3/8/10. First week was pretty rough. It has gradually decreased in pain and the incision is healing nicely. I did have post op on Monday 3/29/10 and was given the green light to resume activities and return to work. I rode lightly on the trainer for only 15 minutes on the 30th and a light road ride last night (only for a half hour). I can say I don't have any "PAIN" but I have a weird discomfort of a feeling such as skin sensitivity and a feeling like the mesh crumples when I bend at certain angles. Doc said this can happen with nerve irritation and may take up to 12 weeks or longer to completely subside. I know this is hard to describe but does anyone else have this type of feeling? Again, it isn;t pain per se more discomfort and annoyance. I also have a slight "bump" just above the incision which the doc also said will go down as healing progresses.

I race Cat 2 mountain bikes on the east coast and the series starts on 4/11/10. That will be 5 weeks post op but I am still nervous to go all out.

 

[broken chain]

I can also sense the mesh in my body.Its a very strange feeling isn't it!
Consider ourselves bionic men.
I have the same reservations as yourself about going all out when the time comes.
In time it will pass.

 

[ethnik]

i had surgery performed on an umbilical hernia in early december. no mesh involved, just an open repair. sadly i developed a post-op infection which slowed me down immensely, it's hard to train when you have an open wound being drained for 5 weeks.

my fitness went completely out the window, all my hard work through the late summer and early fall to allow me to come out of my surgery in the best shape possible to start my base training was basically for nothing. tough mental hit to take, but i overcame that on my first ride out in late february - cold, wet, miserable, zero fitness to speak of but oh so cathartic if even for only 1 hour.

slowly picking up the pace this last week and feeling better on the bike, though have a long way to go to get anywhere near the numbers i hit in testing right before my surgery.

everyone's recovery is variable, whatever you do make sure you listen to everything your medical team have to say.

 

[singlespdr73]

Appreciate the feedback. Broken Chain- It is a weird feeling...almost like a sunburn in the crease of my right leg, etc....I am going to try a light trail ride tonight....Again, doc says all is good to resume, I am just a skeptic....LOL. Plus, outside of this thread, everything you read on the internet are all the horror stories and no successes. That doesn't help the mind.

My surgeon essentially said that it is really rare to "damage" the repair. it is more a matter of your own personal pain tolerance at this point.

 

[broken chain]

O.K.,heres the skinny.Doc gave me clean bill of health
Went out on the bike for an hour this morning.(beautiful here today,BTW happy easter everyone)
Did some light spinning ,some intervals 45secs medium intensity,2 min recovery without any pain issues.All systems are good to go.
The only drawback is cardio fitness.
Worked so hard for 12 years to stay in top physical condition and watch it dwindle away in 5 short weeks.
Have to start all over again
The important part is being able to ride again!!!!!

 

[Ti-lee]

Hernia

I had laparascopic iguinal hernia repair on March 22. Did an easy 10 miles yesterday on flat terrain with minimal discomfort. Doc says cycling (easy) will not harm the repair as long as I can tolerate the pain. My problem is the hernia repair followed 2 months off the bike as a result of broken hip from a bike crash in December. I am officially in the worst shape of my entire life.

 

[singlespdr73]

Happy easter to all....
Glad everyone is making progress....I am finally going to hit the dirt tonight for some climbing...my doc told me same thing...repair won't damage and if you can handle the discomfort, you are fine..
First race for me is sunday so I am going to give it a go...that will be 5 weeks post op. Still have the skin sensitivity/sun burn feeling. but other than that, no "pain" Also have the "healing ridge" thing but no pain there either. I also have a sinus infection now and the coughing hasn't hurt at all so i guess that is a good sign.....

 

[rooshidavid]

I recently had surgery for an Inguinal hernia.How long a recovery process before I can get back on the bike?

A little personal information:58 yrs. old,excellent physical condition,37 bpm rhr,can hold 82% of max hr for an hour.8% body fat,170 lbs. 5'10".I do some weightlifting for tone and 20 min. a day core work.5 days a week.

Doctor says He won't release me to work for minimum 6 to 8 weeks because my job entails pulling,pushing and lifting.

How should I start out?Duration,intensity etc.?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

This surgery was done to my brother when he was just 9. it was very painful i remember.
As you described about your work and your age i would advice you to take 7weeks rest to complete heal. And you can have light diet.

 

[jefftee]

Anyone who has had surgery for inguinal hernia suffer much "digestive" discomfort?
I had surgery on 2nd June, 2010 and still feels uncomfortable. Feelings of bloating etc.

 

[dj1979]

Very timely thread given my current situation

Just curious, how were you guys feeling before/leading into the hernia? Was the hernia sudden? slow lead-in to symptoms?

About 2 weeks ago I noticed a small bump in my leftside groin (still not externally visible, but can feel to the touch) that was painful locally and I felt a bit off. Tried to ignore it (bad habit) and the pain/symptoms did subside last week. However, tried to do an epic ride today and the pain came back during the ride and I had to climb off the bike. No increase in size of the hernia but a feeling of dull pain and pressure is very noticeable and annoying....

Will be taking it easy and going to the doctor tomorrow....

 

[jefftee]

My "lump" appeared a few days after a pretty hard riding weekend (20k TT, hill climb). I don't know if that was the specific cause though.
When I saw the lump I guessed what it was. I really thought it couldn't happen to me though!
If I hadn't noticed the lump I'd say that I was just feeling a bit "off", like I had a stomach upset or something.
After seeing GP then scans to confirm and inguinal hernia, I ended up having surgery about 4 weeks later. It wasn't emergency stuff, I just wanted it fixed. The idea of having your insides falling out didn't appeal to me much.
I think the general consensus is to have surgery as soon as possible.