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Hernia Pre and Post Op

DavidRBradley

Level 5 Valued Member
Hello Strong First Community!

Been training w/ KBs and following Pavel since Muscle Media 2000 days...

I'm 50 and have sustained a 1 cm inguinal hernia with some adipose tissue exposed but no bowel or intestinal bulge.
Setting up a surgical consult next.

I'm looking for a couple things from this amazing community, mostly, reassurance all will be OK in the end:

#1.) Who's gone through hernia surgery already and is back in action swinging heavy bells? If so, did you get the mesh?

#2.) What kind of training did you do before your surgery and what did your rehab look like? How long was it before you we're back to Deadlifts and heavy swings?

#3.) What modifications (if any) did you make to your diet/nutrition?

Thank you in advance for your input, guidance and feedback!
 
DavidRBradley said:
Hello Strong First Community!

Been training w/ KBs and following Pavel since Muscle Media 2000 days...

I'm 50 and have sustained a 1 cm inguinal hernia with some adipose tissue exposed but no bowel or intestinal bulge.
Setting up a surgical consult next.

I'm looking for a couple things from this amazing community, mostly, reassurance all will be OK in the end:

#1.) Who's gone through hernia surgery already and is back in action swinging heavy bells? If so, did you get the mesh?

#2.) What kind of training did you do before your surgery and what did your rehab look like? How long was it before you we're back to Deadlifts and heavy swings?

#3.) What modifications (if any) did you make to your diet/nutrition?

Thank you in advance for your input, guidance and feedback!
Click to expand...
I had a similar injury about 15 years ago. I was back to light movement in about a few weeks. I walked a lot after surgery and I am convinced that helped me to get better faster. I was back to running and rucking within a month. Same with lifting. Just watch your body and pace yourself.
 
DavidRBradley said:
Hello Strong First Community!

Been training w/ KBs and following Pavel since Muscle Media 2000 days...

I'm 50 and have sustained a 1 cm inguinal hernia with some adipose tissue exposed but no bowel or intestinal bulge.
Setting up a surgical consult next.

I'm looking for a couple things from this amazing community, mostly, reassurance all will be OK in the end:

#1.) Who's gone through hernia surgery already and is back in action swinging heavy bells? If so, did you get the mesh?

#2.) What kind of training did you do before your surgery and what did your rehab look like? How long was it before you we're back to Deadlifts and heavy swings?

#3.) What modifications (if any) did you make to your diet/nutrition?

Thank you in advance for your input, guidance and feedback!
Click to expand...
I was deadlifting around the time I had mine. It was fairly minor, and recent. I was swinging a 14lb hammer at work and felt it. I got surgery within 6 weeks. Dr said I couid leave it, but because my job is physical and I like lifting, I opted to fix it while it was minor.

I think at least 6 weeks zero lifting but could move around etc. I got gauze, felt weird for a while but I’m sure by 8 weeks I was lifting light to medium weights. By 12 weeks I was fine.

I had keyhole surgery. Probably different if they cut you open

The most pain was when my wife came to pick me up from hospital the next day. Just before surgery, they shaved the area, in case the keyhole didn’t work and they had to cut me open. So, half my bits were shaved bald. I told my wife, who, naturally wanted to see, and burst out laughing hysterically, which made me laugh, and it hurt like hell.
 
Mesh via robotic surgery.
Was longer than advertised in recovery. About 6 weeks. But it was about 3 months before I felt like nothing had happened.

I don’t deadlift however. The heaviest bells I work with are 32kg. But no issues there.

Surgeon said these things whilst being often brought on by lifting, or even excessive coughing, are mostly genetic in nature, and little can be done as a preventative measure.
 
I had an inguinal five years ago. The first week I thought it was fluid because it went away at night. I diagnosed myself (direct inguinal) Had surgery in about two weeks no mesh. I took one pain pill the whole time and was walking the next day and clocked many miles in the following weeks. Started training after surgeon gave me the okay. Gained confidence as time went on and was good as new perhaps even better. Inguinal’s are congenital and I’m glad I got it age sixty instead of ten or twenty years later.
 
Had inguinal hernia mesh repair about 6 years ago. I do recall it took about 6 weeks recovery overall. The first week was brutal for me. I felt pretty normal afterwards, except one time in the 2nd or 3rd week where I spent a long time in a squat while hanging out with someone and when I got up, I really felt pain. For the most part, hardly feel it nowadays. I’m not the strongest guy but I’m regularly swinging my 44kg bell (it’s the heaviest I currently have) and doing moderately heavy barbell squats and deadlifts (300ish) with no problem. I’ve really only felt it when I’m in lengthened loaded positions like a KB split squat, and even then I have to be deep in there.
 
ShawnM said:
I had a similar injury about 15 years ago. I was back to light movement in about a few weeks. I walked a lot after surgery and I am convinced that helped me to get better faster. I was back to running and rucking within a month. Same with lifting. Just watch your body and pace yourself.
Click to expand...

ShawnM said:
I had a similar injury about 15 years ago. I was back to light movement in about a few weeks. I walked a lot after surgery and I am convinced that helped me to get better faster. I was back to running and rucking within a month. Same with lifting. Just watch your body and pace yourself.
Click to expand...
ShawnM, thank you for chiming in. I'm committed to walking alot for sure after the surgery. When you started back to rucking, how much weight did you start with?
 
Halfakneecap said:
I was deadlifting around the time I had mine. It was fairly minor, and recent. I was swinging a 14lb hammer at work and felt it. I got surgery within 6 weeks. Dr said I couid leave it, but because my job is physical and I like lifting, I opted to fix it while it was minor.

I think at least 6 weeks zero lifting but could move around etc. I got gauze, felt weird for a while but I’m sure by 8 weeks I was lifting light to medium weights. By 12 weeks I was fine.

I had keyhole surgery. Probably different if they cut you open

The most pain was when my wife came to pick me up from hospital the next day. Just before surgery, they shaved the area, in case the keyhole didn’t work and they had to cut me open. So, half my bits were shaved bald. I told my wife, who, naturally wanted to see, and burst out laughing hysterically, which made me laugh, and it hurt like hell.
Click to expand...
LOL on the shave! Thank you for the feedback.
 
offwidth said:
Mesh via robotic surgery.
Was longer than advertised in recovery. About 6 weeks. But it was about 3 months before I felt like nothing had happened.

I don’t deadlift however. The heaviest bells I work with are 32kg. But no issues there.

Surgeon said these things whilst being often brought on by lifting, or even excessive coughing, are mostly genetic in nature, and little can be done as a preventative measure.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the feedback. It does run in my family so I guess I need to have a come to Jesus talk with my genes.
 
Bill Lets said:
I had an inguinal five years ago. The first week I thought it was fluid because it went away at night. I diagnosed myself (direct inguinal) Had surgery in about two weeks no mesh. I took one pain pill the whole time and was walking the next day and clocked many miles in the following weeks. Started training after surgeon gave me the okay. Gained confidence as time went on and was good as new perhaps even better. Inguinal’s are congenital and I’m glad I got it age sixty instead of ten or twenty years later.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the feedback. Looks like walking is going to play a huge role in recovery. Bill, do you have a high pain tolerance? One thing I'm not interested in is pain meds so hoping I can get by on OTC pain meds.
 
Ed Fonseca said:
Had inguinal hernia mesh repair about 6 years ago. I do recall it took about 6 weeks recovery overall. The first week was brutal for me. I felt pretty normal afterwards, except one time in the 2nd or 3rd week where I spent a long time in a squat while hanging out with someone and when I got up, I really felt pain. For the most part, hardly feel it nowadays. I’m not the strongest guy but I’m regularly swinging my 44kg bell (it’s the heaviest I currently have) and doing moderately heavy barbell squats and deadlifts (300ish) with no problem. I’ve really only felt it when I’m in lengthened loaded positions like a KB split squat, and even then I have to be deep in there.
Click to expand...
Ed, this is every encouraging for me. Thank you for chiming it. Much appreciated.
 
DavidRBradley said:
Thank you for the feedback. Looks like walking is going to play a huge role in recovery. Bill, do you have a high pain tolerance? One thing I'm not interested in is pain meds so hoping I can get by on OTC pain meds.
Click to expand...
Im not Bill but i don’t think I needed any, it’s not that bad
 
offwidth said:
Surgeon said these things … are mostly genetic in nature …
Click to expand...
As I’ve mentioned here before, my paternal grandfather, my father, me, and my two sons all had. My grandfather wore a truss, my father had the mesh surgery. Me and my sons all had both sides surgically repaired at around age 3.

-S-
 
DavidRBradley said:
Hello Strong First Community!

Been training w/ KBs and following Pavel since Muscle Media 2000 days...

I'm 50 and have sustained a 1 cm inguinal hernia with some adipose tissue exposed but no bowel or intestinal bulge.
Setting up a surgical consult next.

I'm looking for a couple things from this amazing community, mostly, reassurance all will be OK in the end:

#1.) Who's gone through hernia surgery already and is back in action swinging heavy bells? If so, did you get the mesh?

#2.) What kind of training did you do before your surgery and what did your rehab look like? How long was it before you we're back to Deadlifts and heavy swings?

#3.) What modifications (if any) did you make to your diet/nutrition?

Thank you in advance for your input, guidance and feedback!
Click to expand...
Good luck, you've got this! I haven't had a hernia, but I did have two abdominal surgeries this spring with in a month of each other where the recovery involved no lifting to prevent a hernia at surgery sites.

1. Back to lifting 6 weeks after 2nd surgery. Started with a week of warm-up weights only. After the first week I started a light Easy Strength cycle to hit all the movements.

2. Before training I was deadlifting, squatting, and KB snatching often. Didn't get to prep for surgeries, it was all sudden. I had the first surgery in early March, second in early April was back to lifting last week in May. I haven't done a max effort deadlift yet, but that's more goals than ability related.

3. No modifications to diet, I was and still am carnivore throughout the whole ordeal. Minus taking a week off around the second surgery when everyone was bringing comfort food meals.

Other thing I'll add, when I got the clearance to walk at a brisk pace I did so. Often. I live on a hill, I walked up and down the hill repeatedly almost daily. Once I got the doc to agree that I could lift light weights so long as I didn't brace, I rucked the hill with a 20lb sack. I also rode an airdyne bike at a very comfortable/easy pace in front of the T.V. Staying as active as I could helped with recovery big time.

You'll be down for recovery for a while, that doesn't mean you have to give up movement completely. Find out what you are allowed/able to do movement wise and move. You've got this.
 
In 2020 I was doing Jefferson Deadlifts & the next morning intense pain at my bellybutton. I had umbilical repair with mesh and did nothing for a few weeks. Then I began weight training with a 5 lbs. Kettlebell just doing things like overhead press and Romanian deadlift. Then every few days I went up very slowly to 8 -10 -12-15-18-20-22-25 lbs. Then I started over with 5-lbs doing actual Kettlebell moves like Swings and Get Ups. About 6-months later when I thought I was all healed I tried bench press and noticed how much pain, pressure and stretching it caused on my abs. At that point I just decided I was finished with Barbells and sold my bars, plates, racks, on Craiglist. It was during the Plandemic lockdowns so I got a good price on everything.

I would say it was at least 1 year before I was back swinging a 70 lbs. Kettlebell. Now I stick to Kettlebells and Heavy Clubs. If you want to go back to Deadlifting Heavy...wait ONE YEAR. Take that year to ever so slowly build up to it. And realize that the "block" you create when lifting heavy is Intra Abdominal pressure that can blow your organs out your sides (and back side).

So don't be in a hurry.
 
Bilateral inguinal hernia, I opted to have both sides done at the same time. Went with mesh and non ortho (regular) surgical approach.

Took a couple months to get back 100%, with ongoing scar pain that subsided over the following year or two.
 
3 surgeries, twice on the right side. Reoccurance. Do the mesh, don't do one without a mesh (that was my first one on the right side). Recovery is one month long - then start building up from a light load.
I had both - regular and laparoscopic. I can't really say which one was better. Recovery was easier on the laparoscopic one. But on the long run - it does not matter.
Take your time to recover - you will be back before you know it.
Diet does not matter. Strength will come back.
 
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