A bit more than a month ago, I had inguinal hernia surgery after almost a year of waiting on the waiting list... So, I had time to prepare myself for it... The process intensified somewhere in June, when I was called to do standard pre-operation tests... Luckily (or unfortunately 😃), everything was fine, and I was ready to undergo the surgery... The date was July 22nd, 2026...
Created on Canva.com, using my wife's photo as a background - still smiling, BEFORE the operation
This was my second surgery, after the appendix "removal" 35 years ago, and this time, I got the second cut, on the other side (now I'm symmetrical 😃)... There were two options for the surgery: laparoscopy - less invasive, fast recovery, but with the possibility of having the same problem in a few years, and classic surgery - "Lichtenstein operation" (don't look here if you are too sensitive 😃), which means more complicated surgery, regular cut, and longer recovery, but with almost zero chance of having the same issue in the future... Well, seeing how long I was absent from HIVE, you can guess which one I had... Lichtenstein...
My wife's photo - AFTER the operation... No smiling...😃
Regarding the surgery, I was a bit freaked out... As my last (and only one) was 35 years ago when I was a kid with total anesthesia, this time, I was told it would be local anesthesia, and I would be awake during the operation... I suppose that sounded scarier than all the cutting, sewing, and whatever else happened... 😃 Luckily, when I was on the operating table, they gave me so many sedatives that I don't remember anything... The thing that nobody was talking about is RECOVERY...
Before the operation, I was told that they would release me from the hospital the very next day (sometimes they do it the same day), which I (naively) understood meant that the surgery isn't a big deal, and I would be OK in 2-3 days... Oh, how wrong was I... 🙂
Don't open this if you are sensitive to wounds, human flesh, blood...
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My wife's photo - the cut
The morning after the operation, the surgeon came to my room and told me how everything went OK, and how they would release me in an hour or so, after the nurses changed the bandage... She also said that there would be no checkups at all and that the wound was sewn from the inside, and there was no need to take out the threads... If I had long, prolonged, unbearable pains, I should come to the E.R., and that's it... Okay, no big deal... Easy-peasy... I thought... Btw., all that happened in less than 24 hours after the operation... I felt fairly good, but still on painkillers... It was time to go home...
I was expecting more issues with climbing stairs to the 3rd floor, but surprisingly it was relatively okay... The first day or two, I had issues with getting up from the bed, which was something that stayed a problem for the first 2 weeks... If you checked that nasty link, you saw that along with the cut, they did some muscle moving and did some internal sewing... A lot of moving parts + UFO (unidentified foreign 😀 object) is sewn to my body from the inside... The first body reaction is to eliminate the object, which means inflammation... But, in my case, that was expected, and that's how this works...
Something that I still feel (probably because of the synthetic mesh) is the feeling of numbness in the inguinal area... The first days after the operation, the numb area was pretty wide, and as time was passing by, it was shrinking... But very slowly... Keep that in mind...
After those first pains, I began to have new moments in recovery... Somewhere around the first 10 days, I realized that the recovery would take a bit more time... As I didn't have any information from my medics, my main doctor was AI... Every time I would have some doubt, I would ask if that's normal or unusual... Should I check with the doctor, or stay at home and rest... Actually, my AI chat history is helping me out with writing this post...
Having fresh cut means additional caution with doing anything... What is the best position to sleep? How to avoid sneezing and coughing? (Believe me, you don't want to do that in the first days) And the worst thing of all, going to the toilet... I don't want to go into details regarding that, but all those drugs that you are getting during (and after) the surgery, plus lack of physical activity, don't help at all... I'm still not sure if my fear of hurting the wound, or all the other mentioned reasons, was the main reason for having a really hard time... My recommendation if you run into a similar problem... Try 2 kiwis in the morning, or some less aggressive laxative drugs (consult your doctor), and don't delay it... Every new day will make it worse...
My doctor told me that I should start walking after 3-4 days in the house, and slowly go out for longer walks... That didn't happen... lol... I went out of the house for a walk almost 10 days after the operation! I wasn't ready to do it earlier...
I mentioned the numbness and how the area was shrinking... Well, I noticed the biggest difference only after the 4th week! Yes, you read it right... I still have the feeling, but it's much easier to live with than before... During all this time, that numbness was provoking different pains... Somewhere around 2-3 weeks, I could more easily get up from bed, but I began to feel more pain in my testicle... All that area became even more sensitive than before, which I found strange and worrying... After another AI consultation, it looked like it was normal, aka checking that external link where images show a lot of moving parts inside the body during the operation...
The place around the wound is still slightly swollen, and I can notice the difference between the two sides... That's also normal, and you shouldn't worry about it, except if it doesn't change color (turns red) or grow in size rapidly... Sometimes, you will maybe think it's bigger than the day before, but it could be just the water (there is a medical term I forgot) under the skin moving from one part to another... Which is also normal, and the body will slowly absorb the water...
During the operation, a lot of nerves are cut, and muscles are damaged... All that have to recover and come back to normal... So, when I went for walks for the first time (around 2 weeks after), I had another "interesting" pain... I had maybe a 15-20 minute walk, which after I had the pain that you have after an intensive run (out of shape)... Has nothing to do with the wound, but because of that, I wasn't able to go for a walk the next day!
After 3 weeks, my skin in the surgery area became even more sensitive... It felt itchy, and I had a feeling like after a skin burn... It was very uncomfortable to wear anything... It was another moment for asking an AI what to do... And not sure if it was because of its suggestion, or it was just a coincidence, but I felt another, and probably the worst kind of pain (in my recovery)...
AI suggested showering the area with cold water for 30 sec, then switching to normal temperature, and repeating the process... While showering, I did feel relief, but when I went back to sleep, I had 5-6 severe pains, like stabbing, or getting an electric shock... Or, if you had a toothache and your dentist would hit exactly into your nerve... Ouch...
As I said, I'm not sure if those things were connected (cold shower and the pain), and I didn't connect them when it happened... I skipped the showering method the next day, and it didn't happen... The day after, I did the cold shower thing, and had even worse pains, which made me think... lol... Learned my lesson and didn't repeat the cold shower... After checking an AI (again), it looks like when nerves are "reconnecting", some of them are "overly sensitive," which can cause exactly this feeling...
A few tips if you are (will) going through a similar recovery:
Don't force yourself and your body too much... When you feel the pain, stop doing what you are doing... When you scratch your arm, it could take days and weeks to recover... You got torn apart, cut, and sewn in multiple places; a lot of tissue and muscles are damaged... Our body does miracles, but it needs time...
Have a lot of patience... Don't expect to run after a day... First, you have to learn to get up and walk...
I would suggest using rosehip oil after taking off the bandage until you fully recover! It will avoid additional pain from a dried scab...
I wasn't able to sit for almost 3 weeks... Find the pose that suits you and make your body comfortable... Some simple actions can get you tired... I remember that every shower was like running a marathon... Still not sure why, but I suppose my other muscles were trying to take over the duties and made the whole thing so tiring...
Have someone to help you... I wouldn't be able to go through all this without my wife's help! 🙏
Why did I do this post? Well, these 5 weeks were a big rollercoaster of emotions for me... Not just physically, through different pains, but also mentally... After experiencing new pains over time, I was on the edge of despair, losing hope that it would ever be better... Of course, that makes no sense, but when you are beaten down over and over again, it's harder and harder to keep your spirits up...
Because of all that, I wrote this post... To share my experience and maybe help some of you who are going through similar things... You will probably have different feelings, but having your recovery expectations low(er) could help with your mental health... Also, realizing what is "normal" and what's not is always good to know!
And don't forget... You will get better! Have a fast recovery and all the best!
Thank you for your time.
--ph--
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