Hernia - How many days do you lose?

[Cirrus]

I'll be going in for a Hernia op shortly.

From experience, how many days do you think I'll need off?

The Internet talks about 1-2 weeks but that's for permie trash. Can a tough con (zero time off sick in 40 years) crawl back into work the next day?

[NotAllThere]

I had laparoscopic surgery for an inguinal hernia. In early on a Friday morning for surgery at 8:30am. They made me stay overnight because they gave me morphine for post-op pain (against my request) which made me nauseous. Saturday and Sunday I was a bit under the weather. Monday back on site.

Don't lift anything heavier than about 5kg for three weeks after the op.

[PurpleGorilla]

I'll be going in for a Hernia op shortly.

From experience, how many days do you think I'll need off?

The Internet talks about 1-2 weeks but that's for permie trash. Can a tough con (zero time off sick in 40 years) crawl back into work the next day?

zero time off sick in 40 years!

[barrydidit]

There was a Dr on radio 4 only yesterday afternoon addressing just this point (about half 3 if you want to listen again). He said traditional advice was bed rest but he encouraged his patients to get back out and doing as soon as possible. No contact sports, but do whatever you would normally do whilst it wasn't too uncomfortable. I imagine that would include invoicing. Good luck

[Antman]

From Inside Health on radio 4 this Tuesday:-

Porter

I mean the other thing that’s changed is our attitude towards rest, I mean we used to put people in bed and leave them there and we now try and get them up and up and about as soon as possible because being in bed is not good for you, particularly if you’re older.

Markham

No, that’s true and I do a lot of hernia surgery and always the tradition had been with hernias that you rested for several weeks before you even lifted a coffee cup almost. I now tell my patients you can go and do as much as you want, as soon as you like, as long as you don’t do contact sport or anything particularly crazy like that. And I think there’s really good, maybe only anecdotal, evidence that people who get going early do much better because they don’t wait until they’re sort of so stiff from lack of activity that then activity becomes itself a problem. So I’m very keen that people don’t rest more than they – I mean clearly they have to rest a little but not over-rest for sure.

[DimPrawn]

The hardest bit might be driving (pressing brakes and clutch) straight after the op if the tear was under your bollox.

[stek]

The hardest bit might be driving (pressing brakes and clutch) straight after the op if the tear was under your bollox.

What's this clutch thing of which you speak?

[ChimpMaster]

I had a bilateral inguinal hernia op around 10 years ago. It wasn't laparoscopic but I still was in/out on the same day - awesome private hospital treatment.

WFH for a few days and you'll be fine; I think I did 2 weeks at home but I did play it out and could easily have gone in after 3 or 4 days. Painkillers are the norm for a few days and but otherwise you'll be OK, just don't lift anything heavy or walk/run for ages.

Avoid NHS if you can, else they'll keep you in deliberately so that they can massage their figures to try and get more funding. My mum was in for 10 days recently and 70% of it was a waste of time.

[covbob]

I was sore for about a week after mine but up and around doing things after a few days.

The biggest problem I found was trying to take a tulip - both the sitting down/standing up and trying to push it out without overstraining the parts of me which had just been stitched up. My best advice is to either modify your diet or take something to keep you regular - saves a lot of hassle.

[saptastic]

I'll be going in for a Hernia op shortly.

From experience, how many days do you think I'll need off?

The Internet talks about 1-2 weeks but that's for permie trash. Can a tough con (zero time off sick in 40 years) crawl back into work the next day?

Depends on whether it is key hole surgery or they have to open you up.
Ask your consultant.
Key hole recovery is much quicker.