My Upcoming Surgery

[LongBlade]

Thanks again fellas for all - prayer, thoughts etc etc ....

At least now 6 days post surgery I am taking a short walk everyday, up and sitting most of the day, trying to stay "active" without overdoing or using my "core" as I was told (so active but not really active if you know what I mean) - you don't know how often you use your core muscles until you can't ... no doubt still not exactly "comfy" but again today was only day 6 post surgery - it will take time to heal as discussed... I am staying positive in many ways...

Charlie - Thanks and actually glad you didn't post that before the surgery... the surgeon had warned me a few weeks ago and right before the surgery that I was going to be in pain especially the few days afterwards - and to stay on the pain meds and ahead of the pain - that I did especially the first 3-4 days and now taking much less strong pain meds & basically predominately advil every 5 hrs... yes indeed mucking with your rectus muscles is no fun... amazing how this was outpatient and that is fairly new and only possible since the technique starting using long acting local anesthetics internally before closing up w/ enough time to get me home and onto the pain meds...

Hey Jerry - "Milking it"... actually my wife is great and has been taking good care of me - she knows that I am not one to sit back and I never sit still, just not my nature - so she knows when I am not well or unable to do certain things that I am for real .. so no need to milk it... at least right now

[djknife13]

Speaking of milk, remember a gallon is about 3 lbs. more than you are suppose to lift for the first couple weeks. I found out everything I own pretty much weighed more than I was suppose to lift. My hernia surgery took longer to stop hurting than most, but it's been just over 2 months and I'm carrying ladders and scaffold ends and planks and installing windows. I still have to be careful to not screw it up. You are definitely over the worst part but just into the temptation to screw it up part.____Dave

[jerryd6818]

Dave, water weighs 8½ pounds to the gallon (look it up) and milk is really nothing more that flavored water so.........

They told me, nothing heavier than a gallon of milk for the first couple of weeks. I had very little pain after the first day. Guess I was just lucky.

[LongBlade]

Thanks Dave and Jerry... truth is every hernia is different and as such we all recover at slightly different rates - amount of cutting and exactly where it is done and how (mesh is most common), and accordingly the amount of time to feeling well (healing completely) is going to be different to a degree... but on the other hand as you say Dave you can be tempted to screw it up when you are comfortable... I was told anytime you use your "core" muscles in my case and probably same even for lower hernias you are going to feel it - I do - and they said don't use them at all if you can avoid it as it doesn't help in feeling better sooner - in fact it delays healing if you use them - tough to do !!! So sometimes you easily forget when comfortable and one wrong move and that searing pain under incision site kicks in and opens your eyes .... The surgeons asst makes me laugh (which hurts too as does coughing, sneezing ) - she said "stay active but don't be active" ... point is don't be laying around - no marathons, weight lifting etc etc... do what you can and walking is good but no using core muscles even bending to pick something off of floor etc etc... I haven't mentioned it but had some back issues and strengthening my core to resolve that made the hernia worse - so needed that repaired before I could work seriously on strengthening my back by core muscles!! Talk about a catch-22...