Inguinal hernia - living with, exercises to do
Discussion
Hi,
So, I have a confimed inguinal hernia following a visit to the GP yesterday, my first visit to the GP in my memory of the 40 years on this planet, however I'm told the threshold to even refer for one of these is extremely high, post covid waiting lists, i.e debilitating to the point that you can't walk or toilet etc. so until that happens I have to live with it. Doctor inspected and didn't feel it needed to be sorted, also noted there is a high failure rate after surgery anyway and that mine was the lower risk one (direct v indirect).
Fortunately I am not at that point of debilitation and can still go on my runs (say 6-10km x4 a week) and walk the dog (1hr + x2 a day).
I think the hernia has been there a long time and never really bothered me now i think back. However recently, say over the last 3 months, I have incorporated some bodyweight exercises into my day to day to day routine - 50 pressups, 50 squats, 50 leg raisers, 90 biceip curls with 10kilo weights (nothing mega), 1min plank - just to try and make myself more resilient to injury. I did these everyday, in hindsight probably should have had rest days, but I didn't feel the work out was that hard - took less than 10mins!
Since doing the bodyweight exercises I have noticed the hernia more, pokes out on runs and walks and i have to push it back in. Up and until stopping the body weight exercises I was getting pain at the hernia site when running, walking and standing for excess hours (i.e 3hrs + watching kids play sport). Pushing it back relieved most of the pain, the pain did mean I would have to sit down and stop what I am doing. The pain element has now stopped and there is jsut a pullling/drag sensation now.
My main concern and prompt for this thread is that I am trying to lose weight and have lost 7kilo this year from running and cycling and some diet control, I have had a couple of setbacks i.e. going on holiday where i gained weight but overall 7kilo is the loss, my BMI is obese - 100 kilo / 178cm tall, i carry it on my tummy/love handles but the rest of me is normal, so i carry the fat in the worst place for long term health. Before covid and when I worked on site in an office i used to cycle to work everyday and also did rides at the weekend. I was 75-80kilo back then but cycling 200+km per week. That is not possible with the life i have today (wfh, kids older and more busy with ferrying them about) so I have been looking at diet which has helped with weight loss compounded with regular exercise.
I'm keen for this hernia to not be a set back for my goals, I've seen a few videos of people "curing" (I did not think that was possible) their henias from exercises, has anyone got any real life experience? What about the body weight exercises, should I stop completely or just to it say 3 times a week instead? I need to remain active to lose the weight. Perhaps waiting until I am lighter before commencing bodyweight exercises would be more sensible. Logically being overweight won't help the hernia, assume it will be pushed out more due to the extra 25 kilo i am carrying also, so loosing weight should theoritically help reduce the impact of the hernia?
There is a family weakness - my dad had two hernias operated on last year (doesn't live in this country though) and my brother had the same as me done 20 years ago on the NHS after lifting very heavy weights.
Cheers
So, I have a confimed inguinal hernia following a visit to the GP yesterday, my first visit to the GP in my memory of the 40 years on this planet, however I'm told the threshold to even refer for one of these is extremely high, post covid waiting lists, i.e debilitating to the point that you can't walk or toilet etc. so until that happens I have to live with it. Doctor inspected and didn't feel it needed to be sorted, also noted there is a high failure rate after surgery anyway and that mine was the lower risk one (direct v indirect).
Fortunately I am not at that point of debilitation and can still go on my runs (say 6-10km x4 a week) and walk the dog (1hr + x2 a day).
I think the hernia has been there a long time and never really bothered me now i think back. However recently, say over the last 3 months, I have incorporated some bodyweight exercises into my day to day to day routine - 50 pressups, 50 squats, 50 leg raisers, 90 biceip curls with 10kilo weights (nothing mega), 1min plank - just to try and make myself more resilient to injury. I did these everyday, in hindsight probably should have had rest days, but I didn't feel the work out was that hard - took less than 10mins!
Since doing the bodyweight exercises I have noticed the hernia more, pokes out on runs and walks and i have to push it back in. Up and until stopping the body weight exercises I was getting pain at the hernia site when running, walking and standing for excess hours (i.e 3hrs + watching kids play sport). Pushing it back relieved most of the pain, the pain did mean I would have to sit down and stop what I am doing. The pain element has now stopped and there is jsut a pullling/drag sensation now.
My main concern and prompt for this thread is that I am trying to lose weight and have lost 7kilo this year from running and cycling and some diet control, I have had a couple of setbacks i.e. going on holiday where i gained weight but overall 7kilo is the loss, my BMI is obese - 100 kilo / 178cm tall, i carry it on my tummy/love handles but the rest of me is normal, so i carry the fat in the worst place for long term health. Before covid and when I worked on site in an office i used to cycle to work everyday and also did rides at the weekend. I was 75-80kilo back then but cycling 200+km per week. That is not possible with the life i have today (wfh, kids older and more busy with ferrying them about) so I have been looking at diet which has helped with weight loss compounded with regular exercise.
I'm keen for this hernia to not be a set back for my goals, I've seen a few videos of people "curing" (I did not think that was possible) their henias from exercises, has anyone got any real life experience? What about the body weight exercises, should I stop completely or just to it say 3 times a week instead? I need to remain active to lose the weight. Perhaps waiting until I am lighter before commencing bodyweight exercises would be more sensible. Logically being overweight won't help the hernia, assume it will be pushed out more due to the extra 25 kilo i am carrying also, so loosing weight should theoritically help reduce the impact of the hernia?
There is a family weakness - my dad had two hernias operated on last year (doesn't live in this country though) and my brother had the same as me done 20 years ago on the NHS after lifting very heavy weights.
Cheers
VeeReihenmotor6 said:
I'm keen for this hernia to not be a set back for my goals, I've seen a few videos of people "curing" (I did not think that was possible) their henias from exercises, has anyone got any real life experience? What about the body weight exercises, should I stop completely or just to it say 3 times a week instead? I need to remain active to lose the weight. Perhaps waiting until I am lighter before commencing bodyweight exercises would be more sensible. Logically being overweight won't help the hernia, assume it will be pushed out more due to the extra 25 kilo i am carrying also, so loosing weight should theoritically help reduce the impact of the hernia?
I had an inguinal and umbilical hernia.As usual, age gets blamed a lot, but really it comes down to core and pelvic floor weakness - creativetouchrotherham.co.uk/.../male-pelvic-floor-issues - which doesn't get talked about nearly enough in men's health.
Lose fat & strengthen your pelvic floor. Kegels work for men too.
Excuse the low quality pic from our camera system, but this was from earlier this year. 3x 60' trees carried from where I felled them to the wood store in a day. Age be damned - the carnivore diet resets what it means to be getting old in my experience. I reckon we can call those hernias 'cured'?
Damn, I'm going to have to watch that again tonight now
Bloody hell!
So inguinal and umbilical hernias can cure themselves can they, eh? Tell that to a hernia surgeon!
So Veerea you're pushing your inguinal hernia back in? Mine would 'plop' back in if led down flat.
However, it will 'not' cure itself! It needs to be 'repaired'.
I am gobsmacked a GP sends you away, but not surprised.
As for heavy lifting, that's just about the last thing you should be doing without a fitted support! Lifting is considered one of the main risk factors once you get a hernia. You do realise that if incarcerated (it doesn't go back in), it can strangulate, then you can suddenly find you become an 'emergency' - yes, it can be life-threatening!
While 'waiting' for an operation, or even if you decide not to have an op, then at least get yourself a 'hernia' support or belt, then you can carry on without so much risk.
They are available widely online. You can even get hernia 'pants' today that holds the hernia in place while waiting for an operation.
Like Craig, I've also had two inguinal hernias to date.
First was right-hand-side open surgery when I was just 18 yrs old, for which I still bear the 6-inch outer scar after repair in a military hospital in the 1960s. Many patients were given that option back then to have their operation in a military hospital if wait was considered too long to have it done in a civvy hospital. The military hospital option meant I could go in days not wait months. Few today know this was available back then.
My stay in the Princess Alexandria RAF hospital near Swindon was a fortnight. That hospital is of course long gone.
The RAF surgeon quipped as I left hospital back then that my left-side would herniate at some point in the future.
He was spot on, it did, but it was almost 50 yrs later in 2016!
Today an inguinal hernia op is usually very straightforward and in/out in hours!
My left-side hernia was repaired with 'mesh' (which is the norm today) - all done and on my way being driven back home in a couple hours - and I have less than a 1-inch scar, now barely visible unlike my 1960s 6-inch scar, still highly visible.
I had the mesh op under a 'Local anaesthetic' privately as soon as I discovered that was an option, 'little to no risk' unlike a 'General anaesthetic', and I chatted to the surgeon while laying there on the op table - as he repaired it!
I'm a bit flabbergasted about the doctor taking this lightly, hernias can get to be very dangerous and a personal family experience proves it as my grandfather died due to a strangulated hernia so when I had my first hernia I got it sorted within days. I was lucky as I was living in France at the time so I was treated very quickly and like the above poster the surgeon said that the other side would herniate before long. Roll forward 4 years and back in the UK and the other side went, went to the doctor and he said that it would be a very long time before I could get it repaired on the NHS as the waiting lists were very long. I decided to get it sorted privately which cost me £3,500 in all but it was all sorted within a month. Do not take this lightly and get it sorted asap if you can afford it.
PS The first surgery in France was "open-cut" with an epidural and the second in the UK was "keyhole" with full anaesthesia and both were mesh repairs.
PS The first surgery in France was "open-cut" with an epidural and the second in the UK was "keyhole" with full anaesthesia and both were mesh repairs.
Thanks for the replies. Interesting responses, so, how do I push the GP to do something about it? She inspected with me both lying down and standing, did cough test. It does go back in when lying down. We talked about it's impact on my life - I told her it hurts to the point i have to stop or sit down when i walk / run long distances & stand for long periods until i push against it.
Tbh since giving the bodyweight exercises a rest I no longer notice it and haven't had to do anything with it for about 5 days now and I have run for 1hr+ on 2 occassions and done at 10k steps walking the dog on each day.
Tbh since giving the bodyweight exercises a rest I no longer notice it and haven't had to do anything with it for about 5 days now and I have run for 1hr+ on 2 occassions and done at 10k steps walking the dog on each day.
Had mine done 15 or so years ago. At that time it was an operation that you could Opt out of NHS and go privately. Or i think the term was elective surgery. I'm not sure if this is the case now or is by area to area. I got the local GP to refer me to the the nearby private Hospital, part of the Spire group. Then did the whole thing privately but on NHS. The referral from the local GP is the bit you need to be pushy over, i think the NHS website or your GP will have further info.
I had mine repaired privately for less than 2k at the London Hernia Centre. I can’t see how a mesh repair can physically fail although I do get occasional discomfort in the area.
Prior to thr op I wore a hernia support belt which had a protrusion which pushes on the area to reduce the risk of it popping out. Worked surprisingly well.
Prior to thr op I wore a hernia support belt which had a protrusion which pushes on the area to reduce the risk of it popping out. Worked surprisingly well.
Badda said:
I had mine repaired privately for less than 2k at the London Hernia Centre. I can’t see how a mesh repair can physically fail although I do get occasional discomfort in the area.
Prior to thr op I wore a hernia support belt which had a protrusion which pushes on the area to reduce the risk of it popping out. Worked surprisingly well.
That is not bad cost wise, I have seen locally i can get it done for approx £3.5k in one of the Cambridge clinics. I'm shopping around at the moment and have resigned myself to having to pay for this privately.Prior to thr op I wore a hernia support belt which had a protrusion which pushes on the area to reduce the risk of it popping out. Worked surprisingly well.
But first, my wife is a specialist nurse and has worked in a London hospital for 23 years, she's looking for a contact I could be referred to in the short term as last throw of the NHS dice.
I had surgery from one in 2018, it was causing havok through my groin and into my backside - down my piriformis. It was down to playing 5-a-side and powerlifting.
Had the mesh inserted through keyhole (which absolutely butchered my perfect looking bellybutton btw) and was out of hospital within hours really.
Surprisingly I have a high pain threshold but for some reason it was torture trying to get out of bed for a few days!
Pain in my groin and referred pain was gone for around 3 years, but in 2021 I started suffering from the piriformis pain again, strangely whenever I lay flat on a hard surface, but not on a bed?
I avoid doing anything that triggers my piriformis pain but the groin has been spot on ever since, so my success is a little varied!
My doc told me the mesh is good for 10 years and after that, there's chance of failure with each year, you can take that with a pinch of salt as I am sure everyone will have a different experience or been told something different!
Keep complaining, and if you can afford to, go private. Surgery isn't always the best option, but sometimes its the most beneficial one to your circumstances, only you can decide that.
Had the mesh inserted through keyhole (which absolutely butchered my perfect looking bellybutton btw) and was out of hospital within hours really.
Surprisingly I have a high pain threshold but for some reason it was torture trying to get out of bed for a few days!
Pain in my groin and referred pain was gone for around 3 years, but in 2021 I started suffering from the piriformis pain again, strangely whenever I lay flat on a hard surface, but not on a bed?
I avoid doing anything that triggers my piriformis pain but the groin has been spot on ever since, so my success is a little varied!
My doc told me the mesh is good for 10 years and after that, there's chance of failure with each year, you can take that with a pinch of salt as I am sure everyone will have a different experience or been told something different!
Keep complaining, and if you can afford to, go private. Surgery isn't always the best option, but sometimes its the most beneficial one to your circumstances, only you can decide that.
axel1990chp said:
I had surgery from one in 2018, it was causing havok through my groin and into my backside - down my piriformis. It was down to playing 5-a-side and powerlifting.
Had the mesh inserted through keyhole (which absolutely butchered my perfect looking bellybutton btw) and was out of hospital within hours really.
Surprisingly I have a high pain threshold but for some reason it was torture trying to get out of bed for a few days!
Pain in my groin and referred pain was gone for around 3 years, but in 2021 I started suffering from the piriformis pain again, strangely whenever I lay flat on a hard surface, but not on a bed?
I avoid doing anything that triggers my piriformis pain but the groin has been spot on ever since, so my success is a little varied!
My doc told me the mesh is good for 10 years and after that, there's chance of failure with each year, you can take that with a pinch of salt as I am sure everyone will have a different experience or been told something different!
Keep complaining, and if you can afford to, go private. Surgery isn't always the best option, but sometimes its the most beneficial one to your circumstances, only you can decide that.
Cheers for sharing, well balanaced. For me weekends are when I get pain - on feet all day either running, walking, doing DIY, standing, cooking. By the evening whilst cooking I have to sit down for a couple of mins and pain is gone. Had the mesh inserted through keyhole (which absolutely butchered my perfect looking bellybutton btw) and was out of hospital within hours really.
Surprisingly I have a high pain threshold but for some reason it was torture trying to get out of bed for a few days!
Pain in my groin and referred pain was gone for around 3 years, but in 2021 I started suffering from the piriformis pain again, strangely whenever I lay flat on a hard surface, but not on a bed?
I avoid doing anything that triggers my piriformis pain but the groin has been spot on ever since, so my success is a little varied!
My doc told me the mesh is good for 10 years and after that, there's chance of failure with each year, you can take that with a pinch of salt as I am sure everyone will have a different experience or been told something different!
Keep complaining, and if you can afford to, go private. Surgery isn't always the best option, but sometimes its the most beneficial one to your circumstances, only you can decide that.
I do think loosing weight, my BMI is 30.6, will help but we'll see how it pans out. I am motivated at least to limit portion sizes and no snacking at least.
Some progress with the NHS, not via my wife, but went back today as had awful pain whilst standing watching fireworks meaning I had to go and find a bench to sit on to recover. They are sending me for an ultrascan.
Standing for long periods is an issue. Oddly running, just back from a 1hr 20 run, has largely been fine. I feel it a little occassionally but nothing really.
Standing for long periods is an issue. Oddly running, just back from a 1hr 20 run, has largely been fine. I feel it a little occassionally but nothing really.
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