What to expect from your hernia repair

For many, hernia repair represents a ‘first surgical experience’ and despite some comments in the public domain to the contrary, the post-operative period can be a little uncomfortable and worrying.

People do differ, but following hernia repair at The University Hernia Clinic, in general:

Immediate post-procedure discomfort is countered effectively by local anaesthetic, placed around the wound at the actual time of operation
On the same evening as surgery, medium strength analgesics are required (less common would be the use of an injectable agent such as morphine)
For two or three days afterwards, low to medium strength analgesics, such as Paracetamol or Codydramol (provided by The Hernia Clinic) may be required.

Subsequently, whilst the wound is still healing (which will take a full 6-8 weeks in total), you may notice some mild aching, which may be more obvious with walking, or towards the very end of the day. ‘Pins and needles’-type sensations may be felt, magnified a little perhaps, by your knowledge that something has only recently been done. Very rarely is persistent discomfort felt, passing along the line of the incision, towards the top of the inner thigh.

Early on, if you feel along the line of the incision, at the site of the hernia repair, it is normal to feel a firm ‘sausage’-shaped mass. This represents the ‘healing process’ (with fluid being drawn into the area) and not the hernia coming back! It may take 6-8 weeks to flatten completely. After your follow-up review by the surgeon, the skin around the incision which is healing can be kept soft and supple by applying, for example, E45 cream or Johnson’s Baby Oil twice daily and rubbing it in gently.

Similarly, early on, you may notice an area of numbness around the incision. This occurs because the small nerves providing sensation in the skin have to be cut at the time of the surgery. Inside, another nerve can sometimes get in the way of the operation and may have to be cut. This can result in a small, permanently numb area just at the top of the thigh. Usually, however, after a few weeks, just about all sensation returns to near-normal.

The operation scar often becomes covered by regrowth of hair (previously shaved off just before surgery). The incision is usually 5-6 cm long and, whilst initially it will appear reddish, it will fade with time. The stitch used to close the wound is buried and will dissolve with time. There are no stitches that require read more