You should be able to go home on the day of or the day after your operation. Get an adult to take you home in a car or taxi and follow any instructions you are given in hospital.
You will not feel any pain while your hernia is being repaired, but your groin will feel sore and uncomfortable afterwards. You will be given painkillers to relieve this discomfort.
Looking after yourself
An adult must stay with you for the first 24 hours after your operation.
Follow these tips to ensure your recovery is as quick as possible.
- Follow the instructions your nurse gave you about caring for your wound, hygiene and bathing.
- If you are still in pain, continue taking painkillers as advised by the hospital.
- Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit and high-fibre foods such as brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta. This helps avoid constipation, which may cause pain in your wounds from straining.
- Limit your activities to what you can comfortably handle, but remember that it's important to remain mobile.
- Avoid lifting for two weeks.
Activities
A general anaesthetic (which puts you to sleep during your operation) can affect your coordination and reasoning skills, so avoid alcohol, operating machinery or signing legal documents for at least 48 hours.
Speak to the medical professional who is in charge of your care for advice about when you can drive. It will usually be at least one to two weeks before you can drive after having keyhole surgery and two to six weeks after having open surgery. You must not drive before you are pain free. You may want to contact your car insurance company before returning to the wheel.
It usually takes 10–15 days to get back to activities such as shopping. You may recover faster if you had keyhole surgery.
You should be able to return to work after two to four weeks, depending on the extent of the surgery and your type of work.
Gentle exercise can help the healing process, but avoid heavy lifting or anything too strenuous.
You may find sex painful or uncomfortable at first, but it is fine to have sex when you feel like it.
