Open Groin Hernia Repair
Information for pre & post operative care
What to expect during and after your surgery…
Anaesthetic
You will be having a full general anaesthetic for your surgery. If you have had any issues with post-operative nausea and vomiting in the past, or you have drug allergies, or have previously experienced anaesthetic complications, please inform your Anaesthetist prior to surgery, at the time of interview with them.
The anaesthetist will provide a separate quote prior to surgery for their services.
Your anaesthetist will provide a prescription for post-operative pain relief and nausea, if required.
Operation
During the operation, Dr Borrowdale will make a cut into your groin on the side of your hernia/s. This is usually 7-10cm long. It will be closed with dissolving sutures.
Recovery
Following the operation, most patients wake up very comfortable and with minimal pain. To reduce pain, local anaesthetic is added to the incisions during the operation, as well as inside your groin where the hernias have been repaired.
The recovery nurses will make you completely comfortable with extra pain relief as needed. You will be given something to eat and drink once you are fully awake. You will then either be discharged or kept in hospital overnight (depending on your age, health, and practical considerations such as time of day, available transport, and support etc).
Dressing
You will have dressings on your abdomen. Please leave them until the nurse removes them in the practice rooms in 5-7 days. If they become wet, they can be removed and a Band-Aid (or similar over the counter dressing) can be used to place over the wound (the steri-strip dressing should be left in place if this occurs).
Pain Relief
The following two to three days can be quite sore and you will need some pain relief. You will receive a prescription for *Endone and you can also take ibuprofen (trade name -Nurofen) with food, or paracetamol (Panadol) as required. Please remember that Endone can cause constipation…
If you are taking more than one or two Endone a day, we recommend taking one to two Coloxyl tablets with the Endone or having daily Movicol to prevent constipation. These medications are available over the counter at your pharmacy.
Please be mindful that it is easier and much more comfortable to prevent constipation than to treat it afterwards.
Please discuss any special analgesia issues with the anaesthetist prior to your surgery.
Bowels
Following your surgery, your bowels can be sluggish. This is normal and will improve over the first five days. You can eat a normal diet at this time.
Activity
We advise that the best way to recover, after hernia repair surgery, is that you rest for the first 2 - 3 days, then gently resume normal activity. The hernia repair will not be damaged by normal everyday activities but avoid significant heavy strain (eg. lifting furniture, heavy boxes etc). Walking, shopping, light cycling on a fixed bike, and light household duties are all reasonable in the first week or two. It is important to get moving after the first couple of days, as this will aid recovery.
Driving
You cannot drive yourself home from the hospital. You can drive again when you are moving normally, are no longer taking any opioid pain relief (Endone) and can fully control a vehicle. This time is different for every patient but will usually take a few days.
Sport
There are no restrictions on sporting activity after 6 weeks. Prior to that, we suggest introducing sporting activities gradually and gently, and to follow the simple rule…if it hurts, don’t do it. It is normal to have the occasional twinges while twisting or straining for the first 3 months, and this will particularly occur when resuming sports, and is nothing to be concerned about.
Nurse
After discharge, please call Northside General Surgeons rooms, ph. (07) 3910 5150 to make an appointment with Dr Borrowdale’s Nurse Practitioner, Elaine. She is available on Fridays. Please make the appointment for the week after your surgery. The nurse will remove your wound dressing and answer any questions that you may have.
Common Post-Operative Issues
Bruising: bruising can extend to the penis and scrotum or labia as minor ooze gets pulled downwards by gravity, but it is generally painless and disappears after a week or so.
Swelling in wound: if there has been a large hernia repair, the area where the sac was present will fill with fluid. This is called a seroma. This fluid becomes encased after a week or so and will take 4-8 weeks to disappear but always goes away completely. It may be tense and tender.
Complications & Risks
Open groin hernia surgery is very safe, and Dr Borrowdale has many years of experience as a specialist surgeon. He performs this operation weekly, throughout the year. Unfortunately, no surgery is risk free.
Complications are rare and can include the following…
- Internal bleeding
- Chronic pain
- Damage to bowel and bladder
- Infection
- Wound problems
- Nerve injury
- Testicular injury
- Bowel obstruction
- Anaesthetic complication recurrence