hernia - can i carry on riding?

clunkychunky

so last week i found a lump dead centre of my abs. it was only the size of a pea, but was rock hard. saw dr and after an ultrasound he said its a hernia and im being referred for surgery on it (no idea how it happened btw, not done any lifting!).

he told me no heavy lifting etc but he didnt mention cycling (i just didnt think to ask him at the time). would light riding be ok?
been totally fed up of doing nothing the last few days, especially as it isnt painful.

also what will the recovery time be like? he said it should only be keyhole so in and out of hospital the same day. just wondering what steps i will need to take and how long it will be before i can get back in full training.

any advice you be very much appreciated

gaddster

My advice would be ask the doctor..noone here can predict your recovery rate.

springtide9

I would talk to your doctor.. but had a reasonably 'significant' rupture (technical term.... I didn't think it was that bad) about 12 months ago... probably about 30mm in diameter.

On advice from the doctor/specialist, suggested there was no need to give up going to the gym etc.. but needed to avoid any straining.. so didn't do any high impact interval work until the operation.

Didn't have keyhole... so recovery hopefully faster for you.. For the first week after the op I thought I'd never be cycling again. Second week felt almost as bad.

After three weeks.. was much better. 4 weeks, was pretty much back to normal. 6 weeks pretty much full recovery. Recovery was very fast (and I'm in my 40s, so no young guy!)
I asked the doctor when could I go back to full training... he basically said.. you'll know! Basically I think you'll be unlikely to over do it until you are ready. Once you've had the op... you'll understand..

Hope this helps.

onlyonearrow

Best to get advice from your doctor or surgical consultant. Have you seen a consultant yet? In truth the recovery should be fairly quick. Sadly if you are going through NHS, waiting to see a consultant and then waiting for the surgery could likely be the longest stage

I was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia in middle of Feb, this year. Doctor and consultant both said cycling was OK as it shouldn't cause straining, athough I did reduce the distances myself. Had surgery (conventional incision) middle of March (through private cover from work) and was back cycling after 3 weeks, based on consultant's advice. Returned gradually to other sporting acitivties after 5 or 6 weeks.

Even with a conventional incision, you would tend to be in and out in the same day. My consultant said there was little difference in recovery time between keyhole and conventional incision surgery, but he preferred conventinal incision as he felt risks were lower. Your consulatant should discuss all the options/risks. After you get out, rest the first day and then plenty of walking on the flat (helps more even scar tissue healing) in the following days, short toddles at first and work up to longer distances. So you can be reasonably active. After 4 or 5 days I was walking 2 or 3 miles. Stiches (clips) came out after 7 days. I returned to work after 2 weeks.

clunkychunky

thanks for your replies.
i havent seen consultant yet, waiting for the app (nhs so god knows how long that will be).

feeling a bit brighter now i know it may not be a long recovery as i had feared! so thanks for the words.

hopefully will have a miracle and get an app through quick.

i miss my bike!

londonlivvy

I had an umbilical hernia of similar size last year and ignored it for about 3 months until it started to hurt when I rode or ate (most of the time then!) and my boyfriend nagged me into going to the doctor. I have health insurance via work so was lucky enough to be operated within the week.

In summary, it was MUCH more sore for the week immediately afterwards than I had expected, but I recovered more quickly than I expected. I was back on the bike within a couple of weeks, though only doing short rides of 30 mins or so before it started to ache. I was properly back to normal, able to do 4 hour rides etc, within six weeks.

Strangulation of the hernia is the serious, but rare, risk, prior to your op. But like cadseen I kept on riding for 3 months after I noticed the lump... However... as I'm not a medical person and clearly don't even follow medical advice myself, maybe phone NHS Direct and ask them for their advice?

sparkins1972

I had an incisional hernia following an appendicitis that was the size of an orange on the right hand side of my abdomen - I continued to ride and play cricket on doctor's advice and I was fine, but there are several different types of hernia so best to check with your doc.

Good luck with your recovery.

Mrjon113

I was about 2 weeks before i got on the rollers,4 weeks till properley on the road

twinkletash

Hi all.
Long -term lurker, first time poster, here.

Apols for resurrecting a long-dead thread, but I have just finished my recovery from an Umbilical Hernia Repair Op with Mesh and knowing that people tend to post scary negative stories about these procedures more than they post success / plain-sailing stories, I wanted to come back and drop my message of encouragement to anyone who is researching for how the op is going to impact their cycling…

Before my op I got a mixture of scared and confused by the info from cyclists that is available, so here’s my contribution for others who are going through the same experience.
Hope it helps someone.

I wrote a series of blog posts about my recovery period, but the summary is:

Firstly about me:

I am a lean 35 year old male who eats very healthily, doesn’t smoke or drink much alcohol I race at a decent but low amateur level in the UK in TT, Crit, RoadRace & Track disciplines

Secondly, after the op:

I was taking mile-long walks on day two after the op Very gentle turbo spinning started in week 2 Ramped up turbo intensity through weeks 3 and 4 but never to anything maximal First committed outdoor rides started in week 5 Signed off by the Surgeon & Racing successfully by week 6

Here’s the link to the group of blog posts I made on the subject if you want more detail than a forum post can allow!
http://www.formofexpression.com/#!blog/ ... nia-repair

I hope it helps you and f eel free to reply here to ask me specific questions about my experience if you want my view; I know it can be anxiety-inducing when you are waiting to have this op.

ta
dt

foot_loose

I have had an inguinal hernia for about 5 years. It is like a half tennis ball protruding. It does not really give much pain and my GP has to date refused to refer me for surgery. I have been cycling for about last 3 years. No real issues from the hernia at all. A pea size one should not stop you cycling I would not think but best be guided by your doctor!