The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes about 30 minutes (less than an hour for a repair to both sides). Your surgeon will make a small cut on or near your belly button so they can insert an instrument in your abdominal cavity to inflate it with gas (carbon dioxide).
Your surgeon will make a few small incisions (cuts) in your abdomen. They will inflate your abdomen with air so they can see your organs. Your surgeon will put a thin, lighted scope (tube) called a laparoscope through the incision. They' will put tools to fix the hernia through the other incisions.
With laparoscopic surgery, there is minimal pain at the incisions, because the incisions are all tiny. But because the abdomen is filled up with gas during surgery, so the surgeon can see what's going on inside, the sensitive lining of the abdomen is stretched out and sore.
This is due to the gas that is put into your abdomen during the surgery- it will go away in 2-3 days.
Since normal swelling after hernia surgery is part of the healing process, the body can take three to six months to get rid of the swelling.
Fullington perform (for inguinal, umbilical, and small incisional hernias) is about 2 weeks. Many patients feel well enough to perform normal daily activities – including driving and return to work – after only a couple of days, but we restrict patient activity for 2 weeks to allow for adequate healing.
It is our belief that the repair of the rectus diastasis is critical to a good outcome. Not only will it decrease the chance of a hernia recurrence, but will improve your core strength, stop post-pregnancy bulging due to abdominal wall laxity, and create a flatter, more functional muscular abdomen.
At first you may need to rest in bed with your upper body raised on pillows. This helps you breathe easier and may help lessen post-surgery hernia pain.
Walking encourages the peristaltic movement of the bowels, relieving gas and constipation. A heat pack may also provide relief. If you are allowed to drink, hot peppermint tea is a great remedy to help gastrointestinal motility and relieve painful gas pains.
Following your surgery it is common for some people to experience discomfort from bloating and flatulence. Because the operation is a one-way valve, any air or gas which is swallowed cannot easily be belched back. You may find it is worse immediately following the operation, but it often improves over time.
You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day.
Initial intraperitoneal air has been reported to “travel” to various uncommon locations such as the mediastinum, neck and face, and scrotum, retroperitoneally or subcutaneously. As far as post-laparoscopic pneumoperitoneum is concerned, it has been stated that it resolves within 3 days in 81% of the patients.
Bowel Movements
You should be passing gas and have a bowel movement within a few days after surgery and resume your normal bowel routine.
In approximately three-quarters of the patients studied, gas was completely absorbed by 72 h but some patients took up to 9 days to clear the gas completely.
9) Sit on the toilet
Yes! Constipation is a terrible and uncomfortable feeling, especially when you are recovering from hernia surgery and have such little control over your bowels. However, sitting on the toilet can help trigger muscles in your body that says it is time for a bowel movement. Be patient though.
With both surgery types, you may feel pain or soreness for the first 72 hours post-op. You can often manage it with over-the-counter drugs, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen if your hernia was small or in the groin. Most people have less pain after minimally invasive hernia surgery versus open.
The operation usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete and you'll usually be able to go home on the same day. Some people stay in hospital overnight if they have other medical problems or live on their own.
Anesthesia temporarily changes the way you breathe as well as controls any coughing urges during surgery. Some people develop a build-up of mucus in their lungs due to anesthesia and experience pain when they push air out of their nose and mouth or breathe air in.
Importance Urinary catheters are commonly placed during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair as a presumed protection against postoperative urinary retention (PUR), one of the most common complications following this operation.
Repairing a hernia is major surgery. And like so many other types of surgery, hernia repairs have gotten much better for patients over the years, says Leon Clarke, MD, a general surgeon at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital.
It is possible that the repair is still intact and bulging of the mesh causes swelling. Bulging can be the result of an insufficient surgical technique. The problem is more frequently seen after repair of large defects, especially when mesh are used to bridge the defects, and more frequent after laparoscopic repair,,.
VOIDING / URINATING
Occasionally, after surgery, your bladder may become too full with urine, and urinary retention can develop. This may manifest as either: 1) inability to void, 2) frequent voiding, or 3) frequent voiding of small amounts of urine.