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The day before yesterday I had inguinal hernia surgery. That’s where the surgeon cut a four-inch opening diagonally up and toward my right side from the pubic bone. He then stitched together my torn tissue that lies between my intestines and my external skin. In my case, he also put a mesh screen over the internal tear to make the whole area less prone to being pulled open again.

The hospital experience itself was fun for me because I enjoyed seeing all the high tech stuff being used and the people who treated me were friendly and supportive. Debbie was with me the whole time except when I was actually unconscious in the operating room. I recommend having a close friend with you when you are subjected to these kinds of stressful things because it distributes and soothes the anxiety. When you know that someone is going to cut you open, it’s impossible not to have some anxiety and having a loved one with you when you are going in and coming out of consciousness is very helpful.

We departed the hospital about noon and came straight home, and as I was still a little groggy from the anesthetics I went to bed and slept well. Later in the afternoon, I got up and did some light physical work and we went for our usual twenty-minute walk. The doctor asked me to walk a lot for the next few days and rest a lot too, and I have been one hundred percent compliant to all of his instructions. That first afternoon I did have some sharp pain when I moved in a way that stressed the wound. Actually, the pain was helpful because it quickly taught me exactly what not to do.

The worst things were coughing and sneezing which I suppressed by having some cough drops instantly available. Fortunately for me, I could usually anticipate when I was going to cough because my throat tickled and I could hold off the cough for a several seconds, but sneezing, which I did twice over these last two days, was harder to anticipate, and when I sneezed it was a flash of pain and it did hurt a lot for a few more seconds.

No one told me this, but I would recommend having one of those nasal sprays that suppress a cough instantly available. The cough drop worked, and I chewed them up quickly when needed, but it wasn’t a very efficient way to get the itch-numbing vapors to the tickle in my throat.

Today is the second full day after my operation and I have no significant pain except when using my stomach muscles. Getting up and sitting down is one of those times and I can do it most easily by getting close to the seat and rising straight up or settling straight down with most of my weight on my toes and balls of my feet while still over the exact target location. I then press my hands, which I also use for balancing, to the chair and push straight up with all four limbs until my legs can take over and I can stand up straight or sit straight down. A solid juror’s armchair with solid armrests is best for doing these sitting actions. When approaching vertical I slow down to let my stomach relax and adjust to the new situation. Sitting on the toilet seat works this way too, but it doesn’t have the armrests for easy gripping.

If my experience is typical then I would recommend that you not fear the pain and get this kind of operation done if your doctor recommends it.