Thread: Post Umbilical Hernia Surgery

Originally Posted by nmedlock

It has now been 10 days since I got off of the operating table for my umbilical hernia. It didn't cause me too much pain to begin with and was only sensitive to the touch. Then after doing heavy lifts (deadlift among them) one day after I got back from the gym I noticed that I was bleeding from my belly button. Made a few calls and someone I talked to recommended surgery. As I was talking to the surgeon after post surgery he said I have a lifting restriction of 10 pounds for 5-7 weeks! That doesn't sit well with me, yet I don't want to re-tear my abdominals.

So, is there anyone that has gone through this and has some good recommendations as to what I can do at this very moment? It's just driving me crazy not being able to lift for so long, and I'm sure there are some isolated arms/shoulders or something that I could do. Any advice/ideas would be amazing! Thanks!

That's pretty standard as far as the recommendation for recovery . . . your surgeon may or may not clear you to do a little more earlier. I had mine repaired earlier this year and that was the standard timeline that they gave going in. Mine was a relatively small hernia, but they did use a mesh backing. But after the surgery, my doc told me to just take it easy for the first 2 weeks and then see how I felt. He did a check-up around that time and cleared me to start going above the 10 pound limit and just said to self-monitor and that if something seemed to aggravate it . . . to stop or dial it back.

I had my hernia follow about 2 years after a distal bicep rupture. Trust me . . . you're not going to set yourself back very far even if you are at the edge of that recovery period. And the downside of pushing too far, too fast, with a hernia repair can be bad news. If you are feeling spry, couldn't hurt to make a call to your surgeon, get a follow-up and see if you can get a green light to push things up just a bit. But if that happens, take it SLOW and careful

Good luck with it.

Originally Posted by taf1968

That's pretty standard as far as the recommendation for recovery . . . your surgeon may or may not clear you to do a little more earlier. I had mine repaired earlier this year and that was the standard timeline that they gave going in. Mine was a relatively small hernia, but they did use a mesh backing. But after the surgery, my doc told me to just take it easy for the first 2 weeks and then see how I felt. He did a check-up around that time and cleared me to start going above the 10 pound limit and just said to self-monitor and that if something seemed to aggravate it . . . to stop or dial it back.

I had my hernia follow about 2 years after a distal bicep rupture. Trust me . . . you're not going to set yourself back very far even if you are at the edge of that recovery period. And the downside of pushing too far, too fast, with a hernia repair can be bad news. If you are feeling spry, couldn't hurt to make a call to your surgeon, get a follow-up and see if you can get a green light to push things up just a bit. But if that happens, take it SLOW and careful

Good luck with it.

I had a complete distal bicep tendon tear in 2015, still can't supinate that wrist much anymore, what tips do you have for that? Currently came back from another 3 year hiatus after a pec tear and tendon damage that still sometimes gives shooting pain, and an abdominal hernia popped up, apparently it's in the family. How long of a recovery was that for you?