The hernia, the hernia!

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AJLB Aug 2019 6:02pm, 2 Aug 2019 94 posts	0 AJLB After a few weeks of looking at an odd lump in my groin (intermittently, not full time, you understand), and feeling the odd twinge of discomfort edging into actual pain, I went to the GP, where sadly Doctor Google was proved right, to the tune of an inguinal hernia. Having had it checked out at the hospital they weren't too worried - very mild symptoms and no associated complications - so at some point in the next month or so I should get a letter inviting me to have it operated on. Apparently I should be OK to carry on training for now as long as I don't anger it, but training seems a bit moot, as Dr Google again tells me that I'll be looking at at least a 4 week recovery period, so my planned marathon at the start of October looks rather unlikely. Any experience/tips/commiserations welcome!
fetcheveryone Aug 2019 9:24pm, 2 Aug 2019 22,451 posts	0 fetcheveryone I’ve no advice to offer, but wanted to give this a bump, and to wish you good luck with the op and recovery. I hope it goes well.
Velociraptor Aug 2019 9:38pm, 2 Aug 2019 42,575 posts	0 Velociraptor If you really, really, really want to run the marathon you're unlikely to come to any harm from postponing the surgery till afterwards, and most hospitals will allow you to rearrange operation dates when you have prior commitments. I had an inguinal hernia repair in 2003. When I saw the surgeon about it I had a handful of events coming up, including two marathons with lots of charity sponsorship resting on them. I was able to choose to have the procedure a few days after the last event and recovered in no time at all. Physically, I could have run without discomfort a week or so later, but I was ready for an off-season. Sixteen years on, the repair is still intact.
AJLB Aug 2019 5:23pm, 3 Aug 2019 97 posts	0 AJLB Thanks Velociraptor, that's very encouraging. For now I guess I'll carry on training as long as things get no worse, and the doctor's estimated 4-6 week wait for surgery may turn out to be 8 weeks anyway, in which case I'll be at marathon day...
AJLB Jun 2020 11:25am, 19 Jun 2020 165 posts	0 AJLB Well "4 to 6 weeks" was a complete lie: here we are nearly 11 months on, and I was finally offered an op date! However, that was to be at the local small private hospital, and an "open" as opposed to keyhole procedure. Alas, as I was diagnosed with a DVT 4 weeks ago and am on anti-coagulants, the offer was swiftly rescinded when I pointed this out. I imagine it could be another year before I get an op. I suppose it's worth saying that said hernia hasn't stopped we PBing at the marathon and 10mile, winning the county 10k champs and churning out over 70 miles a week... But this got me thinking - should I be looking for open or keyhole? My understanding is that keyhole involves less muscle damage and shorter recovery time, which is surely a plus athletically, but is usually only done for recurring or more complex hernias? Anyone got any wisdom?