What to expect when you have a hernia surgery...

Some of you might be unaware of what a hernia is, let alone what to expect from a hernia surgery. I assure you that it's not an uncommon procedure, lots of people have them. 

A hernia is usually brought on by lifting heavy objects, causing the abdominal wall to tear or weaken. This can allow intestines to protrude outside the abdominal wall, which can be painful or uncomfortable at times. 

Sometimes hernia surgeries are not always necessary. Depending on the location/type of hernia you have it might not need correction, but some hernias are more serious then others. I recommend consulting a hernia specialist if you have a hernia, to find out if a hernia correction surgery is necessary. (Here's a website with more information about hernias).

My husband first noticed his hernia about 8 years ago, but his wasn't as serious as others, just the occasional pain or discomfort when he was more active. It seemed about the right time to finally get it taken care of so here's our story we hope it proves to be helpful to those of you undergoing the same procedure...

The Day of the Surgery

My husband and I went to the hospital at the appointed time, filled out the necessary paperwork and waited to be called in. Once inside the pre-op area, the nurse took my husbands vitals and then lead us to a pre-op room where he was able to change into a hospital gown, hair net, and socks. As we waited, we were able to meet all the doctors and nurses, who would be performing the surgery. One last visit from the anesthesiologist then my husband was taken into surgery, and I was sent to the waiting room.

Behind the OR doors my husband was administered a general anesthetic "twilight sleep" and then a local anesthetic at the incision sight. Then the surgeon was able to start the surgery. The whole procedure took about an hour and then I was called back into the recovery room. When I got there my husband was just starting to wake up from his twilight sleep...

He was a bit groggy when I asked him how he was feeling, but responded with "oooh... intense pressure in my side..." Later when I asked him what he could remember he said he remembered looking at the clock, when they gave him the anesthetic, and not a minute passed before he had fallen asleep. The next thing he remembers is talking to me and the nurse, but couldn't remember some of our initial conversation.

The nurse then had me go down to the pharmacy and get his vicodin prescription while he filled out some paperwork. When I got back, my husband was a bit more awake, but still in a lot of pain. They gave him a few doses of morphine through the IV to help with the pain, as well as some juice to get him to pee. 

Usually you are supposed to go home a couple hours after the surgery, so that your in a relaxed environment when you start to wake up from the atheistic fully. For us that wasn't the case, we ended up waiting two to three hours later then we should have, because our nurse was really concerned that my husband hadn't peed yet (which we later found out from another nurse that it's not really an issue). 

It was starting to get late and our nurse's shift was about to end, so I signed the discharge papers and the nurse insisted that my husband to try to go pee before we left. So I helped my husband to the bathroom and after a short while he started burning up and complaining that he was feeling nauseous. So I asked the nurse to come help take him back to the room (in a wheel chair). On the way back my husband threw up all over the floor. It was brought on by all the movement and because the anesthesia wasn't out of his system yet. We laid him down back in the room, and in a short while were finally able to go home.

That night was quite exhausting as my husband continued to spew his guts out, only to find short relief when is stomach went dry. Drinking more water and Gatorade proved to serve as ammo for his stomach, and it  hurled more punches into his already pained abdomen. Finally he fell asleep and was able to rest... 

To be continued...