Hernia (adult): after-care (Day Surgery Unit)

Recovery at home

We advise you to do the following when you get home:

• Go to bed and rest as soon as you get home. For the first night, only get up to go to the bathroom when you need to.
• The morning after your operation, we advise you to be as mobile as feels comfortable. This will help you to avoid complications such as blood clots and constipation. Try to switch between moving around and resting.
• Drink plenty of fluids and eat and drink normally.
• Take the painkillers we prescribed at regular intervals as necessary.

You may have some bruising and swelling around the wound and in men this can spread to the scrotum.

Your stitches are dissolvable and do not need to be removed.  

Wound dressings

You will have a dressing on your wound. Leave this in place until we remove your stitches.

If your stitches are dissolvable, you can remove the dressing after 7 to 10 days.

Everyday activities

Try to gradually build up your activity so that you can restart your everyday activities.

You can restart light activity, such as cycling or jogging, as soon as you feel comfortable enough to do so.

Avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activity for about 10 weeks after your operation.

Return to work

You may return to work when your wound is healed and all the stitches have dissolved or been removed.

If your work involves hard physical work, you may need further time off to recover fully.

Talk to your GP if you need advice on when to return to work.

Driving

You may drive when you are comfortable to do so and when your wound is healed. For most people this takes about 2 weeks after the operation.

Check your insurance policy before you start driving again.

Follow-up

We may give you a date for a follow-up outpatient appointment before you go home, but some patients do not need one.

Get in touch with your GP if you have any questions about your recovery.