I am having surgery next week to repair an inguinal hernia.
This is my first major medical procedure of my life. I’ve never had surgery, anesthesia or even an IV.
I’m not worried about the surgery. My surgeon does 300-400 of these a year so I figure he knows what he’s doing.
My concern is my life after the surgery.
I am a hardcore exercise nut. For the past 32 years, I’ve been lifting weights, swimming, running, biking and done high intensity workouts.
In a few days, it all ends. My first week post-op, I am restricted to walking only. Then for one to three months, no “heavy exercise or straining”.
“Heavy exercise” for normal people is low to moderate exercise for me. I am guessing it will take me at least 3 months to build back up to the level of intensity I currently workout at.
What’s more concerning is “What if I can never get back to my previous level?”
That’s a legitimate concern.
No matter how much I try, I cannot prevent aging. Perhaps this hernia will be yet another permanent decline in my fitness that is inevitable.
If so, that sucks.
However, I am not ready to give up yet. My plan is to follow the surgeon’s advice and hopefully get back to my previous condition.
- Get through the first week of post-op pain and recovery.
- Phase in light exercise over the next 30 days following my surgeon’s recommendations.
- Ramp up to high intensity levels over the next 60 days.
Since exercise has been a huge part of my daily routine, I’ll have way too much downtime during this period so I’ll writing about the experience.
I apologize in advance for my inevitable whining.