Not bad for day one. Hashbrown with Diet Coke for breakfast, 4 piece chicken strips for lunch… that was enough for me for the day so then I picked up a meal for my kiddo for dinner and that’s what we got out of it all for the day
Surgery Date: 7/13/2026
Procedure: Laparoscopic Right Inguinal Hernia Repair with Mesh
Hospital: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Surgeon: Dr. Hadley Wesson
It's been a little over three weeks since surgery, and I'm happy to say that most of the pain is gone!
I do still have one very specific spot where I occasionally get a sharp, stabbing pain. My surgeon said it could potentially be nerve-related and wants to give it some time to see if it resolves on its own. Otherwise, pain-wise I'm doing pretty well.
BUT... I've developed a really bizarre recovery symptom that I wanted to post about because my surgeon seems a little baffled by it, and I cannot find anyone online describing anything similar.
Since surgery, I've noticed that I basically do not move in my sleep. At all.
Normally I'm someone who tosses and turns throughout the night, but now I'll wake up in essentially the same position I fell asleep in. I'm wondering if my body is subconsciously guarding my abdomen because it knows everything is still healing.
Starting a little before the two-week mark, I began having trouble getting my legs going when I first wake up.
It's difficult to describe because they aren't exactly numb and I wouldn't describe it as normal muscle soreness. They just... don't want to move/work properly at first.
Before I get out of bed, I have to slowly start pumping/moving my feet and then gradually work my legs into a bent-knee position. Once I get everything moving, I'm able to get up and go about my day.
The good news is that this has gradually improved since it started, so I'm hoping it simply disappears as I continue healing. But it's incredibly strange, and neither I nor my surgeon really knows what to make of it.
Around the same time, I started occasionally having another strange thing happen when I wake up.
My abdominal muscles will suddenly completely seize/tighten for a few seconds. The closest comparison I can think of is a charley horse, except it isn't actually painful.
It only lasts a few seconds, but afterward my abdomen can feel extremely tight and weird for quite a while. Sometimes it leaves me feeling "off" for the entire morning because I'm so aware of how strange my abdominal muscles feel.
This one makes me a little nervous because my brain immediately goes to, Can muscles contracting that hard disturb the mesh while everything is still healing? I'm planning to ask more about that, but so far nothing else suggests there's actually a problem with the repair.
My energy is finally starting to come back.
Interestingly, I felt a big improvement toward the end of the first week and then absolutely crashed during weeks two and three. I'm not sure if I got excited about feeling better and overdid it, but my energy went straight into the toilet for a while.
I was warned that recovery wouldn't necessarily be linear and that I'd have good days and bad days, and that has definitely been true.
I'm also already thinking about the obvious electrolyte questions. I stay well hydrated, get plenty of sodium in my diet, take magnesium at night, and I'm actually on a potassium-sparing medication, so low potassium isn't something I'd expect, although obviously I can't know what's going on based on diet/supplements alone.
So... has ANYONE experienced something remotely similar after inguinal hernia repair?
Especially the strange leg issue immediately after waking or the brief abdominal muscle seizing?
The fact that the leg symptoms are improving makes me hopeful it's just some bizarre temporary part of my body's recovery, but I'd love to hear from anyone who experienced anything even remotely similar and what ultimately happened.
Recovery is weird, guys. 😂
Surgery Date: 7/13/2026
Procedure: Laparoscopic Right Inguinal Hernia Repair with Mesh
Hospital: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Surgeon: Dr. Hadley Wesson
Hello everyone!
I was planning to update daily, but life got away from me a little. I figured I'd do a recap of the first week and how I'm feeling now for anyone who might be preparing for surgery or recovering themselves.
I know a lot of people wear it as a badge of honor to avoid oxycodone, but my pain was significant enough that I needed it for the first three days. After that, I mostly used it in the mornings, which were consistently the worst part of the day since all of my overnight pain medication had worn off by then. For me, taking it in the morning made a huge difference in getting through those first few days.
The downside, of course, was the constipation.
Despite taking both the prescribed stool softener and Miralax, eating around 30 grams of fiber a day, drinking tons of water, and walking as much as I comfortably could, I still didn't have a bowel movement until three days after surgery. Things finally started moving once I was completely off the oxycodone, so just be prepared for that possibility.
If there's one piece of advice I'd give anyone, it's don't skip the walking.
I really think it's been one of the biggest reasons my recovery has gone as smoothly as it has. Not only did it help me mentally, but I think it also helped with stiffness, digestion, and just feeling like a normal human again.
The first three days I shuffled around the house at a snail's pace. After that, I gradually started increasing my speed.
Yesterday I even did a Peloton walking class. I had to set it to Level 1, which is usually reserved for people just starting out or older adults. 😂 Those "power walks" were all of 2.2 to 2.5 mph, but honestly it felt great just to be doing something structured again.
Today I bumped it up to Level 2 because I woke up feeling even better.
I'm already back to around 10,000 steps a day, which was my normal minimum before surgery.
Pain-wise, I'd say the biggest improvement happened yesterday and today.
The only time I really still use my arms to help myself is getting out of bed. Otherwise, I'm moving around pretty normally. At this point the pain feels more like a mild irritation than actual pain.
If you're reading this before your surgery, my experience has basically been: about a week of "this kind of stinks," followed by feeling dramatically more like yourself.
Tomorrow I'm planning to drive for the first time. My poor son is getting a little stir crazy. My husband has been amazing, but he still has to work, and between the extreme heat and poor air quality, none of the neighborhood kids have really been outside to play.
I also attached a screenshot of my daily step count throughout the week in case it's helpful to anyone. You can really see how gradually increasing my activity seemed to match how I was feeling. I didn't force it, but I also didn't let myself become sedentary. I just listened to my body and added a little more each day. Hopefully it gives someone else a realistic idea of what one recovery timeline can look like. Today is shorter just because it's still morning and I've only done a 30 minute walk so far.
Overall, I'm really glad I had the surgery.
I already miss lifting weights more than I ever thought I would, and I'm looking forward to getting cleared so I can slowly work back toward my normal routine.
I have my follow-up appointment with my surgeon on Thursday. I haven't really had the chance to ask many questions about the operation itself yet, but I'm curious about exactly where the mesh sits, how large it is, and a few other details.
If anyone has suggestions for questions I should ask during my follow-up, I'd love to hear them. My brain has been a little mushy this past week. 😄
Finally, if you're sitting there nervous about having this surgery... I completely understand because I was, too.
My advice? Rip the Band-Aid off and get it done.
The first few days aren't exactly fun, but they're temporary. My scars already look like they're going to be minimal, and the peace of mind from knowing the hernia is fixed has been absolutely worth it. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
As always, if anyone has questions about my recovery or the surgery itself, feel free to ask. I'm happy to help if I can.
42f
Surgery date: 7/13/2026
Hospital: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Surgeon: DR. Hadley Wesson
I'm continuing these daily updates because reading other people's recovery timelines helped calm my nerves before surgery, so hopefully this helps someone else.
Last night was a bit of a doozy.
I decided to skip the oxycodone before bed and just take a Benadryl because I hadn't slept well the previous night. Surprisingly, I managed to sleep on my stomach for about six hours before rolling back onto my back. In hindsight... I don't think the stomach sleeping did me any favors. 😅
It also could have simply been that I'd gone so long without pain medication. By the time I fully got out of bed around 6:00 AM, everything had worn off, including the Tylenol and ibuprofen, so I woke up feeling pretty rough.
I was secretly hoping skipping the oxy would help me finally have a bowel movement... but still nothing.
I had taken a second stool softener before bed, and so far the only thing it accomplished was giving me a lot of gas, which isn't exactly comfortable when you've just had abdominal surgery. Thankfully, none of it has been unbearable.
The bright side is that I actually slept close to eight hours total, which is a huge improvement.
I had my morning coffee with Miralax mixed in and waited... still nothing. Eventually I gave in and took another oxy because the pain wasn't settling down, even about 45 minutes after taking Tylenol.
Once the medication kicked in and I was up sitting in my office chair, I felt much better.
Today's goal is simply to walk a little more. Yesterday I ended around 4,500 steps, which is less than I'd hoped, but I'm reminding myself there's no prize for overdoing it. I'd like to get somewhere around 5,000 to 6,000 today. Before surgery I averaged over 10,000 steps a day, and my surgeon emphasized that walking is one of the best things I can do for recovery.
I'm also going to try to make myself eat a little breakfast even though my appetite still hasn't really returned.
Still no bowel movement... but I can definitely tell things are getting closer, so I'm trying not to worry too much.
I've kept working on getting my steps in throughout the day, and honestly today has felt remarkably similar to yesterday.
I also ended up needing another nap, even after getting almost eight hours of sleep last night. There's obviously still quite a bit of fatigue from surgery. That's unusual for me because I'm almost never someone who naps.
Pain-wise, not much has changed. Most of the discomfort still comes from transitioning between positions. Once I'm settled, I'm generally pretty comfortable. I also notice the pain starting to creep back as the medications wear off, but it's been manageable overall.
The thing I'm most excited about is that tomorrow is Day 3. From everything I've read and from what my surgeon told me, the first three days tend to be the toughest, so it feels like I'm more than halfway through the hardest part of recovery.
As always, if anyone has questions about the surgery or recovery, feel free to ask. I'm happy to answer anything while it's all still fresh in my mind.
42f
Surgery date: 7/13/2026
Hospital: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center
Surgeon: DR. Hadley Wesson
Day 1 Recovery Update
Figured I'd continue documenting my recovery in case it helps someone else who's anxiously scrolling this subreddit like I was before surgery.
Sleep actually went better than I expected. I'm normally a side sleeper, so I was dreading sleeping on my back, but it was more manageable than I thought. I probably only got about five hours total, but I woke up feeling okay.
I was able to get out of bed for the bathroom without waking my husband, and as long as I wasn't transitioning positions, the pain stayed fairly minimal. Oddly enough, laying back down hurt more than getting up.
I took oxycodone overnight but decided to see if I could get through the day without it so I'd have it available if nighttime ended up being the hardest part.
The pain has definitely changed since yesterday. It's much more localized around the mesh repair now instead of feeling like someone punched me in the gut. I'd describe it as a stabbing/throbbing sensation right at the surgical site.
As the morning went on, I actually kept feeling better. I work from home and was able to sit in my office chair and get some work done without constantly thinking about the pain. I've also been getting up regularly and trying to walk 500 to 1,000 steps every hour or two.
The overnight oxy finally wore off, and I could definitely tell.
My surgeon encouraged me not to take it unless I really needed it, so I tried to wait it out for a while. The pain wasn't unbearable, just more noticeable. I'd call it about a 4/10, mostly a constant ache in one specific spot.
Functionally, though, I feel dramatically better than yesterday. I can bend over a little, get up and down by myself, and go up and down the stairs much more easily. I'm definitely not moving quickly yet, but compared to yesterday it's a huge improvement.
One unexpected thing is my appetite. It's much smaller than normal, which I've read is common. Considering I'm usually a serial snacker, I'm choosing to look at that as a tiny silver lining. 😄
I eventually gave in and took another oxycodone.
I wanted to tough it out, but after a few hours of trying, I decided I'd rather stay comfortable and let my body focus on healing instead of proving a point to myself.
Still no bowel movement yet, which I'm starting to keep an eye on. I've been taking the prescribed stool softener, so I'm hoping things get moving soon. I know the oxycodone certainly isn't helping in that department.
I also realized I hadn't mentioned that it's been harder to pee than normal. The surgical team told me to expect that, so it hasn't been alarming, just something I've noticed.
The nurse called today for the routine day-after follow-up, which I appreciated.
I also took a nap this afternoon. Before surgery, I specifically asked whether side or stomach sleeping would be okay once I got home. They said they thought it would probably be fine.
Pro tip: don't. 😂
Stick with sleeping on your back, at least for now. I tried rolling to my left and immediately changed my mind.
Overall, I'm honestly encouraged. Recovery is already noticeably easier than yesterday, even though I'm definitely still sore.
I'll keep posting daily updates for anyone who's interested. If you have any questions about the surgery or recovery so far, feel free to ask!
Just got right inguinal laparoscopic surgery with mesh done after sooooo much work and tests to get here. I plan on trying to document as much as possible as I know how much reading others stories helped me prepare :) I’ll probably share the story on what it took to finally get to surgery tomorrow.
Staying still keeps me in at least relatively comfortable but the changing of positions or twisting/turning are pretty rough! I made sure to tell my husband to slow down on turns because I could tell right away if it took them too fast on the drive home it would not be comfortable.
Pain was the worst after waking up from surgery and has eased a little bit. I’m a stomach inside sleeper so I’m a little interested in seeing how tonight will go. I’m gonna try staying on my back.
I’ll probably be up for another 45 minutes in case anyone reads this and wants to ask a question before I pass out but I will do a day one update tomorrow.
Loving the MPG!!