A few days ago I had surgery (full anaesthetic, and open surgery, not keyhole) to repair a relatively minor umbilical hernia. The operation went as smoothly as I could possibly hope. 

I was in and out of hospital in a few hours. No after-effects of concern. Just a few external stitches and a bit of minor discomfort. Wound dressing can be removed in another few days. The stitches will dissolve. No need to be removed by medics.

However much to my surprise, the surgeon emphatically said I shouldn’t drive for two weeks, nor cycle for 4-6 weeks!  Gentle walking is allowed. No lifting anything more than 4kg. 

The 4-6 weeks off the bike seems excessive to me. I’m thinking there is an assumption within the advice that cycling is only gung-ho, Tour d’ Italia body stressing type of cycling. I only want to treadle gently to/from the local shops which would actually be easier than walking. I won’t be hurtling cross country with a fully loaded bike.

The question is, has anyone here on the CB forum had experience with hernia ops and return to cycling?  

No personal experience Graham but I would be inclined to listen to the surgeon's advice. 

I completely agree with Mike. If you do strain and the wound dehisces (opens up) then it's possible they won't be able to surgically repair it and it will have to heal by "secondary intention," the medical term meaning when a wound heals from the inside out - which takes months, and comes with a significant risk of infection since it remains open. I've seen it happen several times when patients didn't listen to their surgeon, and once when the person just weighed so much that the sutures couldn't constrain everything. It's just not worth the risk.

I had laprascopic surgery for a double inguinal hernia. Lifting anything above 5 lbs was a 2 week wait, cycling (but not lifting the bike!) was "when you feel comfortable, no pain" which would have been a few days.

But years ago after much more complex rotator cuff full tear surgery, the surgeon said something that stuck with me: "This is the only time this "wound" has to heal, you will have many years to bike.

So, I waited out the two weeks for real cycling, but did indoor cycling where I would never try to life the bike by mistake...

Thanks Mike and Mark for the sound cautionary advice. I’ll certainly be ultra cautious for at least a couple of weeks. And before I get back on the bike, I’ll get checked by my own doctor.  

Fortunately the hernia was very small, and was able to be stitched without the use of mesh which is often needed to patch such injuries in the abdominal muscle. 

John interesting that you mention rotator cuff, because that’s another injury I’m recovering from.  Caused by a fall (the shoulder collided solidly with a vertical concrete kerb) when walking the dog.
Fortunately, it’s unlikely to require surgery. Physio seems to be working albeit slowly,

Interesting you were able to return to cycling two weeks after your hernia surgery which sounds a bit more complicated than mine.  

If I continue to mend at the rate I am now, I’ll check in with my doctor in 2 weeks, and see if I can return to easy rides. 

4-6 weeks waiting seems to be excessive for the relatively minor op I had, but I’ll see how the recovery goes. 

Graham - your open surgery requiring stitches may require more recovery time than my laparoscopic- which I think  you called "keyhole" and required no stitches.

On the other hand, my rotator cuff was completely torn - a full thickness tear with retraction, had to be sewn back together. Physical therapy no help there!

The tear probably started when kayaking. Then I was bringing my wife's iMac PC to the Apple store for a warranty recall and slipped on ice in the parking garage and I cleverly saved the iMac by making my shoulder was what hit the curb....

Hi Graham,

OR nurse here, or are we called "theater" nurses in Australia? And though I'm not answering your question from experience of having the surgery myself, I encourage you to follow the surgeons timeline for return to activities. Be specific with him/her of what your normal activities are and go from there.

Not to be an alarmist however, the danger of not complying with the surgeons instructions is if you "pop" a stitch keeping your small intestines getting stuck and causing a bowel obstruction or worse when the blood flow is cut off and the tissue dies. 

John just the thought of slipping on ice makes me ache. Ouch!

Decades of swimming may have contributed slightly to my shoulder injury, but like you, mostly the rotator damage was caused by the fall. Bursitis is part of the mix so I’ve not been able to swim for a few months.

Within a very short time I’ve regressed from being a daily swimmer, cyclist and walker to being a slow walker. Hence my impatience to get back on the bike as soon as possible, but without risking popping any stitches. 

Thanks Rachel. Good advice. It was a chat with my GP about bowel obstruction and the risk of needing a bowel resection which convinced me to have the operation. Especially because I cycle tour in some fairly remote areas, I didn’t want to risk having a bowel obstruction days from medical help.

BTW I was mightily impressed with the standard of medical care I received. The nurses, the surgeon, the anaesthetist were incredibly helpful. 

I couldn’t believe how many medics were in the operating theatre. There appeared to be a dozen or more gowned people around me. 

The other wonderful thing is that this whole procedure has cost me $0 because I was admitted as a public patient, thanks to Australia’s universal healthcare system aka Medicare. 

I do have basic private hospital insurance cover, but because I opted to be waitlisted, and the hernia repair wasn’t urgent,  this procedure was free.