Hernia Surgery -- Finally!

I went through outpatient surgery yesterday to repair a double inguinal hernia.

I was surprised by my doctor's advice about lifting heavy objects.  I expected the weight limit to be 16 ounces (or 12 ounces as my cousin said while pretending to quaff a beer).  But no, my limit was 15 lbs!  That's a good surprise.

Another good surprise was that I didn't have any trouble lifting my legs or taking a deep breath.  I was especially concerned about the latter.

Another surprise, not so good, was that the Percocet caused hiccups.  The first episode began about 90 minutes after the first dose.  The experience was so disturbing that I decided not to take anymore.  Hiccups recurred about seven and a half hours after, waking me and keeping me awake from about 1:30 to 4:30 this morning.  Sometimes I'd have a "double hic" -- two in quick succession.  I found a paper online that said a 5mg dose of baclofen helped get rid of hiccups in a 64 year old patient.¹  I cut one of my wife's 10mg pills in half, took it, and was able to get to sleep about 20 minutes later.  So I found that to be true in my case, too.

The surgery involved a robotic laparoscopic device, and the procedure required inflating my abdomen with air.  Unfortunately, someone left the air inside!  My waist measures one inch more, but it's so firm that I walk around with my pants wide open and the belt loosened three inches.  I wear a hoodie to cover the indecency.

But aside from the bloating, I get pretty good pain control by alternating 1000mg Tylenol and 600mg Ibuprofen every 4 to 6 hours.  So I'm getting by without an opioid.

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¹https://doi.org/10.1080/15360288.2022.2157070