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  • Inguinal Hernia Surgery

    Posted by jlad on December 18, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    I just had hernia surgery done Tuesday evening. Yesterday, I developed a dry cough and every time I cough my groin/abdomen really hurts.
    Will the coughing affect the surgery repair?

    drtowfigh replied 8 years, 3 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
  • 1 Reply
  • drtowfigh

    Moderator
    December 18, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    Inguinal Hernia Surgery

    Yes!
    No coughing! It transmits a very high amount of pressure onto your hernia repair.
    Make sure you take whatever steps are necessary to stop the cough: cough drops, inhalers, antibiotics, cough syrup, etc. Talk to your medical doctor to stop the cough.
    When coughing, first engage your abdominal muscles (tuck in your belly), then cough. That will help reduce the pressure transmitted to the hernia.
    It is not 100% that it will undo your repair, and in fact we do not know what % risk there is with coughing, but it is among the most common causes for hernia recurrence. Others include chronic constipation requiring straining to have a bowel movement, large prostate requiring straining to urinate, and nicotine use.

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