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• to repair the hernia with a laparoscope
• to choose not to have treatment, recognizing the risks of your condition.

You should ask your doctor about these choices.

How do I prepare for an inguinal hernia repair?
Plan for your care and recovery after the operation, especially if you are to have general anesthesia. Allow for time to rest and try to find people to help you with your day-to-day duties.

Follow any instructions your doctor may give you. If you are to have general anesthesia, eat a light meal, such as soup or salad, the night before the procedure. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight and the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water.
No special preparation is needed for local anesthesia.

What happens during the procedure?
A local or general anesthetic will be given. A local anesthetic is a drug that should keep you from feeling pain during the operation. A general anesthetic will relax your muscles and make you feel as if you are in a deep sleep. It will prevent you from feeling pain during the operation.

The doctor will make a cut in the lower side of your abdomen and push your intestine back into the abdominal cavity, and bring other tissue around the hernia to help cover the opening (the hernial defect). If there is not enough strong tissue available around the hernia, the doctor may place a mesh over the weak spot in the abdominal wall. The doctor may make the opening to the inguinal canal smaller to try to prevent another hernia.

What happens after the procedure?
Usually you can go home later on the day of the operation. Alternatively, you stay in a hospital for about 1 to 3 days, depending on how well the repair heals.

Do not do anything strenuous for the next 6 to 8 weeks. For example, avoid straining to lift anything heavy and avoid straining when you cough, if possible.

Ask your doctor what other steps you should take and when you should come back for a checkup.

What are the benefits of this procedure?
You no longer have the discomfort of a hernia or the risk of intestinal entrapment.

What are the risks associated with this procedure?

• There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your doctor.
• A local anesthetic may not numb the area quite enough and you may feel some minor discomfort. Also, in rare cases, you may have an allergic reaction to the drug used in this type of anesthesia. Local anesthesia is considered safer than general anesthesia.
• The nerve that runs along the inguinal canal may be damaged. This could make the area from the thigh to the groin numb. In men, a vas deferens may be damaged. This could make a man sterile if the other vas deferens were also hurt.
• In men, if the artery in the canal is damaged, it could stop the testicle from producing semen, and/or it could leave a bruise on the scrotum.
• In men the testicle may swell after the surgery and be uncomfortable.
• A tube may be placed in your bladder if you are unable to pass urine.
• A hernia may recur at or around the area that was repaired.
• If a mesh is inserted, it may become infected and need more surgery.
• There is a risk of infection and/or bleeding.

You should ask your doctor how these risks apply to you.

When should I call the doctor?
Call the doctor immediately if:

• You develop a fever.
• You cannot urinate.
• Your wound becomes red, tender, or swollen, or it drains fluid.
• You can't control your pain.

Call the doctor during office hours if:

• You have questions about the procedure or its result.
• You want to make another appointment.