Cheers uk Tony seems like the only solution .
Guess I'll just have to suffer..

Thanks Mick and others. Very helpful. Yes, many types of hernia and best to take docs opinions / advice.

It was really a general question; anyone cycled with a hernia. Not the best situation and I certainly don't want to make matters worse.
I would probably have booked another trip to Thailand for next Spring but it looks like I'll be in recovery from the cancer stomach op. It was mentioned that there could be chemo after the surgery. Yikes. But at least I'll be ready for the awful side effects.

Cheers folks

Matt

I bought a pair of ortlie rear panniers got them at a good price and perfect condition only problem there Red my least favourite  colour   
Is there anyway i can camouflage  these I was thinking of spraying them but that could be dodgy.
Any ideas lads.
On the camping gear i think i have everything I need to tour the planet twice.took a while to get buf I'm happy enough now.Although no intentions  of camping until next year

Cheers
Anto

I started having some mild discomfort in May, five months ago.  Always was triggered by walking.  Intermittent, some days had it, some days not.  On days when I do not go to the gym or bike, I do a 3 mile (~~4.5km) walk.

A neighbor had a party in June, after doing my walk and had some discomfort, went to her party in afternoon, and after four hours of standing, the discomfort clearly was pain while standing.  Sitting helped reduce it.

Next day (still in Jun) called my Dr office (I think in UK you call that a GP).  Saw him four days later, he suspected hernia.  Sent me to the surgery part of the system - that took a month to get in. 

July saw a surgeon, he had me get an MRI.  Two week wait for the MRI.  MRI indicated two minor hernias and torn abdominal muscle.  He said the hernias were minor, too minor to cause the discomfort/pain, so it had to be the torn muscle.  He sent me to physical therapy, but in this case specifically to Sports Medicine.  The sports medicine group works on athletes, and my activity level apparently qualified.

Waited for a month, saw a Dr at Sports Medicine in late August.  He looked at my MRI, did an exam and said that the previous surgeon was wrong, it is the hernia.  During his exam, he said how does this feel and he pressed in a specific spot, and I said, that HURTS.  He said he was sending me back to surgery and telling them they screwed up the diagnosis.  I said this is now August, has been a problem since May, I have already canceled two vacaiton trips and now looking at a third.  I really did not want to go back to the guy that screwed up a diagnosis.  He then said he knew a very good specialist, he would call him.

And wait another month to see that specialist, saw him a few weeks ago.  And the result of that meeting and exam, scheduled for surgery to fix two hernias, this coming Tuesday.

In my case it has only been a problem from walking or standing.  At the gym I want to make sure I maintain muscle mass and bone density, so I push as hard as I can on several exercise machines, that has not triggered it.  This year have not ridden any Brevets (UK translation - Audax), so have not ridden any 200k rides this year.  But I have done a 90 mile, 75 mile and 70 mile ride this year, plus many shorter ones.  Those rides and no other activities have triggered the problem, for me the only trigger is walking or standing a long time.  Two days ago rode 17 miles, no problem.

That said, I suspect every hernia is different, so maybe cycling for you would be best done if you brought your phone with you so you could call someone and ask them to come and get you?

I was told to not do any core type exercises for two weeks after my surgery.  Since my exercise routine at the gym is quite robust, I plan to NOT do any exercises or bike rides for three weeks, not just the two weeks that was prescribed.  I was told walking is ok, but since that is what triggered the problem, I will limit my walks for the first couple weeks.  I am retired, so I do not have anything like employment that messes up my schedule.

I am 71 years young.  I did not do my backpacking trip this year,  the first attached photo is me on my backpacking trip last year.  Second photo, me again, Toronto Ontario in the background, last year.  Sorry, photo is of my Lynskey, not a Thorn.  Third photo, sunset on one of the evenings of my backpacking trip, was on the shore of lake Superior.  Fourth photo, a Moose on my backpacking trip. 

I will know more in three days.

Well, my question is, has anyone cycled with a hernia?

Yes.

I'm pretty sure my hernia was caused by lifting heavy furniture when helping house removal for a friend in summer 2017. I didn't do anything about it until February 2018, when it was officially diagnosed by my doctor. He didn't say anything about cycling, so I kept going as normal until surgery on 30/05/2018.

Immediately after surgery I was allowed to walk inside the hospital while waiting to be discharged. My surgeon said I should wait for one week before cycling short distances. Two weeks after surgery, no limits on cycling and I could restart "strenuous" activities such as digging the garden.

But I suppose it depends on the severity of the hernia, so best to take the advice of your doctor or surgeon. If they don't advise cycling, walking is probably OK. I made sure I walked as much as possile after my prostate operation in 2019, when cycling was forbidden for one month and painful for several weeks more.