Hernias and training

[Peter Andersen]

Hi Mark,

I spent yesterday reading back through all of the hernia threads and doing as much research about them as possible.

It looks like I've got myself an inguinal hernia, which I am pretty sure I had back at age 7 in my childhood also (back before mesh repair was done, though).

What I haven't been able to find are my options for continued strength training in the period leading up to operation (which may be a couple of months from now).

I understand that deadlifts and squats are out. The doctor says presses are out, and I think I understand why (abdominal pressure potentially making it worse).

His recommendation was cardio (oh yay...).

Are chin-ups and pull-ups an option? Is there anything I can do?

Or should I just suspend my gym membership for the next few months and start from scratch after the operation?

Cheers

(my background is that I am currently (or was) doing the Onus Wunsler variant of your program from SS:BBT, after a period on the vanilla program. Male, aged 24, weighing about 97.5kg)

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why are you waiting 2 months for the surgery? You don't happen to live in a country with Free Health Care, do you?

[Peter Andersen]

Why are you waiting 2 months for the surgery? You don't happen to live in a country with Free Health Care, do you?

Yes, I am, but maybe two months was too pessimistic. I've got another test at the end of the month to get done before the surgery can be booked in.

The free health care here actually works great for most of the time. And I have the option to make it better through private health insurance. I just haven't, yet. But I will, soon.

In the meantime, what are my options for training?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You can try using your belt for all the movements that hurt, to see if it allows you to train through the waiting period for your free health care. If that doesn't work, you can just chin, pullup, and bench. Or you can take the initiative and make the surgery happen next week, like I can here if I need to.

[BradyB]

I think you'd be surprised how slow American health care can be, Ripp. I don't know how your shoulder surgery was paced, but it took a full 2.5 months for my shoulder to be seen by my PCP, then my Orthopod, then my Interventional Radiologist, and then finally back to my Orthopod for the results. I had to wait at least 2 weeks between each appointment and even had the Orthopod postpone me for another two weeks because he was on vacation.

And now my insurance company is trying to stick me with the bill because I was involved in overhead sports before I became insured (pre-existing condition my ass).

[Mark Rippetoe]

That can happen if you don't know how to make it happen faster. I had my MRI the next day, was in an orthopod's office in Dallas five days later, and was scheduled for surgery 9 days after that. Every one of the more than a few operations I've had has gone this way, all with a good outcome, because I actively participate in the process of making it happen that way.

[MAD9692]

How?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I get on the phone. I become difficult to ignore -- in a polite way, of course.

[Peter Andersen]

I had always thought that our system of free health care was quite good, apart from the odd problem with hospital waiting times.

But it turns out that you can't have a testicular and groin ultrasound on the same day, because the system of free health care won't allow them (i.e. the medical center) to bill a client for two ultrasounds on the one day. So I book them on different days. Testicular first, groin second.

When it comes to the day of the groin ultrasound, it turns out that the left groin ultrasound and the right groin ultrasound are technically two different examinations. So I had to choose, and then again book myself in again for the opposite groin on a third day.

I thought you'd find this somewhat amusing.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I do. It is sad as well.