November 24, 2017, Southern Georgia, United States, somewhere near the town of Tifton, I was riding around on a gravel bike, minding my own business. Tifton is known for many things, and most of them are related to farming. In the case of this story, that would be the farming of cotton. During late fall / autumn, before winter truly kicks in, Tifton and surrounding countryside are alight as the sun reflects off millions and millions of white puffballs that fill the fields across this vast area of land. They measure land by acres here in the United States, but to me, hectares would provide a better measure, such is the size of the cotton plantations I’m talking about.
At several points during my ride, I took the opportunity to stop, take some photos, and fly my humble and flighty assistant, the drone… aka JOM Fly Boy. This ride was about fun times, but it was also about capturing footage of the Lynskey PRO GR titanium gravel bike, a machine I am producing the review video for around the time of this article.
After calling this body of mine home for some 40-something years, I’ve gotten to know its virtues and issues quite well… no cheeky remarks, please! Taking a moment to glance downward, as you do, I couldn’t help but notice a new bonus lump just above and to the right of JOM Junior. This wasn’t a case of additional excitement or romantic blood flow, but rather, a squishy type of lump that I could push back into my body cavity. Ruh roh! A quick Google session on the handy mobile phone indicated this may be a hernia.
Hang on a minute? I thought hernia’s only happened to blokes who lifted big weights incorrectly, or to someone who may have been straining a wee bit much in the bathroom. Shows how much I know. Bugger, better have the doc check it out!
A few days later, a poke and a prod by my regular doctor bloke confirmed my fears… “JOM, you have a hernia. But, I’ll refer you to a surgeon for an expert evaluation”. Time to apply for a new zero percent credit card… even though I have pretty good medical insurance.
Fast forward the timeline to early December. I lobbed into a certain surgical centre in Gainesville, Florida, not at all looking forward to more people scrounging around in my pants. The session got off to a cracker of a start. The helpful Physician’s Assistant, a lady whose demeanor told me this wasn’t her first go-round, politely instructed me to drop my pants, to which I replied, “where I come from, it is customary to at least have a date or two before JOM Junior makes an appearance”. JOM Junior was cold, frightened and not at his best. Cue a reference to Seinfeld and George Costanza. Soon, JOM Junior and the hernial lump were revealed in all of their glory. After poking, prodding and feeling about, the P.A. said, “yes, you’ve got a hernia, and possibly another on its way on the left side”. Somehow, I verbalized the words “fer fark sake”.
The Surgical Doctor rolled in a few minutes later, and like his helpful assistant, had a touch and feel about the place and said, “yep, two hernias for you, but we can repair that in one operation”. Good news, maybe? It would seem those years of riding and racing bicycles hard since 1991 had taken their toll, along with lifting crap wrong since I was born and general use and abuse. But, there was light at the end of this tunnel! See, this surgeon is a genius. “JOM, take a trip to Australia, ride your bike a ton (but not too hard), and we’ll fix the hernia(s) when you return”. I booked my plane ticket and the rest is history. You can see some of my Australian gravel antics here on the site, but the best, the videos, are still to come from that trip!
January 25, Surgery Day
I’m the first to admit I don’t like surgery. I’ve been under the knife twice, both for clavicle repairs / plating. This surgery wouldn’t involve so much knife, rather, a laparoscopic surgery (“also called minimally invasive surgery (MIS), bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique in which operations are performed far from their location through small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) elsewhere in the body” – reference, Wikipedia).
The only time I’ve woken around 4am is for a bicycle race or to dash to an airport, but a 6am appearance at the hospital called for an early start. There was a pre-surgery visit on January 24th, but I’ll spare readers those intimate details; just imagine blood draw, weigh-in, and EKG test). Within my circle of friends in Gainesville, there are at least three Mikes, one of whom would be dropping me at the hospital. The return leg would be handed by my long-time mate, Dr. Pain. Mike M. kindly dropped me off at the hospital entrance with just the clothes on my body and house keys.
Check-in was quick and efficient, which led me to a private room with a nurse who would stay with me until the surgery itself. It wasn’t long before I disrobed and was in the glory of my birthday suit, shod only with an ill-fitting hospital gown. Not so stylish. Toga party anyone?! Another nurse rolled into the room and installed the I.V., something I never like. Thinking about a bicycle ride or sumptuous meal is a quality distraction as a needle is stuck into a protruding vein. Thankfully, this nurse was an expert installer; no struggle, no pain, just a weird feeling knowing that fluid would be pumped into my body soon, knocking my proverbial arse out for a while.
Various people came and visited, including the anesthesiologist and surgeon. I must commend North Florida Regional Medical Center on a job well done. They really put me at ease during much of the process. With no family in the USA or lady in my life, facing these life-changing situations alone can be a little daunting.
A short while later, I was politely wheeled into the surgery room, where I was greeted by a team of mostly female surgical nurses. And that is all I remember. No time for conversation, out like a light.
For those who have never felt the effects of general anesthesia, I liken the experience to an alien abduction… which may be fact or fiction. I awoke in a groggy state in the recovery room, with a feeling there was an unexplained loss of time, yet I hadn’t gone to sleep. What the eff? Still, my groggy demeanor was pleasing. I drifted off to sleep for at least another hour or two.
My post-operative nurse, a lady well versed in the rigors of dealing with grumpy or groggy patients offered up the words… “if you can pee, you can go home”. Passing bodily fluids is something most of us take for granted. It’s a natural function in life, except for when you’ve had your lower abdomen manipulated a wee bit (see what I did there). I’ve suffered on the bike plenty over the years and can take a lot of pain, but the pain I felt as I attempted to exit the bed and stand up straight, had me to the ground. My lower left abdomen, where my second hernia had been forming, gave the feeling a knife was being stuck in and twisted about. Bloody hell. The prescribed pain tablet I downed a few minutes later, did nothing to dull the pain. Fiddlesticks!
Dilemma. Sit on my arse in the hospital all day, or suck it up and crawl into a wheelchair and exit the premises. I chose the latter, but only after I did pass a wee bit of fluid, into one of those handy containers nurses seem to have close by… aka the pi$$ jar.
My good friend, Dr. Pain, walked into the recovery area and witnessed many a pitiful sight. The journey from the wheelchair to his vehicle was a crawl at best, hunched over like a codger of a bloke with a knackered back. The journey from Dr. Pain’s vehicle to my front door was equally sad. If my neighbors were watching, they may have thought I’d taken a gunshot wound to the chest. I thank Dr. Pain for his kindness, discretion (he thought about taking photos and video but didn’t), and goodies he purchased on my behalf at the grocery store.
Rest and Recuperation
Like any post-surgery experience, rest is best. I’ve confined myself mostly to my bedroom, where I’ve been working remotely for my regular gig, and after hours, working away diligently – as much as my current energy levels allow – on material and content for the Gravel Cyclist website. I’m taking this recovery seriously.
The abdomen pain the first two days post surgery was pretty rough, and I’ve been eschewing pain pills. I greatly dislike the side effects they are associated with, mostly a blockage of one’s bowel movements. With that said, I almost experienced the miracle of childbirth two days ago (remember, surgery tends to block things up too), after I had to do an hour-long session of gentle coaxing in the bathroom facilities. I’ll spare you good readers those details 
On the sixth day post-surgery, recovery seems to be going well, but much soreness persists. However, I hope to be active as ever, very soon!
What is the moral of this story?
- This posting isn’t a pity party, so no need to feel sorry for me. Life happens!
- Life is short, live and travel as much as you can. Relish those life experiences.
- Never take your health for granted, it can change in the blink of an eyelid. I’m thankful this experience is relatively minor in the big scheme of things!
- Money does not buy happiness, nor does the collection of stuff (yes, I do own too many bikes).
Thanks for reading, stay well!
JOM
What’s the recovery time JOM? In the same boat.
Shey, I’m sorry to hear that man. I am guessing three to four weeks for me. Honestly, this is a good time to be off the bike. We’ll have brews soon commemorating our respective surgeries!
Great story! I had open surgery on the right side on 12/18. Inguinal hernia. The type that pinched the spermatic cord. Makes your testicle feel like it’s being squeezed in a vice.
Totally off the bike got 2 weeks. Still only riding the turbo-trainer. Wisconsin’s icy roads seem to me like the wrong place to ride until at least the end of February. Let’s trade stories at the Almanzo 100 this year. Cheers!
Sam, I am wincing reading your reply. Definitely a good time to take some time off the bike… it’s even been a tad cold here in North Central Florida… but rather weak by your standards 🙂 If I appear at Almanzo 100, for sure on trading stories.
Yet another good and humorous write-up Jayson… love the attitude! Anyway, don’t rush to flog the pedals, they will be there when you’re good and ready (aka healed)!
Best of luck!
JOM – money does not buy happiness.. but.. it sure helps when collecting bicycles and bicycling toys…
Rest well, and ride hard…
wai
Haha yes to bicycle toys… of which I own way too many.
I got a hernia from dumping heavy garbage cans full of wasted food from an all-you-can- eat dump back in the 80’s. I was a teen then and my recovery time post-40 is a wee bit longer now. I had surgery on my radius recently while the other side radius was in a cast (moto incident). Heal up soon!
My old roomie had 2 hernias… condolences. They also put some sort of nylon mesh in the affected area to help support it in the future. Did you get any sort of artificial ‘support’?
Heffe, I believe I have the mesh implant that you’re referring to. Unfortunately, the surgeon wasn’t around after surgery to ask – I was probably fast asleep – but I should know more soon during my follow up appointment. In the meantime, I am taking it very easy!
I hope your feeling better. You are an inspiration.
Thank you Amy, you are very kind.
Heal up soon mate! Don’t forget to hydrate!
Thanks mate! Been on the good bubbly water, not much in the way of beer though 🙁
no worries after 12 month you will be back on the bike like me..wear some tight underpans with inguinal support at the beginning they will push eventual recidives away..
Been there and eventually was back on the bike and riding happily. Best recovery advice I got: “Take it easy or the butcher comes back”. I know several guys who overdid it too soon post surgery and had to go back under the knife for a do over. “Slower is faster”.
Thank you Dave. I am following your recovery advice. Much as my surgeon is a nice bloke, I don’t plan to re-visit him in the near future, except for my follow-up appointment. Walking is the only exercise I am willing to entertain at the moment.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Thanks mate!
Get well you old fart.????????????
Bloody hell. So much for aging gracefully!
Great story JOM!
Get well soon – glad you were out of the hospital for Jan 26!
Feel better soon and definitely take the time needed to heal. Certainly hope the mesh implanted was carbon fiber and not titanium (rumor has it you’re s recovering weight weenie as well)!
Rule #5. How do you like the bike?
If you’re talking about the T-Lab X-3 I was riding in Australia, that is the next bike in the queue to be reviewed. The filming is mostly done, just the editing lay ahead.
I thought from the article you were on the Lynskey pro gr.
Oh, sorry, misunderstanding. Yes, I was on the Lynskey PRO GR during the ride I referred to in the hernia article… too many bikes under review at the moment!
Hi JOM – misery loves company. I took a high speed tumble off of my spanky new 44Bikes custom gravel bike Jan 16 on beautiful Hilton Head Island — about a week after my 75th birthday. I spent 6 days in the Hilton Head Hospital for 9 cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. I’m almost 2 weeks from my hospital discharge and still very limited to a few short walks and lots of rest — not easy for a type a personality and life time athlete. But thanks for your story which captures the essence of the hospital experience so much better than I could expressed it. Too both of us — a speedy recovery.
Cheers- Bob
I have had two, one on each side and they suck. Still get some nerve pain on the last one I had repaired over 6 years ago. Not going to lie, recovery sucked and was quite painful. Stay away from the narcotics and take Advil. The narcos have a side effect that doesn’t lend itself well and creates back up in the system if you know what I mean… creating for another added dimension of pain. Good luck!
The moral of your story is the real story. Going on 5 weeks now since my blink of an eye moment that resulted in a broken hip. The repair involved some Titanium hardware and allowed me to put full weight on it right away. My euphoric ah-ha moment came after 2 weeks of recovery when I was able to get back on a bike (a low entry step-thru version) for a slow spin around the block. I’m sure that the biggest problem we both have is wanting to do too much too soon.
SlowlyGo for a faster recovery!
Oh no Steve, I am so sorry to hear this. Tomorrow marks one week since the surgery for me, I have no plans of riding until I see the Doc on February 15. I am taking this recovery seriously, and slowly. I’ve got plenty to do on the website in the meantime! If you saw the backlog of content I have laying around here… good problem to have 🙂
Wish you a speedy recovery too.
I had open hernia repair in mid-Sep. Hernia had been worsening for several years. Happened due to a severe case of bronchitis/pneumonia cough. The first few days after surgery was impressively painful. Everything engages the lower abs I learned. Hell. It hurt to blink. No way do I want to go through that experience again, so I listened to my surgeon. I walked tons as soon as I could, and walked up to 90 min. at a time every day with increasing intensity over the course of a month. Got on the trainer after five weeks, riding around outside at six weeks. Now riding 12-16 hour weeks (except last week because of the freakin’ flu) and feeling better than I have in a few years. I didn’t realize how much I had been protecting my lower abs while riding. Anyway, be patient. You had laproscopic repair, which has a much shorter recovery time than open repair. But still…you definitely don’t want to screw up the healing process, as a botched hernia repair is purportedly a nightmare to fix. Six more weeks and you’ll be rolling like nothing ever happened. See you at a race soon, I’m sure. Now heal, dammit.
Thanks Trey, really appreciate you chiming in with your experience. I’ve knocked out two rehab walks thus far, will continue to lengthen the distance as the healing allows.
On the recovery wagon! See ya later in the year.
Have done the solo/”self-supported” hernia operation routine so your story brought back some (surprisingly vivid) memories. My experience had the additional benefit of an adverse reaction to the general anesthesia upon waking up in the recovery room – resulting in about 4 hours of violent vomiting and dry heaves while the docs kept pumping anti-nausea meds into my system. Retching one’s guts out post-abdominal surgery is not something I can recommend, so would suggest quizzing the doctor types about possible side effects of the sleepy juice before they open the valve…
Chris, I cannot imagine how painful the post-abdominal surgery with vomiting must have been. As it is, I haven’t worn a proper pair of pants since the surgery!!!
Thankfully, I’ve done reasonably well under the sleepy juice, but I desire no more surgeries in this lifetime!
Am also very much doctor/hospital averse, particularly after another, even worse, vomit session in recovery room following surgery to repair torn bicep tendon a few years ago (After being reassured by the anesthesiologist that he knew what caused the problem with the hernia surgery and that they would not use the morphine (?) in the sleepy juice mixture. LIAR).
Actually, took a pass last year on procedure to plate/pin broken collarbone a few years ago and went with standard recovery/rehab. Have got a really nice bump tho’…
And proper pants aren’t a requirement but hopefully you’re not rocking the full track suit with trainers look!
Speedy recovery JOM
JOM,
Get well soon, mate….you know, most blokes brains are below their belts…..
How about starting a best/worst,/ funniest/most painful bike accident thread, with scars included?
Again, look after yourself and be patient
Steve LAGG
Hmmm that is a good idea Steve. Hidden somewhere on the site, under the fun section… is the worst bathrooms we’ve seen. Your suggestion falls in a similar category haha. I sorely need to take more bad bathroom / dunny / bog photos that I see during my travels.
Hey JOM, been there, done that two years ago and life is good again. A number of my riding buddies have had the same experience I don’t quite understand it such a fun sport. Anyway, don’t rush it, rubber side down!
Get well soon JOM. Really love reading your stories.
Jayson, at least you didn’t have this happen: https://imgur.com/gallery/wj1mi
Haha, that video is so doing the rounds at the moment. I spotted and captured a few kangaroos on video on the gravel roads, but like deer, they’re interested in keeping to themselves. On my New Year’s Day ride, we did have a decent sized roo cross our path about 10 metres ahead… and no misfortunes.
JOM, best wishes for a speedy recovery. Maybe it’s time to review some e-bikes? : )
I’ve ha a double inguinal hernia for about five years now. Never bothers me at all. I have been reluctant to have it repaired because of the issues my friends have had with the mesh (i.e., tearing sensation) not to mention the people that have had infection issues. Not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but has anyone else had any issues with the mesh?
Hey John, I was very reluctant to have mine repaired, but it was poking out and had worsened since I first discovered it. I have yet to experience a tearing sensation, rather, an extremely sharp pain in two spots, mostly if I try and stand up straight too quickly.
Hey JOM read all the remarks and had to really chuckle on the get well you old fart as you don’t ride like you are one by now. Hope you have a speedy recovery as long as you remember to take your time on the recovery. I had a hernia, think belly bottom repaired probably 5-6 years ago with the mesh implant. Doc. originally said he didn’t think it needed repaired only for looks only. My GF at the time didn’t think it looked good when we were at the beach. After the surgery the Doc. changed his tune and said good thing I had it done as it was strangling itself I think around my embilical cord. I too don’t come out of going down under very well and left them know that. At my end I didn’t know you used your stomach muscles so much as I couldn’t move for about 2 days and sit upright and slept on a couch easy boy for the 2 days.
Does this mean you are out of the Dirty Pecan JOM? I was looking forward to seeing you even though the training has not been going at all up here in the Tundra land.
Larry, I am taking this recovery very seriously. I will be off the bike for at least three to four weeks, but I started walking last week which should help with my recovery.
I am 50 / 50 on the Dirty Pecan. If I’m able to ride again by the middle of February, I will appear, but I won’t be setting any speed records. I have no idea how you bear those winters up there. I’m all for nice weather and leave the USA every year to head to the summer of Australia!
Well if you aren’t setting any speed records then I actually might be able to keep up. Hoping to see you there if not maybe at some other event. RIght now I have a fireplace insert stove fired up to keep my house toasty warm and the electric bill down. When I retire in a couple of years probably looking for a place to fly South with the snow birds over winter.
You and Rupert Guinness have both written timely, for me, pieces on this. I’m going to get mine fixed this year sometime so I’d be keen to hear how you go when you’re riding again. Love the site, keep up the good work.
Scribble, thanks for mentioning Rupert’s article, I wasn’t aware he had a similar issue going on. I had the pleasure of meeting him in person at the 2017 Tour Down Under. Absolute gentleman and legend.