Hi Susan,

I'm sorry Tim is going through hernia surgery recovery. J had hernia surgery and it took a quite some time before the pain was gone. Coughing and laughing were tough for awhile. He wasn't even an OC survivor, so it must be particularly rough on Tim and you.

One thing that helped was having a pillow to brace against his lower abdomen when he had to cough. He could push down hard on his abdomen through the pillow, have the pressure distributed somewhat evenly, and prevent a good portion of abdominal movement caused by coughing. When my dad had surgery for an aortic aneurism which involved a very long incision, the pillow trick helped him get through coughing during his recovery as well.

It takes some time for the pain to subside. It might still hurt somewhat even after it doesn't hurt to cough anymore. That part goes away pretty quickly, which is good.

Good luck to you and Tim and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Sandy