Before reading this section, please refer to General instructions after surgery in this section of the website.

If your child has just had a hernia or hydrocele repair, the area will have been "numbed-up" at the time of surgery, and this should last for four to eight hours. All hernia repairs and most hydrocele repairs are accomplished through a groin incision alone, and usually the incision is quite small, so discomfort after surgery is typically very mild. Occasionally, a drain will be left in the scrotum after a hydrocele repair. This will usually be removed within 48 hours, and you will simply need to keep fresh gauze over the scrotum until the drain is removed.

Unless your child has had a hydrocelectomy with only a scrotal incision, the primary concern after these operations is that your child "take it easy" during the healing phase to prevent weakening of the surgical site and a secondary hernia. Because the abdominal wall is usually opened to accomplish the repair, poor healing may lead to significant problems. Although your child will seem completely back to normal, the surgical area will not have great strength for up to six weeks after surgery. Please follow the instructions as described under the section on "Activity" in the General instructions after surgery.