Hernia surgery at Spire London East Hospital

Spire London East Hospital is a well-established private hospital delivering comprehensive treatments and care to our patients in east and central London and Essex.

Our consultants have wide experience in performing hernia repair surgery. They’ll offer you a treatment and recovery plan that’s tailored to you. With fast access to tests, scans and treatments, we can help relieve your symptoms and get you back to your everyday activities.

Coming into hospital

We're located just a couple of miles from the M11 and only 20 minutes on the Central line tube to the city of London via Redbridge station. There’s free parking available for you and your visitors.

Meeting your consultant

Your appointment will take place in one of our 22 consultation rooms. Your consultant will discuss:

• Your symptoms and examine your abdomen and suspected hernia
• Your general health and medical history
• If they recommend any additional tests or scans to help plan your treatment
• Your treatment options and expected recovery timeline
• What inguinal hernia surgery involves and the potential benefits and risks
• The anaesthetic you’ll require – either a general anaesthetic (where you’ll be asleep) or a local or spinal anaesthetic (where you’ll be awake but unable to feel pain in the area being operated on)

You may also need a pre-operative assessment before you can proceed with surgery. This will be to ensure the procedure is suitable for you, especially if you need a general anaesthetic.

Your stay

For most inguinal hernia repair surgery, you can leave on the same day, so you won’t need to stay overnight. However, if you do need to stay with us (for example if you have other medical conditions or live alone), you’ll have one of our 42 private, en-suite rooms, all of which have:

• Freeview TV
• En-suite
• Armchair
• Wardrobe
• WiFi
• Table

For day case procedures, you’ll be able to relax in a private room until you’re ready to go home. This will usually be around four to six hours after your procedure.

Anaesthetic

For keyhole (laparoscopic) procedures, you’ll need a general anaesthetic, where you’ll be completely asleep. For open surgery, you can usually have a local or spinal anaesthetic, meaning you’ll be awake but unable to feel pain where you’re being operated on.

Procedure duration

Inguinal hernia repair surgery usually takes under one hour.

After surgery

It’s normal to feel some pain or discomfort after hernia surgery, so to make your recovery easier, our nurses will give you medication to help you manage pain.

Going home

Your consultant will be able to advise you on your expected recovery time, based on the surgery you had and your overall health. For most people, you should be back to your usual activities in around six weeks. You’ll return for a check-up appointment with your consultant around four to six weeks after your operation.

Although everyone’s different and your consultant will be able to give you advice specific to you, here’s a typical recovery timeline: