How To Win At Hernia Repair

Warnings

Much of this information will get into the "too much information" range, and you can't unhear it. So don't read this if you're not scheduled for hernia surgery, or you're going to be helping someone who is.
I'm not a doctor. This is just a collection of my personal experiences.

This is such an easy answer: laparoscopic. I've had both. With the open procedure, I was down for two weeks.

Number one: NEVER EVER SNEEZE. When you feel one coming on, curl up into a ball and start rubbing your nose, or whatever you do to prevent the sneeze from happening. If it happens, it will cause you immense pain, which you will feel for days. A sneeze will make you tense up all your abs, which will pull on the mesh that was installed, and will put strain on the fasteners they used to put it in.
Number two: stool softener. (See what I did there?) Start taking it a day or two before your surgery. You don't realize how much you use your abs when you're on the toilet. And the pain medication they will give you will constipate you. Constipation means hard pushing when the medication wears off. Hard pushing plus surgery on your abdomen equals mega pain.