Gary,
Do not return to work without discussing with your surgeon the recommended activity levels for your surgery. It is dangerous and inappropriate to use pain meds to tolerate pain while doing activities that can damage suture lines. Your ability to tolerate pain is not the relevant issue here. The ability of the various layers of sutures to withstand pulling, twisting and torque until the tissues are healed is. If you do activity that is not advised by you surgeon, you tear suture lines and there are several in there that you cannot see. In your particular case, there are suture lines closing peritoneum, muscle, omentum, subcutaneous tissue and then the skin. The reason you feel like you were shot in the gut is particularly related to the muscle layer that was cut when your hernia was repaired. Many people don't realize that our ability to stand, twist, bend, lift, hold heavier objects and support the back utilize abdominal muscles. Not investing the time to recover from your surgery now can cause more problems down the road that can further interfere with your ability to work for even longer periods. I don't know the recommended timelines for activity for your surgery....your surgeon put the suture in and has first hand knowledge of your anatomy and tissue quality and can help you determine the safest course of action as you tell him exactly what is physically involved in detailing. Other factors, such as diabetes and chronic steroid use can affect wound healing as well and have to be accounted for. Hang in there......
