I had double inguinal hernia repair almost two years ago. They did laparoscopic surgery and I had three very small incisions; two of which did not leave scars, the third is small - you could only see it if I showed you where it was.

For you, considering getting surgery, I would get it fixed, sooner than later. You might be better off to have them both fixed with surgical mesh, at the same time, then to have to go through surgery all over again. I wouldn't run or lift, or do anything extremely strenuous, until you get it repaired, as it may make it worse. I tried to continue running and working out, but the pain was too bad. Check with your doctor on your individual situation, and his recommendations on your exercise prior to surgery.

I think being in shape and younger definitely helped in my recovery. I wasn't allowed to lift, carry, swim, run, work out, or do anything strenuous, for about a month. You would think it isn't a big deal, but carrying a gallon of milk was exhausting and hurt... haha Yea, a month is a long time to take off and do nothing, but it's better to take a full month and heal properly, then to drag it out longer.

I didn't really suffer any training set-backs, and actually think the 6 weeks I took off helped me come back stronger; the rest did me good. Also - good advice: make sure you have someone who can come around for a few days afterwards, in case you can't walk very well, or you need something from the store, as I wasn't able to drive for a week...