Quoted keyhole hernia repair on both sides in Bangkok. How long did you actually stay before flying home?

#1Kevin O'B(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 10, 2026, 11:24 am

I've had a hernia on the right for about two years and the scan in August found a smaller one on the left as well. Local waiting list is long and the private quote at home made my eyes water, so I've been talking to two hospitals in Bangkok.

Both are recommending keyhole on both sides in one go. One coordinator says "fly home after five days", the other says "seven to ten". I'm 58, reasonably fit, desk job, and I'd like to book the flights while they're cheap.

What did people actually do? And is five days mad for a long haul flight after a double repair?

#2bkk_bound(Joined Sep 2025 · 19 posts)October 10, 2026, 7:02 pm

I had mine done here in January, one side, keyhole. Thirteen nights in the end, surgery day 2, follow up day 9, cleared to fly at that appointment. I could have flown a bit earlier on paper but I was very glad I didn't.

Not because of the wound, that was fine. Because of the suitcase and the airport. Getting through Suvarnabhumi with a bag, three days after, would have been grim.

#3Alan G(Joined Jun 2024 · 34 posts)October 11, 2026, 8:40 am

Two hospitals giving you two different answers is itself useful. Ask each one where the number comes from. If one of them says "most international patients" that's a booking template, not a surgeon's view of you.

#4Daniel MarshAdmin(Joined Feb 2024 · 246 posts)October 17, 2026, 10:15 am

Kevin O'B said:

is five days mad for a long haul flight after a double repair?

Not mad as a rule, but it's the wrong person giving you the figure. The flight date should come from the surgeon who operates, after they've seen the wounds, and it should be in writing.

Some general context. UK Civil Aviation Authority guidance for doctors advises avoiding flying for around 24 hours after keyhole surgery and 10 days after abdominal surgery, and which of those your surgeon applies to a laparoscopic hernia repair is exactly the sort of question to ask them by email now. On top of that sits clot risk on a long flight, and the lifting. NHS guidance after an inguinal hernia repair is no heavy lifting for at least 4 to 6 weeks, and a double repair doesn't make that shorter. bkk_bound's point about the airport is the one people underestimate.

So the practical version: book flexibly, plan for the longer of the two quotes, arrange airport assistance at both ends, and take a case you can wheel and somebody else can lift. I've just put up a guide on hernia repair in Thailand that goes through the technique, the stay, and the questions about mesh and recurrence I'd want answered before paying a deposit. Whether five days is right for you is your surgeon's call, not mine.

#5Kevin O'B(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 18, 2026, 8:31 pm

That's helpful, thank you. I hadn't thought about the suitcase once.

Emailed both hospitals asking who decides the fly date and on what basis. The seven to ten one came back from the surgeon's office, said the date would be set at a wound check around day seven, and that a double repair might mean a few more days. The five day one sent me the same brochure again.

#6Kevin O'B(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 30, 2026, 9:12 am

Booked with the first hospital. Flights are flexible fares, twelve nights booked at a hotel near the hospital, airport assistance requested both ways. Wife has decided she's coming, which settles who lifts the bags. Will report back in December.