Bilateral Hernia Surgery in Punjab: Both Sides Fixed in One Keyhole Operation

Last updated 2026-11-08 · Medically reviewed by Dr Raman Garg · Punjab, India

20+ years | 10,000+ laparoscopic surgeries | 1,000+ hernia repairs | Cashless insurance | OPD Mon to Sat 10 AM to 5 PM

What a bilateral hernia is

Your groin has a weak point on each side where the muscle wall has a natural gap. A hernia forms when fat or bowel pushes through that gap. When this happens on both sides, it is called a bilateral hernia. People also say "dono taraf ka hernia" or "double hernia".

Picture a pair of pockets in a pair of trousers. If the stitching of the left pocket gives way, the right pocket is under the same strain. The same lifting, coughing and straining that tore the first side has been working on the second side too. That is why a second hernia often follows the first.

Sometimes one side is clearly visible and the other is small or silent. The silent side is found only during examination or ultrasound, or even during the keyhole operation itself, when the camera shows both sides at once.

Who gets it and causes

Bilateral hernias are most common in men over 40, but younger men and some women can have them too. Common causes and risks:

• Years of heavy lifting: sacks of wheat or paddy, cement, loading trolleys, gym lifting.
• Long-standing cough from smoking, asthma or TB history.
• Constipation and daily straining.
• Enlarged prostate, which makes men strain to pass urine.
• Family history and weak connective tissue.
• A hernia on one side that was repaired earlier with a stitched repair and no mesh. The other side then gives way.

A truck driver who has lifted loads for 25 years and has a bulge on the right may find a smaller bulge on the left when examined. Both come from the same cause.

Symptoms and when to worry

Look for a lump in one or both groins that appears on standing, coughing or lifting, a dragging or heavy feeling in the groin, discomfort that grows by evening, and swelling that goes down to the scrotum. See our page on hernia symptoms.

Go to a hospital the same day for sudden severe pain, a hard lump that will not go back, vomiting, fever, red or dark skin over the lump, or no gas and stool. These are signs of trapped bowel, and the details are on emergency hernia surgery. With hernias on both sides, the chance that one gets stuck is higher, so do not keep postponing.

How Dr Raman Garg diagnoses it

Dr Raman Garg examines both groins standing and lying, and asks you to cough while he feels each side. This one examination finds most bilateral hernias. An ultrasound of both groins confirms the size on each side and checks the opposite side for a hidden hernia. A CT scan is rarely needed.

He also checks your general health, sugar, blood pressure, heart and urine flow, because straining while passing urine can drive a bilateral hernia.

Note: These are typical Punjab costs for 2026. The final cost may vary after Dr Raman Garg examines you, depending on the hernia type, size, number of sides, mesh used and your health.

If you live far away, send your ultrasound report and a photo of the swelling on WhatsApp first for an online consultation. More tests are on hernia diagnosis tests.

Treatment options: non-surgical vs surgery

A hernia on either side will not heal on its own, and a bilateral hernia is no different. A hernia belt can give short-term comfort, but it does not close the gap. In fact, wearing belts for years can leave the skin sore and delay the repair. Read hernia belt: does it work and can hernia heal without surgery.

There are three practical ways to repair two sides:

See open hernia surgery for the open route.

Why laparoscopy suits both-side hernias

Keyhole surgery was almost made for this problem.

• One set of cuts: the camera sits near the navel and two working ports go to the sides. The same ports reach both groins.
• A clear view of both sides: Dr Raman Garg sees the left and right groin from inside, together, and spots a hidden hernia on the opposite side that was never felt.
• One anaesthesia: you sleep once instead of twice.
• One recovery: the healing time is close to a single-side repair, not double.
• Mesh on both sides placed evenly, with the same technique on each.
• Less pain from cuts than two open wounds.

The usual techniques are TAPP and TEP. See TAPP and TEP hernia repair and tapp vs tep. The full method is on laparoscopic hernia surgery.

The operation step by step

• Anaesthesia: general anaesthesia, so you sleep through it.
• Three small cuts of about 5 to 10 mm are made, one near the navel and two on the sides of the belly.
• Gas is gently filled in to create working space, and the camera is passed in.
• The left and right groins are inspected. The hernia sacs are drawn back inside.
• A flat mesh is placed over the weak area on each side and fixed in place. The mesh covers every weak point of the groin.
• The gas is let out, the cuts are closed and sealed with skin glue. No stitch removal visit is needed.

The operation for both sides usually takes about 1 to 2 hours. In cases where one side is very large, a scrotal hernia, or the hernia is recurrent, the time may be longer. You can read about the mesh on mesh hernia repair.

Before surgery checklist

• Bring all earlier reports, ultrasound and any old operation papers.
• Share your medicine list. Blood thinners, diabetes and BP tablets need a plan.
• Treat a long cough, constipation and urine trouble beforehand where possible.
• Stop smoking and tobacco as early as you can. It helps healing.
• Arrange a family member to stay and a person to help at home for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Fast for the hours the team tells you.
• Keep your insurance card and ID with you.

Day of surgery timeline

Recovery timeline

Open repair of both sides usually means 1 to 2 days in hospital and desk work in about 2 to 3 weeks. With keyhole surgery on both sides, many patients are back at the shop or office 1 to 2 weeks earlier. For food and care tips see hernia surgery recovery and what to eat after hernia operation.

Risks and how they are handled

Risks are similar to single-side repair, but they apply to both groins. They include bruising or swelling in the groin and scrotum, a fluid collection, urine difficulty for a short time, wound infection, nerve irritation with tingling on the thigh and, in some patients, return of the hernia. Rare risks of any keyhole surgery include injury to nearby organs or vessels, which the surgeon is trained to prevent and handle.

We lower these risks with careful dissection, proper mesh size, controlled sugar and BP, and clear rules on lifting. Dr Raman Garg explains your own risks in plain words before consent. See is hernia mesh safe.

Cost of bilateral hernia surgery in Punjab

Note: These are typical Punjab costs for 2026. The final cost may vary after Dr Raman Garg examines you, depending on the hernia type, size, number of sides, mesh used and your health.

Look at the numbers. Fixing both sides together costs far less than twice a single-side repair, because the anaesthesia, theatre set-up and cuts are shared. Published ranges from Mohali and Chandigarh hospitals put open inguinal mesh repair at about Rs 25,000 to 60,000 and laparoscopic repair at about Rs 45,000 to 1,20,000, and big-city metro hospitals often charge more. Laparoscopic costs more than open because of equipment and mesh, but patients return to work 1 to 2 weeks earlier. Full details on hernia surgery cost in Punjab.

Insurance and cashless

BGCI is empanelled with almost all major insurance companies and TPAs for cashless treatment, including Aditya Birla Health Insurance, Niva Bupa, Digit Insurance, Care Health Insurance, Vidal Health TPA, ICICI Lombard, Raksha TPA, Future Generali, SBI General Insurance, Oriental Insurance, Liberty General Insurance, IFFCO Tokio, Cholamandalam MS, Medi Assist TPA, and almost all other major insurers and TPAs.

• Send your policy card, ID and reports on WhatsApp.
• The insurance desk checks your cover and sends pre-authorisation for the bilateral repair.
• You are admitted on the approved date.
• After discharge the desk settles with the insurer and you pay only the part your policy does not cover.

Ayushman Bharat: call us with your card details and our insurance desk will tell you the same day how your card can be used. See hernia surgery insurance.

Facilities at BGCI

A good hernia hospital should have a modern operation theatre, a quick in-house lab, an endoscopy set-up, comfortable rooms, an insurance desk, 24/7 emergency support and a senior surgeon. BGCI covers all of these.

• Modern laparoscopic operation theatre.
• Advanced endoscopy and colonoscopy suite.
• Fully equipped in-house diagnostic laboratory.
• Comfortable patient rooms.
• 24/7 emergency care support.
• Cashless insurance desk.
• Stitchless laparoscopic technique with skin glue.
• Same-day walking and discharge within 24 hours for most keyhole repairs.
• One surgeon from consultation to follow-up, with follow-up by phone or video.
• Online pre-arrival consultation for NRI and out-of-town patients.

See hernia hospital in Punjab.

Why patients choose Dr Raman Garg

Dr Raman Garg is Surgical Gastroenterologist and Laparoscopic Hernia Surgeon. He has 20+ years of experience, 10,000+ laparoscopic surgeries and 1,000+ laparoscopic hernia repairs. His qualifications are MBBS (Government Medical College, Patiala), MS General Surgery (Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana), DNB Surgical Gastroenterology (Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai), a Fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery and advanced laparoscopy training in Seoul, South Korea. He is a member of IAGES and AMASI, and registered with the Dubai Health Authority as Physician Specialist, Gastrointestinal Surgery.

He was among the first surgeons in Bathinda to perform laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery. Patients come from all Punjab districts, Haryana, Rajasthan and abroad. His rule is simple: one surgeon, one clear plan, and the same face at follow-up. Read more on Dr Raman Garg.

Patients we see from your area

• Mansa: about 50 km, 1 hr
• Muktsar: about 55 km, 1 hr 10 min
• Faridkot: about 65 km, 1 hr 20 min
• Barnala: about 70 km, 1 hr 30 min
• Sirsa: about 95 km, 2 hr
• Patiala: about 125 km, 2 hr 30 min

See the full list on areas we serve.

How to book

• Call or WhatsApp +91 82641-60001 or +91 99885-03800.
• Send your ultrasound and a photo of the swelling.
• Pick an OPD day, Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, via book appointment.
• Come to BGCI, Power House Road, Near Street No. 10, Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India.
• For emergencies, 24/7 emergency care support: +91 82641-60001. Email: bgcibathinda@gmail.com.

You can reach Bathinda by road, by bus from the main bus stand, or by train to Bathinda Junction. See hernia surgery in Bathinda.

Related pages

Hernia surgery in Punjab hub | Inguinal hernia surgery | Recurrent hernia surgery | Hernia types | Hernia blog

This page is general information; your plan is set after Dr Raman Garg examines you.

Medically reviewed by Dr Raman Garg. Last updated: 8 November 2026.