The surgeon, or your doctor, will tell you. Just ask him or her.

To note, a friend of mine had hernia surgery last month... he was back to work (on light duty) in 3 days... so I might guess that you could go back to school in 2-3 days... but again, ask your doctor and/or the surgeon. For you it will depend on the severity of the issue and if there were any complications.

After surgery, a patient may experience minimal discomfort as the body is numb due to the general anesthetic used during the operation. The patient should take complete rest and is advised to stay in the hospital for two to three days. Minimal physical activity like slow walking will help the patient to overcome the normal feelings of stiffness and pain due to the surgery as it increases the blood circulation and speeds up the healing process. While sneezing, coughing or vomiting, the patients should support their abdomen by putting a pillow on it. The incision may get sore, swollen or bruised within few weeks of the surgery. Though this is normal, one may consult a doctor if the condition worsens.

The patient should be given easy to digest foods, like, liquids, juices or soups for the initial few days or until the digestive tract has completely recovered. The hernia surgery recovery time varies from person to person as some patients may resume their normal life a week after the surgery while others may take few more weeks to recover. However, on an average, the hernia operation recovery time ranges from two to three weeks in which the patient can perform routine activities but needs to avoid heavy lifting and vigorous exercises.

For further information please visit the following link:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hernia-surgery-recovery.html

The member above did a complete copy and paste of the website he/she provided.

I will say, however, that recovery time will be different dependent upon the type of hernia surgery involved. There are several kinds of hernias and several different forms of surgical repair.

Your particular recovery will depend on the type of hernia you have as well as the type of surgery done. If it is laproscopic, healing time will be minimal. However, if it is more invasive, recovery time will take longer. Talk to your surgeon for the correct advice according to your procedure.

I agree with the above posts. Several years ago I had a double hernia operation; one mid section and one in the groin area with a triangle screen implanted. I was back to work in three days with no lifting and on a light diet. I had minimal pain afterward.

My only problem was that during the surgery I had local anesthesia and when the surgeon was performing the second operation in my mid section it started to wear off... not pleasant. However when I was able to get the anesthesiologist's attention they pumped me with another shot in the stomach... :)

Stringer