I had an inguinal hernia(left side of groin) a while back. Went to the British Hernia Centre in Watford and had it sorted under local anaesthetic. In at 2pm, out at 5pm after observation for a while. Yes it hurt like hell the next couple of days but the painkillers given were great. Walked a couple of miles that week. Next week I was back on a motorbike/driving a car. None of this 'six week recovery' stuff.
check out
www.hernia.org
Good luck.
forgot to add, it did twinge every now and again for up to a year but this is normal.