I had a single, not a double, and I did not have the noticeable bulging that you are experiencing, so the damage in my case I'm sure was less.

The surgeon described the mesh to me ahead of time, but reported after surgery that he had done a "direct repair" with no mesh ... just patching me back together without a patch, so to speak. At the time of surgery I was about 40, and apparently in good enough shape physically that the direct repair was expected to be sufficient. It seemed to work fine, but unfortunately I re-injured that hernia the same way I had gotten it in the first place, by excessive coughing when I was under the weather, about two years after the hernia repair. I haven't had the repair re-done in the 8 or 9 years since I re-injured it, as it's not causing me any significant trouble. I don't see you having the option of just living with it, since it interferes with your daily life and your cycling.

For the record, the scar is about 8cm, and runs horizontally, below the belt, on the left side for me. After a couple of years, the scar faded and now is just a faint line that I can find if I look for it. I got back into shape by swimming and biking. At first my fitness seemed terrible, but within just a few months I was pretty well recovered and had my fitness back. The forced layoff from training prior to surgery probably had as much to do with the need to regain fitness as did the surgery itself.