 But incarceration only really happens 10% to 15% of the time, which means that most people will find their hernia to be an annoyance, but not much more. So to treat or not to treat? And that should be a medical question, a decision made with one's doctors. For me, it should have been an easy decision. I was a physically active 39-year-old with growing bilateral hernias. So why tempt fate? Well, because hernia repair is really expensive. That's even with insurance. See, I got my surgery on April 12th.