On Thursday the 26th of September I underwent major abdominal surgery due to an adhesion in my intestines caused by scar tissue from a previous operation in 2010. I was released from hospital on Wednesday the 10th of October and was told not to do any sports or heavy lifting for a minimum of 6 weeks. It then came to my attention that playing an instrument after abdominal surgery could cause a hernia and was told by a friend's mother (who is a GP, but not a musician herself) to wait for 6 weeks before playing my clarinet. The problem is that on the 26th of October I am due to go on tour with the county wind band, playing the bass clarinet, and so I was determined to look for more evidence against waiting the 6 weeks. I found that some forums, asking questions about different surgery and different instruments, ranged between 2 and 4 weeks, but even they didn't seem sure. If anyone knows the answer to how long I should wait (and whether I will be able to go on tour), or some tips on gradually getting my playing back or taking it easy, that would be much appreciated. Thank you.