Is there much post operative pain relating to inguinal hernia repair?

Not much: Most of the time moderate pain , will need just non narcotic pain medication only , how ever some sensitive patients will complain of severe pain for few days, requiring narcotic medications for a wk or so.

Moderate: It depends on the type of repair that you have. In general, open (large incision) hernia repair has more pain and disability than a laparoscopic (small incision) hernia repair, but it depends a lot on you and your pain tolerance. Your surgeon's techniques also play a role. Most people require moderate narcotics after surgery to control their pain.