[fuelie600]

I had a double repair a few years back. Did open vs. laproscopic. Screen/mesh is standard way to go. I was down for a week. The problem with doing both sides at once is you can't favor one side during recovery. I would still do both at once. They doc described my hernias as "pretty bad". It took a few months to get back to normal.
You will heal. It is not a "hurt the rest of your life" repair. The best way to describe it is, you will always be aware it is there.

You will do fine.

Good luck! let us know how it goes.