Oh, that's awful to hear. I'm surprised that your surgery is postponed to February. Normally, having an inguinal hernia with pain is so dagerous that immediate surgery is advised. Particularly, your doctor's "advice" to "push it back in with your hand" sounds truly irresponsible.

The issue is that if one leaves an inguinal hernia untreated for too long, the hernia can get bigger and cause more and more intestine to leak out. And if a loop of intestine is clamped off, life is in immediate danger.

So please consult a second physican and check for rapid treatment.