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large bowel resection

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Posted 1/16/2011 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
I am scheduled to have a large bowel resection in two weeks.  At this stage I do not know if the surgery will be open or laproscopic.

The surgery is because I have a large abscess.  When I had my prep op assessment the nurse advised me my recovery time would be 3 months (off work) and for the first six weeks I cannot lift or drive.  However when I read up on this operation the recovery time seems to vary so much.  The nurse at the pre op was adamant that the recovery was 3 months no matter how the op was performed. 

Work are ok with me been off 3 months (and I still get paid)  Yes Im lucky an I do appreciate it.  I am just trying to plan ahead.  Can anyone tell me off their recovery time experiences?

Posted 1/16/2011 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
It differs for each person. I had off a month after my first resection, but was back at work 2 weeks after my second. I'm stubborn though...and wouldn't have gotten paid if I didn't return. Of course, I had limited duty when I went back, and my coworkers let me sit and relax whenever it was possible. I also didn't do much lifting at all until at least a month after surgery.

The key for me is to get up and get moving as soon as you can after surgery. It stinks, and it's not fun, but if you can walk a little bit throughout the days after surgery, your pain will go away quicker, and you'll regain your strength far quicker than if you stay in bed for days after surgery. Of course I'm not saying hurt yourself by doing too much, but my surgeon requires that I get out of bed the day after surgery, and after than I have to walk around every couple hours.

My first 2 surgeries were open, and when I had my gallbladder taken out, it was laparoscopic. I was surprised that after laparoscopic I hurt so much. I guess since it was outpatient, I wasn't on as strong meds (had a morphine pump after both open surgeries), so I felt more pain the first couple days. Also, if you have laparoscopic, some people have intense shoulder pain from the air used during surgery seeping up throughout your body.

Good luck to you!
Posted 1/17/2011 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
there is many things to figure, age, weight, health going in to surgery, depends on the type of work, if it's at a desk job, then would be easier to return to work a bit quiker, and depends on severity of cd, 6-8 weeks for me everytime. my work is physical. my first major surgery, I was 20 and a horse jockey, when they took out 8ft of s.bowel, all diseased, I was back riding in 8 weeks. I felt great. mostly remission for 18 years, then broke my jaw, and super flare as soon as they wired my mouth shut.

Posted 1/17/2011 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Missmuffet--

I am now four weeks post op from my lapro resection. They went in initially to remove a stricture and wound up pulling out a foot of bowel. But here i am at four weeks with four little "dings" in my abdomen, and my only complaint really being the GAS. oh, lord the gas is crazy. but i don't have D, don't have nausea, and i certainly have my appetite back. I think everyone is different but if you go into it ready to kick its ass, i think you'll be surprised how quickly you start to feel better. as far as pain goes--they sent me home with a big bottle of dilaudid and i think i took a total of 4 2mg tablets...one night the pain got really gnar, but aside from that, i took tylenol. i was back on the tysabri two weeks after the procedure and so far, so good. the only thing i will say is maybe don't get too crazy with the dairy right after. i know a lot of soft foods contain dairy, but i'm thinking this doesn't really help the gas situation. also consider a pro-biotic post-op, i'm taking one and hoping it does something to nix this gas. good luck, you'll do great!
Posted 1/17/2011 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
I have had two open bowels resections myself, which both removed a part of small intestine and part of the large. I was out of work for 8 weeks with both. And that was with a infection in my incision both times. I wonder if you are going to wind up with a temporary ostomy. Wondering if that would cause the long time out of work.

If its done via lap, I highly doubt you would need 3 mos to recover. Even if its open I don't think the time off is that long. Maybe ask the surgeon instead of the nurse, she may be wrong. Hugs!
Posted 1/17/2011 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
I had a colon resection in Nov. and was out for 6 weeks from work. I probably could have stayed out a week or two more but I didn't want to run out of leave completely. I was still somewhat sore at my incision site when I went back to work but I have mostly a desk job and things were quiet at work. I had an incision from right above the naval all the way down, so it wasn't a laparoscopic surgery. You just have to take it easy and not push yourself too much at first. My husband was wonderful and took time off work to help me out. I was in the hospital for 7 days. He stayed home 4 more days with me and I needed that. I was still on heavy pain meds and needed someone to bring me fluids and some meals.
I had internal stitches and then they used some kind of adhesive to close the outside skin. Good luck with your resection, keep us posted with your progress.

Posted 1/17/2011 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
I think your surgeon is probably a better person to give you time estimates on, personally. My surgeon told me 4-6 weeks and mine was supposed to be a simple, laproscopic surgery. It ended up being a double resection (small and large bowel), open, and a large mass was removed.

My job is very flexible and I can spend large amts of time sitting. My surgery was Feb 3rd a year ago and I went back to work the last week of February, but only for 2 days. I sorta eased back into things, you know? Working half days for awhile and then back to FT.

My surgeon just encouraged me to be smart and listen to my body.

Walking a LOT to get things moving (and it sucks, I won't lie, but it did help), eating healthy, resting, having people help you, and staying on top of your pain will all help you get back.

 

Posted 1/17/2011 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
I've had two open bowel resections and I think 3 months is a fair estimation for recovery.
We do all recover at different rates, BUT it is still considered major surgery, and with all
surgeries we need time to heal, not only from the operation itself, but also anesthesia!!
If your company has given you that time, take it, rest and heal well. You're body will thank
you in the end.

You get no medals for fast recovery, not in this life:)
Posted 1/17/2011 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for all of the information. I suppose that things are different for everyone. I know I wont get hassle from work if I have the 3 months so I will see how I go. When I go back to work I will be expected to be fully functioning, and no one will thank me for going back early. I am lucky enough to get full pay for 6 months. I have to drive to work, and as I cant drive for 6 weeks then I certainly wont be going back before then. I am just praying at the moment that my operation doesnt get put back, I am so sick of feeling ill.

Nanners I dont think I am having an ostomy, I have been told the bowel around the abscess area is good, so they can re attach.

I wonder if recovery time is seen as different for me under the NHS in the UK. I know most of you will be in the USA, and thats private health care. Dont know ! Just wondering.
Posted 1/17/2011 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi littlemissmuffet,

I had this surgery seven years ago and they told me the same thing - three months recovery. They were about right, I was determined to get back into the swing of things and was back to work after 9 weeks but I really should have used the other three weeks to make a full recovery.

Wishing you the best of luck with the procedure - be brave. The first few days are tough but things get better relatively quickly. Let us know how it goes when you"re up to it.

G-Force
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