Surgery two weeks ago. not much better

i had surgery exactly 2 weeks ago myself. laproscopic resection to take out about a foot of small intestine and fistula. I feel that i am improving by the day, but am still having sharp pains on one side of my stomach that feels like muscles stretching. I also have times of cramping and bloating at times during the day. The cramps usually dont last long. Just today i started having constapation and difficulty getting stools out, which i read somewhere might be a side effect of the vicodin im taking, so i took a couple stool softeners and its seemed to help a little.

I just went to doctors today to get the staples removed, and she said that its normal to be having pains still. She also said its important that im properly hydrating myself. I guess liquids are crucial for the healing process. She also said cramping is normal as long as its just brief periods. Im making sure to stick to soft foods for now to go easy on myself. ive been having waffles, toast, peanut butter, soups, cereal, and ensure. My doc said no meat for the first couple weeks. Im going to try a little bit of chicken to see how that goes.

First off you need to remember you just had major surgery. Its going to take some time to fully recover. You will have pulling feelings, tenderness in the incisions etc for awhile. One thing I would suggest as justcallmeD said is to try some stool softners to help you go to the bathroom. The pain meds can be quite constipating, so those might help. Also, your diet should be pretty bland and soft right now. You need to give your bowels some rest as they heal from the trauma of surgery. I ate alot of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, soups, cereal, things like that. I would avoid red meat right now as it is hard to digest even for the normal bowels.

Give yourself a good six weeks to feel better. Try to walk around as much as possible. Maybe try to add a little distance every few days. I sure hope you and Vicky get feeling better soon. Hoping your surgeries lead to long long remissions. Hugs!

I just had my first surgery 2 months ago.

Did you have laparoscopic or open procedure? That can also make a difference in how you feel in the first couple of weeks after surgery.

Is your pain worse or the same as it was in the hospital? If it is worse, I would definitely call my doctor. If it is the same, I would probably start thinking about it.

I agree with what Nanners said, though I would caution about "pulling feelings and tenderness" versus acute, sharp pain. I would think that continued pain, especially sharp pain, especially pain that is worse than it was the prior week, is something that you should contact your doctor about.

I was lucky in my post hospital care that the nurses station from the hospital called, the surgeon's office called, and my PCP called - each once - over the course of a couple of weeks. If you haven't had that call yet, it doesn't hurt anything to call the surgeon's nurse and let them know how you are feeling. Then, they can advise as to whether they want to see you sooner than your next appointment, or give you any advise over the phone. They'd much rather you call them, then not call and sit at home in pain and wonder.

They gave me a prescription (though you can also get it at the store) of miralax when I left the hospital. I needed it for the first couple of days after going home, then about 1 month after surgery for the past month.

The diet, I absolutely agree with. I think I've had beef twice in the past two months. And that was either finely ground beef or an Arby's roast beef sandwich. Probably none in the first month. The first couple of weeks, I definitely was on a low residue, low volume diet. No fried foods, no beef, no large portions - mostly full liquid items + eggs, noodles, toast, crackers, cheese. I started adding some fish, chicken, and shaved ham. I'm sure that those first several days that half my calories were coming from liquids (gatorade, non-acidic juices, Ensure, pudding, yogurt, ice cream.)

Hi, I had open surgery almost a year ago and was still having problems four months after and thought the surgery had been a waste of time but my GI put me on Questran. Its a power that you mix with a little water and drink once a day (kgood job too cos its not the most pleasant of mixtures !) From the very first dose my life changed.  I hardly ever get any pain and the dreaded loo dashes have stopped.  I feel as though I have been given my life back and am now regaining my confidence and have started going out more and even eating out !  I still have to be careful about my diet as some foods do not agree and if I have alcohol I will have an upset stomach the next day so I just avoid it.  Surgery was the best thing I ever did and although I know the Crohns could return for now I am enjoying being symptom free and I hope all of you who have had surgery get the same outcome. xx