Hi limegreencake – I posted in your surgery thread from a month ago and also wanted to respond to your new thread here while sharing my experience with surgery in 2011.
I read that your surgery was just over a month ago on February 3. It was an emergency, open procedure that removed 18” at the TI, including the appendix. You were released 8 days after surgery to be followed by some period of bed rest and instructed to eat low residue for one week, then eat anything you want.
We have some differences. I had the experience of living with this disease for 22 years prior to my surgery. My surgery was planned two months in advance and was done laparoscopically. I had my TI removed, but I also had a segment of my jejunum removed. My hospital stay was shorter (surgery on a Monday morning, discharged on Friday afternoon of the same week.)
Your post-op instructions were a bit different than mine, perhaps accounting for the differences in our individual situation. Here's the direction I received:
My GI said it was my choice, but strongly encouraged me to continue to take a maintenance medication following surgery. We talked through the various options, and I agreed to take Humira.
My GI ordered labs to check my SED rate after 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and then every 6 months since then. At least for me in my 25 years with this disease, my SED rate usually reflects my disease’s activity level fairly accurately. (Also, since I am on Humira, I have to have blood work done every 6 months anyways. Otherwise, I don't think she'd be sending me to get labs every 6 months just for the SED rate.)
I was placed on a low residue diet for one month. The hospital nutrionist gave me a target amount of protein grams to eat each day to aid in healing and recovery. They also said I should eat 4-5 smaller meals/snacks each day instead of 2-3 larger meals. At first, I couldn’t eat 4-5 times a day, so I supplemented my diet with Ensure/Boost. (It helped that it is also fortified with iron and protein.)
My physical restrictions were limited to not lifting heavy objects and not straining myself physically for the next 4 weeks. I did not have bed rest, though I did rest a lot that first month, particularly that first week home. I took several walks a day. The walks started in the hospital to aid bowel motility. Since it was late Spring/early summer, I was able to be outside with the kids a lot. Though my doctor lifted my restrictions after 4-6 weeks, I still couldn’t fully exert myself (throw a ball hard or do pull-ups/push-ups) until about the 14-16 week mark.
After one month, I had problems with constipation. My doctor directed me to take miralax. She said that this one was safe to take daily. There may be other laxatives that are like this, but I know that some of the laxatives/stool softeners are not something that should be taken frequently because it will make your problems worse long term.
Looking back on all of that, I do remember times when I’d be cramping or feel abdominal discomfort. It was usually related to (1) doing too much physically the day before or (2) either eating too much for a meal or otherwise being constipated. Even this morning, almost 3 years later, I was a little uncomfortable until I had a BM…I ate too much last night.
Hopefully your cramping is just related to diet, or BM's. I think if it persists, then it is definitely worth checking with your doctor or surgeon. They may have other/better solutions to your pain.