bowel section recovery, need some support!!

I have been living with crohns for 11 years now, diagnosed when I was nine. I usually have great periods of remission where I am completely free from the disease. However, last May I had a terrible flare and have been fighting it since then until now. I had an awful summer full of pain, nausea, tests, and treatments, ultimately leading me to a surgery I had done last Wednesday. My question is if there is anyone out there who had the same type surgery and what it was like post surgery. I had a small bowel resection in which they took out about 9 cm (the terminal ileum) and had it reconnected. It was laparascopic assisted so I have 3 small incisions and one at my bikini line about 4 inches. Surgery went well, I am still in the hospital recovering. My concern is where I should be at in terms of pain and what not. I have pain at the incision sites but also have pain on the inside too. I also have diarrhea. Plus my stomach is very tender and tight and tense at one of the incisions. They say its common but I always worry that they are just trying to get me out of here quicker than I should. They say I can go on a regular diet but I do not think that is wise since I just had surgery a few days ago. I think it is best to let my intestines rest. From what I read most people are on clear liquids for days and here I am just 4 days after surgery and am already being offered a regular diet. Plus I read about all of these complications so I have this constant worry that something is going to pop or get messed up. Any similar experiences that you can share would be greatly appreciated!! I have never had surgery before so this was a big step for me. 

Here's wishing you a speedy recovery and to be home soon.
tess

I have been Dx with CD for 20 years now.  I was Dx at age 8 and actually was in the hospital 2 days before Christmas that year and was in til February...that was my last year believeing in santa etc.  I was in remission for a year starting in Sept of 2005 then one day in 2006 in sept I awoke with D and all the pain.  My GI at the time didnt believe that I was flaring since I was having D and most of my flares in the more recent years were C only when I was Dx had I flared with D.  Even after tests proving I was flaring he decided to keep me on the same regiment I had  been on while in remission 1 pentasa a day (250mg) and remicade every 8 weeks.  prior to remission I was on Imuran, remicade everyy 6 weeks, and 16 of the 250 mg pentasa a day.   Oh yeah he placed me on entocort.  They would give me short spurts of pred and once off pred for a week or 2 the symptoms returned.  I had  ct enterography in Jan of 2007 which showed in more detail about my flare and he still insisted that I was "claiming" to have a flare.  One month later my ileum perforated.  I had emergency resection Feb 12 2007.  they put me on clears and before I had a BM they put me on a low residue diet (dumb residents).  My colon didnt wake up so on Feb 19 2007 I had to be opened up again (none of my surgeries in my life CD related or not have never been laproscopic).  I had a partial colectomy and temp ileostomy done.  Another moron of a resident got feces in my incision 2 times I asked that she flush the area with sterile saline to rid it of the feces she proceeded to dab the poo away with gauze and said that is fine it doesnt have to be flushed.  Well after I informed my doc about that and she was no longer allowed in my room and I ended up with a wound vac from February til may/june.  I had more compliactions with that surgery.

I had the vac as stated above, the stoma never healed right so I had feces leaking under my skin feeding an abscess so I had a pig tail drain in my belly too.  after 4 months they decided to do my reversal since the abscess was not going away.  I had the reversal june 20 2007. that Sx was to remove more of my colon, a little more of the small intestine, remove the abscess, there were many adhesions to cut through and they had to scrape my abd walls since it was all infected as well.  I was on 75mcg/hr Fentanyl patches from april til the end of August...well in late july I cut down to 50 mcg/hr and 2 weeks later I cut down to 25 mcg/hr then off 2 weeks after that. I also have dilaudid 4mg for breakthrough pain.  I started with the patches because the oxycontin was coming out whole...and I know it was not just the shell it is time release and in my ostomy bag you could read the words on the pill with no problem.  After my reversal I was in lots of pain since it was more complex than anticipated so I ended up on an epidural as well as the fentanyl.  then they slowly weaned me off of the epidural and onto the dilaudid.  They tried the oxy again but the same results occured. 

I now have an enterocutaneous fistula that I am going to need Sx to fix sine we have exhausted all other methods of trying to close it.  I have to have a few more tests before the Sx can be scheduled.  I have my colonoscopy set for december 20 and my surgeon is going to get back to me about a fistulagram date.

I hope that since the surgery i need will have to be next year in 08 I figure maybe ill have better luck than everything that has gone on this year.

hope you get better soon

I had been on IV fluids for 6 weeks prior to my resection. And was still on IVs when they offered me the liquid diet after surgery. The fluids were pretty much just saline and glucose. Yep, salt and sugar. So what was my liquid diet? Jello that tasted like melted sugar and boullion that tasted like brine. Both of which made me naseous. I BEGGED and PLEADED for some plain ole scrambled eggs, no salt, no pepper, no seasoning of any kind, just plain ole scrambled eggs. I gotta tell you, I LOVE a good tender medium rare steak more than any food in the world - but those first scambled eggs tasted even better!!!! Lawdy but they were delicious!

Get up and get walking!!! Grab a pillow and hold it to your tummy for comfort but get up and get walking. That walking is THE best thing you can do for recovery!!! The second day after surgery I was so desperate to go home that I was walking one full city block three times a day!!! I was no speed demon, pushing my little ole IV pole w/one hand and hugging a pillow to my tummy w/the other but I was motivating and that was what counted!

I didn't have the laparoscopic surgery, just the old fashioned kind. Couldn't imagine eating regular so soon! I had to go on very overcooked white rice with an egg thrown in, that's all I could tolerate for almost two weeks. Oatmeal may be OK too. The idea was to keep the food soft, no spices. Eventually, some tuna (well mashed) mixed in with the rice, then some chicken, slowly back to a normal diet. Had lots of diarrhea during the recovery. It was definitely not a picnic.

The advice you've been given to start walking - definitely do it! That will help you more than anything.

best regards,
Robert