bathroom trips after reversal

I been out of the hosp for 6 days(surgurey was on 10/17) and my trips are 10 times a day and my butt is hurting bad...I am using hemorrhoid cream and baby wipes to lessen the pain.
Can anyone tell me when I will start to see the bathroom less and less? I am to take a trip next week with my wife and her brothers and sisters to Branson MO to do dinner shows but I just see my self running to the rest room or waiting in line on the plain. I bought diapers for the trip and take fiber pills and antacid pills.

What else can I do it is starting to become a issue and argument with the wife as she thinks Im not moving around walking and such but I have gone out 3x in the last 6 days.
Just don't feel like its a great idea to leave too far with out being near a restroom.

My reversal on Oct 17th and I went in the ileostomy June on1997 is my intestinal track just taking longer to transition to a more normal cycle?

You are taking a trip next week and you are 6 days post op!?

What are you crazy? Excuse my bluntness but did anyone explain to you and your wife that you just had major surgery!?  It sounds like she is being a tad insensitive.  I am 2 weeks post op and still cant imagine going anywhere without a public washroom.  I had my ileostomy for 18 months and just assumed it would take at least that long for it to get back to normal.  I think as the weeks go by the length of time between movements may increase but I assume the frequency will stay the same.

I hope you can talk to your wife to ease some of your anxiety.  Good luck!  It sounds like what you are going through is normal. Unfortunately.

Hi Dave - with all due respect, 2 weeks, 2 days post-op seems risky to me as well. I had my temporary colostomy reversed June of 1999 and didn't travel anywhere until mid-August. And even then, it was very risky. I didn't eat much while traveling to and from our destinations in the car and after arriving, I grocery shopped for my meals, even though that particular trip was a large family reunion. I ate my plain Stouffer's meals (turkey, mashed potatoes), ate my trusty banana and yogurt and never shared a meal with others. I was literally petrified about eating foods I knew would mess me up! What I'm trying to say here I was traveling with my own immediate family (husband, 2 daughters grades then 4th and 7th) but spending a lot of time with extended family members. I was just glad that family reunion was about 7 weeks post-op and not 2. I wouldn't have attended if it had been.

And even 7 weeks post-op was enough to do me in - I was a nervous wreck!

I was never so glad to get back home. That entire family went on a big houseboat one day and I stayed back. One marine toilet for 30 people - I said no thank you!

But anyway, you do what makes you feel comfortable. What I'm trying to say is I had the most understanding family back then, still do in many ways although 9 years later they still do not grasp why I have 12 to 15 bm's a day (still, yes still......) but at least they know I am forever changed and this is the "new" me, for better or worse.

This is purely personal, but I would politely say no to your trip and stay home. There is something so comforting about being HOME! Oh how I do love that word.......

I wish you well though, whatever you decide.

Mary/marsky (Stage I Rectal Cancer survivor, 90% sigmoid removed, 15 inches of my colon removed, along with my gall bladder, temp ostomy reversed 8 weeks after colon resection in 1999, left with chronic multiple bm's per day, IBS-D like symptoms..)

Hi MDdave. I'm sorry your having problems post op. I to had my reversal done on October 23. I am 9 days post op. I too had multiple bm after my reversal. I started to go the second day post op. I went about 5 times. Now I go about twice a day. It's loose but not watery. I still have pain when I go also which is the worst part. Even though i'm not having that many bm's i still would not want to venture out so soon after surgery. Can i ask you a question? Did they leave your skin open and pack it with gauze. My surgeon did this and he said it's to prevent infection. He said it wil take about 4 weeks to close. Pain in the ass. No punn intentended. But I have to say I have no regrets about the reversal. I'm actually seeing my surgeon on Friday. Let's see what he says. The only major problem i'm having is one i get full very easily and i feel completely bloated after I do eat. Also I'm still in a lot of pain at the incision site. I was only in the hospital for 3 days then i went home. I had a foot of my small bowel removed at the terminal ileum and they also took my appendix. Poor thing. Did nothing to me. I also had my gallbladder removed december of 04. Hang in there it has to be better then what you were going through before. I know the pain of going to the bathroom 30 times a day and sitting in that bathroom in excrutiating pain. I've had crohn's disease for 7 years. was diagnosed when i was 20. been in and out of the hospital for major flares and stricture where the food gets stuck as it passes through. all i want out of life is to eat a darn salad. eventually it will happen. right now i've got to roll with the punches. i hope i've helped a little and if you have any more questions i'll be glad to try and help. hang in there. it will be better.

Dave,

I think that Calmoseptine Ointment would help you. You can read more about it at http://www.calmoseptineointment.com/

Cecilia

MDdave--I don't think you are the average CD patient!!!  You have been there and done that having lived with the disease so long...which probably works to your advantage!!  It sounds like you have prepared for "anything" and can mentally handle it    I would be terrified about the plane ride, but I hate to fly    Take it easy when you can so you don't wear yourself out.  Good Luck!

Sitz baths are very soothing as well. You can add a tablespoon or two of baking soda or Aveeno oatmeal powder (the type you use for poison ivy). I find a sitz bath makes me feel so much better and I actually sleep more restfully if I'm less itchy, less irritated and well, clean feeling too (after numerous trips to the bathroom).

You can purchase plastic sitz baths at any Pharmacy.

Hi all,

I am still on my trip in Branson MO and I'm doing well It's our last night here and we have gone to a dinner show and went to a Bettles show that was fantastic. The first dinner show whe had steak and chicken with veggi and mash taters and all went well, last night we all (12 inlaws) went to Mexican place to eat and I no issues and drank a ritta.

We been eating a full breakfast each morning that comes with the Hotel and it's all good both ways.

The plane ride was fine and I was able to time all my trips to the restroom, I did have a clot in my incision that released when I missed judged the seat to the john and fell a bit but was fine after that as the wife wheelchaired me. I had to by a donut to sit on b/c my butt was sore after Mondays long day of sitting and only using tissue to wipe. I did take a sitz bath on Tuesday and it did feel good and started use of my roid cream and wipes.

Now I did have one thing that worried me, my sister inlaw who is a nurse called it spot on as I had some syrius (sp) build up just under my cut about a inch and a half long and it has been weeping so I went to the ER and they ran CAT and found a surface are build up of the stuff just under the scar and I was give some antibiotics and made the choice to have my doc at home cut and drain it and pack the wound next week. No infection just syrius fluid...ER doc said it had nothing to do with travel and more of a case of bad luck.

I been resting in the room as the other do some things I passed on like shoping but I make the dinner show and I am having fun.



Thanks all,

Dave [img]/community/emoticons/smile.gif[/img]

Post Edited (MDdave) : 11/6/2008 10:14:02 PM (GMT-7)

hi i'm new here and its great to here all the sides of ur stories but im in a bit of a delimma and i dont know what to do.. i've had CD since i was 9 yrs old, i'm currently 23.. i had the ileostomy on feb 2004.. recently i have discovered that i have diversion colitis due to the illeostomy and one of the options is to do a reversal..

taking out the bag might be the best thing i can do.. i've read abt all ur recovery processes and i'm willing to do it.. the only catch here is that i'm getting married in june 09, that will give me approx 5 months to recover.. do u think i'd be up and running by that time? do you think that reversal is going to ruin my honeymoon by many bathroom trips? or should i wait until after i'm married to do the reversal surgery?

PLZ HELP