Feeling down ....

So it's been exactly 2 weeks since my surgery today and I'm recovering pretty well I believe.
My pain level has diminished but I am still taking some pain killers once in a while when I have moments where i can't stand the uncomfortable or painful feelings.

I have a wonderful wife and mother taking care of me ... yet I feel sad very often. I've been homebound for the past 2 weeks, which includes 4 days of hospital stay. I can't drive yet cuz I'm on pain meds and just not up to leaving to go anywhere just yet. I don't think I'm fully comfortable with the bag yet either. Nights I worry that the bag will leak, or I will have some leakage from "under there", which is quite embarassing. This whole thing has been such an experience. I went from doing almost EVERYTHING to just laying there and staring at the TV or the walls waiting for the day to pass.

My back pain is almost gone, but I have a very uncomfortable feeling once in a while in my tummy area. I believe the stitches are healing well, they are scabbing. Can the steri strips (the sticky things) come off now? Would it be ok to pull them off now? It's been 2 weeks ...

Also, I'm tired of the boring bland food I've been eating with the low-residue diet. Stripped chicken salad, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat are just not cutting it anymore. The nurse said I can start introducing some regular foods but I am scared. Any suggestions on what type of foods I can start eating now?

Also, I've lost a lot of weight. My belly is almost flat! I mean I'm not complaining at all but is it safe? I've been hydrating myself a lot but there is this pulling feeling in my belly when I reach upward or do my belly breathing. Could it be the stiches? I'm just being paranoid right?

I think I needed to vent, I cry almost every other day just feeling down. I know I am SO much better and already have my date set for my reversal surgery (June 3rd). I'm counting down the days.....

Just needed a shoulder to lean or and an ear to listen. I don't want to worry my pregnant wife nor my mom who's been SO strong thru this whole thing.

Thank you ....

The pullign feeling is your muscles goingback together. Its really annoying, lol.
Dont pull the strips off,just leave them be i know they are getting on your nerves, they annoyed me too.
You can eat stuff other than what you have been eating, you could have been eating stuff other than that all along! Pasta is good, fried chicken would be fine, hamburgers (just watch the onions, lol) fries, potato chips, ice cream, cake, candy, milkshakes, pork (stay away from BBQ and hotdogs for now), even pizza (just be prepared it may give you gas) I'm trying to think of other things you can eat but here's what to NOT eat, dont' eat any fresh fruits and veggies (cooked to smushy are fine), no nuts, seeds, popcorn, stringy meat (bbq, roast beef) no meats with skins, unless you take the skin off, like sausage or hotdogs. and you might want to watch spicy stuff, for the nexxt couple of weeks, they can cause gas. i would add one thing at breakfast, maybe throw in a banana, see how that goes, for lunch some pasta, see how that goes, for dinner a hamburger or something. Just one thing at a time. that way you can see if something is going ot give you trouble.
Dont' focus on the leaks, i know that is sooo hard to do. You may have som leaks at first, i did, it's one of those things it takes some practice to get exactly right. It wont take you logn though. Get some waterproof pads to sleep on at night, it will make you feel more secure and you will sleep better. then if you do have a leak, it will just go on the pad and no big deal!
Its ok to be laying around right now, you did just lose a body part, lol. Dont beat yourself up over that.
Keep thinking about that baby thats coming and what a better parent this surgery is gonna make you!
Hope you feel better!

I'm glad for the most you are feeling well. You've been through major surgery, major trauma to your body and mind. Give yourself time to heal. Use this forum as a sounding board. Let your wife and mom take care of you (they probably need to as much as you need them). I think the tightening you feel when you stretch is your body healing. I know Bratcat had that feeling. It's OK to feel unsure about so many things. This is very new to you. And by the time you figure it out, you will have your reversal surgery lol!
Like summerstorm said, keep remembering that you're going to be a healthy parent for your child. Also remember that a lot of what you feel now, your wife will feel after she has the baby! Aches and pains from delivery, body fluids coming from many different places, hormones kicking into high gear. This surgery just gives you a taste of empathy for her!

I hope you feel better each coming day.

I'm just going to say "what they said" because they are right! It takes time...you ARE doing wonderfully for being two week out, hang in there!

Definitely DON'T pull the steri-strips off...that just causes more pain/problems...if they start to peal up, cut that part off...the part that is still sticking has a will of its own and will scar your skin if you try to take it off now!

You're right on track! You've just described my first two weeks (I'm at the end of week 7). I echo all said here. GLAD you have an appetite so add in those foods summerstorm listed a little at a time. As OHIO76 assured me, I assure you, it's OK and normal to be sad. Do you have some family visiting? Even though I am 37 my parents have been visiting once a week and stuff the fridge and freezer. My brother has been visiting once a week to get me out to the grocery or to lunch, do some errands around the house, etc.. My in-laws have been coming to cook a meal and keep me company. It has helped my emotional state immensely. I thought I'd have read a zillion books by now--but it's hard. I'm so preoccupied with what I should do to be well and worries about the bag, etc.. Like you, we are all getting used to our "new" bodies. Good luck and know you are not alone!

The bag you have on should have a name and number on it (ie. hollister 88400 or Coloplast 15521). If you call your insurance company, they might have a distributor they prefer or deal with. I tried my 4th type of bag this week--it's a journey, eh?

Glad you are eating. For the first 6 weeks (ie. up until this week), I had to eat every 2-3 hours. I was sleeping in the guest room and would call my husband on his cell phone. He'd go downstairs and get me an eggo, a plain muffin, toast and butter, pudding, watered down oj, powerade etc.. After a while, I realized I should keep a few items near the bed so I could "Serve myself" (arrowroot cookies, waffle cookies, social tea biscuits, pretzels, or pita chips) because sometimes I just needed a little something. My visiting nurse even suggested a cooler with oj or powerade. If you're hungry, EAT!

Right now, I have 2 bottles of water, one pack of waffle cookies, and a few dum dum lollipops near the bed. I get up to change the bag and drink water which is helping me from being dehydrated. Also, I usually eat a little something before going downstairs for breakfast.

How did you do with the pizza?

ex uc-
didn't the stoma nurses order stuff for you? Dr. Weiss's nurses made the first order for me with the company that my insurance accepts and gave me the info so I could then order later. I called the company anyway to double check on the order and got the supplies within 1 week of coming home from the hospital.

I use the convatec 2 piece opaque bags. I find that the opaque bags help me deal with the ick factor. I feel better emotionally since using these.

What a day! I MADE my own pizza and then had TWO slices
Granted it was only cheese pizza but what a change from the mushy mashed potatoes and what not! Ughh.

I felt ok after it ... a little acid reflux but took a Pepcid AC and am feeling great so far.

Now I dread sleeping, or trying to sleep, I'm out of the Ambien the doctor gave me and have to sleep on my own now. I am extremely uncomfortable in bed as I used to sleep on my side and now I have to sleep on my back! If I roll on my side I get all crampy in my lower back. It's getting better I think. I walked about 10 rounds around my pool today too .. so I'm looking forward to tomorrow being as good as today. I have yet to have 2 consecutive good days! Fingers crossed!!!!

I spoke with the doctor about anal leakage and having "regular" bowel movements. They did remove my rectum and my colon and he said it was normal to have the urge to go t the bathroom and have mucus and blood come out. I've noticed that more and more mucus and blood is coming out and was wondering how long this lasts for? Anyone experienced this?

Jackie: The stoma nurse was awesome. She sent me home with some pre-cut wafers, bags (clear and opaque), eakin seals, scissors, a small mirror, the works! She also put in an order for me with EdgePark and I did receive it. I tried the Hollister bags and wafers and they caused me to itch like crazy!!!!
I switched back to the ones I got in the hospital and now I only have 2 left. I'm going to look thru the EdgePark ordering guide to see if I can exchange or order the right ones for me.

Time to bed ... oh boy ....

You can only return unopened boxes...I've done it many times after thinking I liked a brand/style, ended up hating it and going back to a Convatec two piece! Just call them and they'll let you know what to do.

Hang on...you'll be able to sleep on your side again SOON!! Some of us even sleep on our stomachs:)

Yeap the prednisone is definitely a wonder drug eh ?
It fixes things in a jiffy but screws up so many other things!

I've been pensive recently. Thinking about whether or not this was the right thing to do or not. Whether I was really THAT bad that I had to get the surgery. I read a bit more about the takedown and how long it's going to take to recover from that surgery. I'm finally starting to feel a bit better from this one, I don't want to have the bag on me but the thought of anal leakage and having to rush to the bathroom 20 times a day initially scares me :-/

I mean, I was sick before and the prednisone used to "fix" it. I ate anything I wanted, I did have problems and was bleeding and such tho .... My mom and wife are trying to be as positive as possible right now. They say I look better than I did before my surgery already. I have not even recovered completely yet. I have not even shaved since my surgery!!! I'm still tapering off my prednisone too and am on 15mg.

I have an appointment with the stoma nurse tomorrow, she called me back today and recommended I come in and make sure everything is ok. She also said the mucus and the blood is normal and the frequency is normal as I am coming off my pain meds. Pain meds apparently cause the bowels to slow down.

I have to now figure out what I have an appetite for!!!

Oh ... and I had bought one of those long pillows for my wife for her pregnancy and I'm using it I got to sleep on my side last night!!!! Woke up with some aches and pains tho :-/

ta !

I don't know what meds you tried, but if you needed pred to keep you in control than you were not in a good place. As you know, you can't keep taking prednisone for an extended period of time.

I think about what the jpouch will be like- trust me, I am worried too. Lots of horror stories about jpouch problems. Dr. Weiss says that there is a very high percentage of success for jpouch surgery- something like 95%.

WHy can't we be part of that 95%?

Remember you are just 2 weeks post surgery. Give yourself a break....