I need HELP! ... Please...

First of all, congrats on the wonderful decision!! I had my colostomy surgery on Nov.23 and I have honestly never felt better. I was able to sit through my first movie at a theatre in about 10 years (and im only 32, missed lots of good movies!) and today waited in LINE at the bank with not a care in the world. Awsome. Ok, so Im going to answer your question's as they pertained to me when I had the surgery (only 5 weeks ago)
1. Depends on the pouching system you use. I use the Hollister 2 piece system with a closed pouch, Hollister cut to fit flat skin barrier's as well as convex skin barriers (depending on how Oscar is doing), coloplast paste, Eakin ring, colomagic disposable liners and a host of powders depending on how my skin and Oscar (my ostomy!!) are doing. I keep most of my supplies in my dresser drawer in my bedroom. In the washroom I keep one little basket that contains a few pouches, some paste and some ziplock baggies if I need to change the pouch. Really, not much in the washroom, my drawer however looks like a ostomy store exploded! I didn't get any of this until I was in the hospital recovering and my ostomy nurse just kept trying different things to see what would work.
2. Whoa...you will NOT be awake for the procedure. I chose the epidural and it was wonderful until the second day when the nurses rolled me over and it wiggled out a bit...less then 24 hours ater surger and I had NO pain medication. Was awful when it happened but when it was working (day of and following day) I had NO pain. I was on a Patient administered moriphine drip afterwards for 2 days, then an occasional shot until I was discharged. To take at home I was given a prescription for percocets. I think I've taken 2.
3. You can absolutely take a bath but you will have to wait until your healed (ie: incsion/drains), im able to take baths now, but prefer showers. In fact, every few days I take off the skin barrier/pouch and Oscar and I take a completely NAKED shower. It feels amazing.
4. The doc's say to wait at least 6-8 weeks before resuming exercise. Im in yoga withdrawl but on Jan.4 im going right back to classes, taking care with stretching my tummy of course. It's better to wait and make sure your healed rather then over-do it and have to go through the healing all over again.
5. I did everything the week-end before, ate Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken, decorated the house for x-mas and just did stuff that I knew I wouldn't be able to do for a few weeks. Now however...the only thing I can't do is vacuum (for another few weeks...according to the dr.) or lift anything too heavy. I've honestly never felt better.
Good luck with your surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Allie

1. in my bathroom i have all my supplies, up on a shelf in the closet and i have taken empty bag boxes and i have 6 of them filled with what i need for a change (wafer, bag, paste, trash bag, rags, paste, sureseal and scissors and some tape) that way wheni need to change, i just grab a box and am ready. But like on a daily basis, all i use is toilet paper and if i go somewhere i might put in a few m9 drops or my gel tabs.

2. I think i had the epidural but i cant really remember. I do know that once i started with oral painmeds, i also asked for phenogren, cause they make me feel kind of sick.

3. you can bathe and get in the hottub and the swimming pool and all that good stuff, but liek they said only after your inscions heal all the way.

4.you can walk and you should, but you should probably wait a while before you take off running 6 miles, lol probably wont feel like it anyway! and esp with stomach exercises, start off slow with those and probably wait at least 2 months. You dont realize just how much you use your stomach muscles for until they are cut!

5. I spent a lot of time playing with my son cause i knew he would be living with my grandma until i was recovered. And i was too sick really to do anything.

take some gas-x to the hosptial! it will be good to have!

Thank you everyone!

pghfan: Thank you for the advice on extended wear unit.

 

summerstorm:  Thank you so much for all your advice.  I feel much better.  I wasn't sure if I need to perpair alot of space of just a small area.  My closet is a walk in but I keep it pretty full.  I think that keeping the supplies like you said might work out great.

 

OHIO76:  I am struggling to find the time to spend with my little one, although I am despertly trying.  The last two weeks are the most busy for my job and have been hard.  I am also trying to tie every lose end up but I do understand the importance of spending time with our little people.  This afternoon we were able to go outside have a pretend picnic and then lay back and look at the clouds.  It was a short time but GREAT time.  Thank you!

Allison77:  What can I say other than thank you!!!  I still feel that I may not be doing the right thing (surgery) but I hope I am.  I have struggled with cronic constipation literally my entire life.  I eventually had tried every medication o/c and rx that existed and the only thing that occassionally worked was 1 gallon of GoLytly every other day and even that didn't work regularly.  I really appreciate all of you advice and would like to let you know that you have made my evening.

Im so happy I was able to make your day! You will be great cocotlc, and you will wonder why you didn't do it 10 years earlier.
Like Summerstorm said...bring some Gas-X to the hospital with you, will take a while for the nurses to get an order ready for you and it's nice to have on hand when you start feeling the bloat. Ohio hit the nail on the head, bring a robe and slippers with grippy bottoms. You want to get up and start moving around as soon as possible and the robe and slippers will be nice to have. My husband downloaded a bunch of movies onto my laptop and we had movie nights with my roomate and some of the nurses and even some interns. Hint...don't watch scary movies while in the hospital...bad idea. LOL. I too had a good/bad list for the surgery, and my list included things like "I'll be able to go out onto the highway to pick up trash/bottles" Now im not sure if that is good or bad, but you know what? I can do it now if I want too.
I'll be thinking of you, and if you have any other questions, please let us know!!!!

-Allie

Sky diving??? Im in.

cocotlc said...
Thank you for your kind words...sky diving...sounds great

My cousin and I were going to do it a few years back, when I lived in New York....but we chickened out at the last moment!!!

As they say...."what's the point of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane!!".

 

Post Edited (vette guy) : 1/1/2010 11:48:50 PM (GMT-7)