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Posted 4/6/2012 5:48 PM (GMT 0)

Hello,

My husband is having surgery as I type this out. He has Crohns and is having a total colectomy with an end ileostomy. I've been on this site/forum for a couple wks, reading up on others' experiences to prepare myself and my husband for his new future. I am very happy this site exists and that I've found it, but right now all this information is still very overwhelming. This is my first post here, to ask for advice and to help calm me a bit. I'm a nervous wreck, it's been 3hrs since the start of his surgery and I'm getting anxious for an update. I don't really have a question, just saying hello and I hope to be more active in this community going forward.

Joyce

Posted 4/6/2012 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Joyce,
Your post is very vivid. Hello back.
My colectomy was about4.5 hours and others have lasted 6 or 7 hours. In addition, the surgeon may not have started operating when you think he did. They may have done more prep work before the actual surgery began. I don't know if they come out and give an update. They have a lot to do. The colon is fixed in many different places and these connections have to be severed in a very controlled and careful way. And there is tons I don't know. I hope you and your husband will stay on this forum. I can only say that for the last 12 months (colectomy in April 2011, jpouch in December 2011 and take-down last month), I have gotten almost 100% of my information and support here.
So, I know from what you wrote that at this very second, your husband is in surgery and you are waiting. I hope that you can relax and breathe, and I know that's hard to do in a hospital even when nothing is happening. Go outside and move a bit. Have something to drink, coffee or water or tea or juice. He'll wake up in recovery and be there for a short time, then they'll bring him to his room. He will be very thirsty and may not be allowed to drink directly.
The night before my colectomy I asked the doctor what I will see when I look down at my body. He told me I would see a bandage where they removed my colon, kind of like a Caesarian, and that I would see a two-piece bag on my new stoma. I would be able to see the stoma through it. That is pretty much what you and your husband will see. The stoma nurse will tell you everything you both need to know, and the bag probably will not have much in it for several days.
You may have been briefed on all that already.
Mainly, you can look forward to life without the debilitation of Crohns, that's the important thing. For now, you have every reason to be calm, positive and cheeful.
Posted 4/6/2012 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I had my take down surgery on December 29th. The take down surgery wasn't very long but the surgery 6 months prior where they removed my perforated colon completely took almost 7 hours. I know you must be sitting on pins and needles just waiting. My husband was told that my surgery would take 3-4 hours and when it went over 6 hours he was so worried. Thank God I'm doing OK now but it's been a real pain in the you know what. I know live without a bag which is good but I have to go to the bathroom all the time because I have diarrhea the rest of my life. I am taking Metamucil and some other stuff but it's just hard when your body loses a colon. But life is worth living and that's what we are doing now. My prayers are with you all.
Posted 4/6/2012 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Joyce, welcome. In some ways it's more difficult to be the spouse/partner than the patient! He's sleeping as you write.... I know it was very stressful for my partner during my surgery -- and I was under for 10 hours. It was a laparascopic surgery, and they didn't get started right away.

Hopefully he'll be out soon or is out already. If not, can you also call a friend or is there someone close by who can wait w/you? My partner had some friends come by at various times, and that helped a lot.

It is all very overwhelming at first. One of the most important things is to get a good stoma nurse who can help you get started. You can also ask us questions as they come up.

Keep us posted.
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