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How much energy boost did removal of perpetually inflamed colon yield?

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Posted 3/31/2013 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
I post a lot of questions on things that I fear for my post surgery life- it's about time I posted one on what I think or hope may be one of my biggest gains: stopping the constant energy drain of the body coping with four or five feet of perpetually inflamed organ.

Is it true that you can feel this energy boost almost immediately - well, I guess not immediately because on the one hand you have a bunch of new healing/pain albeit temporary, from the incisions etc, and in any case you are massively doed up on powerful painkillers at first. But I guess within days one notices that constant energy drain (and chronic gut pain- except for those like somedude who have never experienced IBD pain) is gone?
Posted 3/31/2013 9:07 PM (GMT 0)
I've seen some people say they felt immediately better after surgery but that was not true of me. It wasn't until 5 weeks after surgery that I felt for the first time I had turned a corner. Hard to describe how, but I just felt better. But I still do not feel at full health yet. Maybe your experience will be different, but I would not underestimate the impact of a colectomy. My stoma nurse told me it would take a few months to be fully physically over it and up to a year to feel like my self again.

I'm not trying to deter you. You may well feel miles better shortly after surgery. But for me, I didn't really. However, I do feel like my situation has been a somewhat atypical one. For example, I was not desperately ill at the time of surgery: steroids were keeping me relatively "healthy" - healthy in inverted commas, since maintenance use of steroids is anything but healthy. I also suffer from other things which can be an energy drain: anaemia and depression, for example. That all told, I did think positively the other day the operation was worth it: I felt that much better.

So be prepared to be patient. Recovery depends on so many different factors, but if you are relatively young and healthy (IBD aside), you should recover well.
Posted 3/31/2013 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I think you will find that UC patients will tell you they woke up and immediately felt better (even doped up). Yes, there is surgical recovery, but the pain/urgency/discomfort is gone.

As a Crohn's patient, I did feel the "moment" but it wasn't for several weeks after my proctocolectomy...and I didn't think I would have that so it was a GREAT moment for me.

You may find your recovery easier since you are not in an emergency situation. I think there are a few posters that were able to leave the hospital without the need for narcotics!
Posted 3/31/2013 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
Even though I felt like I got hit by a truck after waking up from surgery, I felt immediately different in a good way. It's kind of hard to explain the feeling. A few days after surgery I could really tell the difference....that the source of what was making me so sick was gone. It was a great feeling!
Posted 3/31/2013 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
I felt "clean" when I woke up. I could feel the sickness and posion gone. But it hurts like crazy! This was my thought train when I woke up "wow! I feel clean. Oh my god this hurts. What did I do?" Then they gave me more drugs,lol. You won't feel good, but you will feel bad in a different way. There will be pain, and you will be tired for a while. But that will lessen as time goes on and you get off the drugs and steroids. At first its harder cause you won't be able to sleep well. It took me about 2 months before I was doing pretty good and then probably about 4 months until I was back to full speed.
Posted 3/31/2013 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks! Still hoping I can pull a sue (suebear) and feel back to soeed in two weeks lol. Gonna have my wife be my aggressive requester of powerful pain meds if any issues in that front rut after surgery.
Posted 4/1/2013 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
I did feel immediately better when I woke up from surgery. I was a little groggy of course, but I felt no pain, just relief. I felt healthier and could tell I would have more energy as soon as I woke up. 8 hours after getting to my hospital room my mobility nurse was there, getting me up and into a chair to sit. 30 minutes after that she was back, wanting me to walk half of the hallway....I got up and walked the whole thing, and then did it twice more that day. I felt and looked better than I had in months that very day....and have continued to more and more with each day since then...and it's only been 2 and a half weeks!!
Posted 4/1/2013 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Is it just because I had/have Crohn's I didn't feel fantastic after surgery? Can't see why there would be so much difference between Crohn's and UC on that front... :/
Posted 4/1/2013 10:37 AM (GMT 0)
Some people feel great right after the major surgery because the inflammed organ is gone. Some people wake up from the major surgery and feel like they just had major surgery. I wouldn't expect this to be a time of high energy and euphoria. The main thing is to feel good in life without disease.
Posted 4/2/2013 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
I personally didn't feel any great euphoria or wellness after surgery. I woke up enough to be aware and they told me about my pain pump. I slept alot while at the hospital (morphine and anesthesia hang over I guess). I'm guessing they gave me pain meds before I woke up enough to feel it.

I will say, however, that I felt the same one week after surgery as I did one week before surgery, aka I was in pretty rough shape before surgery. I think it took my a couple of months to get back my energy but I had horrible IBD related arthritis that affected my sense of well-being. But six months after, I still have about 8 inches of colon left but I feel soooo much better and more energetic now that it's mostly gone.
Posted 4/2/2013 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
I felt immediately better, just hours after surgery. That feeling was experiencing that UC was gone! I had always felt like I carried a bowling ball in my abdomen and surgery removed that feeling. However, it took a full year for me to shake the post UC fatigue. There were several reasons for that; prednisone weaning, I was anemic, and I had no B-12 stores. I think also the 2+ years of fighting UC drained me. The good news is that the year of fatigue did not stop me from doing things. I worked full time, hiked, traveled abroad etc. I just napped when needed.

Sue
Posted 4/2/2013 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Once I was fully recovered from surgery, I was astounded at the amount of energy I had that I hadnt experienced for a few years whilst ill. The absence of the diseased colon coupled with the positive mental aspects of no longer dealing with the symptoms of UC works wonders for the spirit.
Posted 4/2/2013 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
Had my Ileostomy on March 11th. Went home March 21st. readmitted a couple of days later for dehydration but it was only overnight. I feel tired alot. simple walks tire me. eating is a challenge. i just dont know what i safely eat because i'm scared of a blockage from almost everything. its slow going but day by day im getting energy back. i'm having the j pouch done but dont have the reversal scheduled yet. i dont expect to feel "normal" for quite some time...but then again what i lived as normal for 8 years was with UC so its going to be a new ball game i would think.
Posted 4/2/2013 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
dgtracy, are you having two steps or three?
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