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Total Colectomy part 6

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Posted 9/8/2005 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I have been working evenings and have not had time to post. I still have the pain in the back near the kidney area. I have put in a call to the surgeon, have yet to hear back.

I am anxiously awaiting news from Cathy. Hopefully, it will be soon and it will be good. After today the next will be Shelbs on Oct. 6 in St. Louis. Wow, how I wish I was available for that one. I am only 3 hours north.

As for noise, I want to hear it. I want to hear the stuff moving inside. To me, it means things are working and I will be going soon. I know I will forever be listening for that. I also really think my motility is slow in the small. I want to have as much gas as I can, again it means things are working. Last night I farted right in front of everyone (all guys) at work. The smell is very foul. But I told them it is straight sewage, no filter (the large intestine) anymore. They were stunned, but had a good laugh at it.

Zoe - anymore updates on the list?

I better get a cat nap in before work. I will check back before I leave.

Kelly
Posted 9/8/2005 3:37 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Callahan,

I'm going to Banner Good Samaritan also, and my surgeon is Elizabeth McConnell.  You indicated that your doctor is a she too, so maybe they're the same one.  I too felt great there, she understood my problem, she made me feel reassured.  Since then the support has been null.  I didn't get insurance clearance til yesterday and medical clearance til this am.  And, my surgery is today.  Nothing like waiting til the last minute.  EEEK!

HELP ME, NEED FOOD, NEED WATER.  I feel like I slept with a sock in my mouth.

I'm going to try to show my mom how to do this, wish me luck, so that she can give you an update.

Wish me luck ladies, I'm off and running.

My best to all of you and your families, until later,

CAthy

Posted 9/8/2005 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
Cathy -- Good luck to you! We are all pulling for you.
Insurance and doctor's can be such a nightmare. I am just flabbergasted at the lack of efficiency and care. My doctor is a male (assistant is a female) and I am afraid to say his name, because I vented about his assistant. I also do not want to jinx this. The fear that it won't happen is so overwhelming. I try to "file it away" and busy myself with anything that will take my mind off of it and my emotions in check. I didn't even tell my family, with the exception of my sister, until Tuesday of this week. And there is always the fear that surgery will not work.

Kelly -- Hang in there!
I am next if all goes well -- insurance, blood tests and etc. My big day is this coming Wednesday, September 14. I am actually going to Banner Good Samaritan where Cathy is now. I should be going in and Cathy should be coming out.

Callahan
Posted 9/8/2005 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Ladies (Zoe, Somer and everyone else), I forgot to tell you about my appointment with the dermatologist the other day.  She said the bulge was actually swelling and should go down in time.  She could tell because it was hard to the touch.  She said my incision was smooth, which is a good thing and did not require 'shots' at this time.  Apparently, shots of something or other take away scars.  She said scarguard was great to use now (anything with silicon) and to check back in a couple of months.  The numbness is also normal and sensation is likely to return in time.  Hope that helped.

 

Amira

Posted 9/8/2005 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone:
I hope this message posts, I had a little trouble finding this page. I have a date for my surgery- Oct. 19th. I have had migraines and nausea for the past three days which is pretty typical for me. I haven't eaten much all week. I'm so bloated and my pants seem to be getting tighter. I really am wanting this surgery and hope it improves things for me.
Some of what I read about all of your recoveries is very encouraging- Zoe runnning for example. I am trying to get a sense of when I will be able to go back to work after the surgery. I also am a graduate student and hope to go back to school as soon as possible. Any ideas anyone?

Mary
Posted 9/8/2005 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
Mary, 6 weeks to be safe!
Posted 9/8/2005 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Mary and Callahan, Zoe here.  If you would like to be on our TCC (Total Colectomy Convention) list please send me your email.  Mine is [email protected].  I am composing a list with names, addresses, phone numbers (as much or as little as you would like to share with other members on this list).  I will send you what I have so far.  I am also doing updates daily and will send a new list to everyone.

I was pretty tired today. The first part of the week I was full of energy, but I seem to have hit a wall today.  That pain in my right side returned too.  I'm not worried, just annoyed.  I'm going to go to bed early and start all over again tomorrow.

Good to hear about your dermatologist appt. Amira.  It does make you feel better when the doctor says everything is okay.  I have an appointment on October 10 for the redness from the benzoin reaction.  Hopefully they can do something.

My knee is healing, but I think I've become a bleeder of sorts.  I cut my finger yesterday and it wouldn't stop bleeding.  I picked a zit on my face today and that wouldn't stop either.  I really think I must have bumped my knee and broke a blood vessel - hence the redness.  Could my blood have thinned that much from the blood thinners I got in the hospital?  If so, is there anything I should be doing?  They did blood work on me and they said that was fine.  Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Zoe

Posted 9/9/2005 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Zoe:
Can you tell me a little about the Total Colectomy Convention?
Do you mind me asking when you had your surgery? I hope you get some rest and feel better.

Mary

PS Thanks Amira
Posted 9/9/2005 3:27 AM (GMT 0)

Mary - if everything goes well, you should be able to be back to school in 3 weeks.  You will be tired, but it will be possible in my opinion.  If you any complications though I would maybe say 4 weeks just to be safe!

Zoe - the blood thinners should be out of your system.  If the labs tests are normal, then I wouldnt worry. :)

Another day of school is done... thank god!

Hugs,

Emma

PS. Cathy - your in my prayers!

Posted 9/9/2005 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
ZOE: I would be thrilled to be on the list. Right now my email is down. My brother messed with it while he was visiting and now it won't work. Hopefully, I will have it working this weekend and will be able to email you my information for the list. The pain in your right side does not sound good. Have you spoken to your doctor to let them know it returned? Have a good night sleep and I hope you feel better tomorrow.

Good news for me -- my surgeon's assistant called my insurance company today and I am covered and approved. I did get the authorization number from her and I plan to double check tomorrow just in case. Yeah! I did take her a large box of goodies -- my backup plan in case she had not done anything. Are you ready? She is saving them to take them to a bridal shower tomorrow. What a hoot! She also called my RX's into the pharmacy, but did not give me instructions. Luckily, the pharmacist -- who is incredible and knows me from my monthly pick-up of 6 bottles of Miralax -- was able to help me. The pharmacist was shocked I did not receive an instruction sheet from the surgeon (so was I). All I received from her was a two paragraph letter that had my hospital name, surgery time as 1:30 pm on Sept. 14 (correct), and had me prepping the evening of September 14 -- WRONG! I did get it straightened out.

I did my blood tests and a urinalysis today. I have a question for our nurses -- I did not know I would be doing a urinalysis and I took a Lasix today -- time of the month and extremely bloated. I was prescribed them for the time of the month, but I rarely take them because I worry about dehydration living in AZ. I then drank almost 3 24 oz. bottles of water, all of which I did prior to my urinalysis at 2:00 p.m. My urine was almost clear. Do I need to worry about getting negative test results? What about having my period? I am so worried the results will be bad thus preventing me from having surgery. Please let me know.

Have a good night all!

I hope Cathy is doing well!

Callahan
Posted 9/9/2005 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Mary,

I'm composing a list of ladies on this forum that hopefully will get together sometime in the future at a central location in the US (or abroad - LOL) and spend a weekend sharing surgery stories, comparing scars and just keeping up the friendship.  We would have each other's addresses, phone numbers and e-mails so we could keep in touch, send cards and basically just stay friends.  I have several people on the list and would be happy to include you.  All I need is your e-mail so I can send you the list.  My e-mail is [email protected] or you could just post it on the forum.

I had my surgery on June 22 of this year and feel fine most of the time.  I am 55 so a lot of my aches and pains could be attributed to my age - LOL. 

Thanks for the info Emma.  I am somewhat of a klutz.

Cheers,

Zoe

Posted 9/9/2005 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
Callahan - taking laix will actually only dilute your urine which will make it less likely that it will be a bad result.  They are only looking for protein and bacteria to see if you have an infection or a kidney problem.  You would know if you had either of those I think... relax :)

Only have a few office hours today and then ALOT of homework. I have been doing a horrid job with my water intake (I know I know I am a water champion) and I wanna let people know that I have been getting crazy headaches from dehydration I think.  Also because I have been so busy, I havent had much time to stop and poop (I HATE doing it in public places) so last night I started having cramps and when I sat down I had the LARGEST poop I have ever seen come out of my body... god I LOVE my new GI system! :)

Hugs,

Emma

 

Posted 9/9/2005 3:14 PM (GMT 0)

Emma, you crack me up.  The same thing happened to me this morning.  I have been running around like a nut at work and not going to the bathroom.  Finally I had to go - or else.  I too took a stupendous poop.  It was grand, and no laxatives.  I wouldn't recommend doing this though.  I was having some pretty bad cramps too.

Cheers,

Zoe

Posted 9/9/2005 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
You guys are too funny!
Posted 9/9/2005 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
I woke up with a sore throat today -- and am scared to death!  My husband has been coughing up a storm for the past week and I've tried all I could do to avoid him.  But I think it got me.  I put in a call to the doctor and I'm waiting for the call back.  There is no way I'll be able to handle a fraction of the coughing that I've witnessed this week.  I've taken 2 doses of Airborne thus far and the soreness has somewhat gone away.  The true test, from what I hear by people who're just getting over it, is tonight.  Wish me luck that I kick this thing before it begins. 

 

Emma, my 6 week class starts tomorrow (Managing Organizations).  Your posts have not been encouraging!  LOL

 

Amira

Posted 9/9/2005 5:09 PM (GMT 0)

Hello to all -

Emma and Zoe - I have been drinking water, but have not had time to go.  I have not had a grand explosion and I am having cramps.  I think it is my nerves.  Like I said at work it gets crazy.  I am redoing my resume in hopes of getting a different job.    The pain in the kidneys has not been as much.  The surgeon office called back and told me to take ibuprofen and if it gets worse see my regular doctor.

You know there is a chat room in the site.  Maybe we could try to set a time for some of to be on and we can "talk" live.

Cathy update - I spoke with her this morning.  She wanted me to tell you all she is doing ok, but in pain.  The surgery was 4 1/2 hours, they had to deal with scar tissue from a previous procedure.  She has a morophine drip that is not doing any good, wants to try dolodid(I hated that stuff).  Her mother is with her and she will get back to us as soon as she feels able.

Callahan- if you would please give us your age for the information sheet.

See ya all later,

Kelly

Posted 9/9/2005 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
Amira - My family has a sore throat also. I am going to my GP right now, son went this past tuesday. Going to try to get drugs for the husband as well.

Kelly
Posted 9/9/2005 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys!  I thought my poop was amazing, so I just had to share it!  Zoe I am glad you had the same experience!  Your right though, the cramps are kinda bad! 

Just wanted to tell you guys that once you are like 4-6 weeks out of use surgery, you should be going to your primary doctor for anything else that goes wrong (colds, kidney infections, etc) The hope is that you never have to see your surgeon again!

Rough time at clinical last night, first day and the patient my student had, had to have emergency surgery for an ileostomy because her anastomosis (site where they stich it together) was leaking... wow scary!  I didnt wanna share the story before because I didnt want Cathy to see it before her surgery!  The patient was crying and very upset, and my student complimented me later that I am comforting and good with patients... how nice is that!

Amira - its doable!  Its not the surgery that is making my classes hard, its everything else!

Hugs,

Emma

 

Posted 9/9/2005 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
Well guys, you didn't wish me well hard enough!  My doc called back and I told him about the sore throat and said, "And, by the way, I've been meaning to call you because I've been experiencing some shortness of breath."  Well, that was all I had to say.  The guy had me rush in for a CAT scan (with dye via IV) to check for a blood clot!  As it turned out, I do not have a blood clot, what I do have is pneumonia!  Can you believe that?  I had no clue I was even sick!  So now I'm on the Z pack and will see him on Tuesday.  This wasn't my surgeon, but my regular doc.

 

Kelly, try to tell Cathy not to go for the dolodid -- that stuff did nothing for me!  I can't believe she is experiencing pain even with the morphine.  Maybe there is an bad connection somewhere -- that happened with me -- and the pain shot up from a 0 to a 7 in no time at all!

 

Emma, I know it's doable -- I just don't want to do it!  Last week, it seemed like such a good idea.  Now I just want to sleep for a good few weeks.  Oh well, maybe I can earn myself a nice vacation after the next 6 weeks of hell!

 

Later,

Amira

Posted 9/9/2005 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
Ya'll are so funny! I can't wait to share my poop stories. The countdown is on to September 14! Today was a nightmare with RX problems and insurance. I lost it largely (crying breakdown) and am barely keeping it together.

I am relieved to hear Cathy is ok, but sad to hear the morphine is not working.

Kelly -- Hang in there. I understand the job situation all too well. I do corporate communications and public relations.
I am 38 and hate getting older everyday! I now have glasses, lots of white/grey hair but thanks to highlights you can't tell, and wrinkles. I recently went on vacation with my best friend and her 3 year old and we had not seen each other in years. The second thing she said to me after hello was that I have so many wrinkles. Boo hoo!

Amira -- I am so sorry you have pneumonia. You need to take it easy.

Emmaleigh -- Thanks for the information on the urinalysis, it really put me at ease. It is probable that I would have no idea if I had an infection. I have had UTI's and etc. and never knew it until I went for my yearly. My yearly and mammo are four months overdue. I moved to Phoenix for this surgery and did not plan on it taking this long; also I was going to permanently live here because of my sister. However, I am extremely homesick for Florida and have decided to move back once I am recovered. So, I did not find a new gyno or mammo center. I plan to go in Florida, even if I have to fly back prior to making the big move.

Callahan
Posted 9/10/2005 12:03 AM (GMT 0)

Cally - Just wanted to tell you that you should ask for Toradol for pain medicine once you get through about the 2nd day.  Although it is not a narcotic, it is a very good pain medications.  It does not have the side effects of a narcotic (sleepiness, dizziness, nausea) but it does offer pain relief.  Just wanted to let you know! :)

Posted 9/10/2005 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Kelly, the Dolodin wasn't the pain medication that didn't work (sorry); it was the Toradol!  Emma, that was the worst day of my hospital stay when I asked to be put on the non-narcotic medication -- but I'm whimpy in general.  Kelly, Just make sure Cathy has immediate access to Dolodin if the Toradol doesn't seem to be working.

 

Ladies, if you want to talk about poop stories, drink a large class of carrot juice and get back to me.  I guarantee you'll have lots to talk about!

 

Well, I feel really sick -- my skin hurts!  I'm going back to bed.

 

Amira

Posted 9/10/2005 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
Poop stories - I will try the carrot juice, but I have yet to have any effects from the grilled onions I made special yesterday and ate last night. Dang something is wrong with me. Wonder if they will do a sitz marker on my small intestine. I wish I was going more, like 5- 8 times. Do you all get "alot" when you have a BM? I think I get about 1/2 -3/4 cup of stuff when I go.

I think I will try Cathy again tomorrow. Chances are she probably won't even remember my first call.

Callahan - I am 40, I have 2 more on you. They say I don't look 40. A lady at the Estee coutner wanted me to buy all the magical, face saving cream today. I told her I don't use moisturizor, special creams for the lines and I use Safegaurd soap on my face. She was floored when I told her my age. I do however, have the gray hair, or my mom calls it "salt and pepper". I color and highlight my hair blonde. I do it myself and I save tons of money.

Amira - sorry about the pnuemonia. I was in the hospital when I got mine. Does this mean we will be suseptable to more this winter? I hope not.

I did not make it to the parade, too dang tired, but I had to take the boy for football equipment and tonight is the rodeo. More porta potties . :-(

Kelly
Posted 9/10/2005 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
Kelly, you brobably didn't have enough grilled onions.  I really over did it that night I told you about.  The carrot juice situation may be inhanced by the Z-pack I'm on; but then again, it may not be.  Try it.

 

As far as poop size, it varies.  But I would say less than a cup for sure, probably more like half, 3-5 times a day.  But, I'm a very big eater!  Grandmothers love to have me come over for dinner.  I never disappoint them because I finish my plate and always ask for more!  Back to poop size, the larger and firmer, the less frequent; that's for sure.

 

As far as a transit study on your small intestine, I'd be more interested to know how long it takes those little markers to get through those 6 or 12 (forgot which) inches of large colon.  Definitely do the study -- and no onions or carrot juice when your doing it either!

 

Take care and send my best wishes to Cathy.

 

Amira

Posted 9/11/2005 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Good morning ladies, I just had to share this with you all, because I know you'll understand and rejoice with me.  I just got back from running 6 miles.  I felt great and strong.  I even wore a halter top and showed my scars to the world.  It really felt empowering.  At one point I want to run into the middle of the street and jump up and down and yell "I'M BACK".  Not that anyone really knew I was gone.  Oh well, gotta do some cleaning and take a shower.

Any news from Cathy?  Just a few more days Callahan.  My prayers and energy are with you.

Cheers,

Zoe

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