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takedown july 14!

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Posted 7/9/2006 11:39 PM (GMT 0)
I am having my takedown friday july 14.  I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what I need to bring to the hospital.  I know the bottom can get very irritated.  I'd appreciate any advice on ointments, cremes, etc...  Also any tips or anyones ideas to make the experience a little better. 
Posted 7/10/2006 6:17 AM (GMT 0)

Hi,

I'm having my takedown on Saturday, July 15. Hopefully we can stay in touch to help eachother through this.  I was advised to bring my own toilet paper preferably Charmin Ultra, Preperation H wipes that I bought from Costco and some ointment for the irritation.  I'm nervous and excited at the same time.  Are you in California? Which hospital are you having it done in?

RitaS

Posted 7/10/2006 3:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hi RitaS,

No I am in Nebraska.  Good luck on Saturday.  This will be a good weekend for us!  Hopefully a short hospital stay.  Yes I definately will bring my own tp.  I'm not looking forward to the burn but we both know it is well worth it to get rid of the bag. 

Posted 7/10/2006 9:18 PM (GMT 0)

Can I join your club?  My reversal is also scheduled this week (July 14th). I'm terrified but I'm so sick of this bag. I was originally scheduled on 6/21 but I got as far as pre-op and they cancelled the surgery because I had been given the wrong prep instructions.

What kind of prep instructions were the two of you given? I'm to take 2 bottles of Mag Citrate, and a third if the output still isn't clear. I'm also to have clear liquids starting Thursday am.  I wish I wasn't so afraid but I guess it's only natural.  My ileostomoy was due to a perforated colon from diverticulitis. It happened on an emergency basis so there wasn't all this time to think about it. This waiting is driving me crazy!

Posted 7/11/2006 1:16 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Chertuc,

I just got back from my pre-op.  Everything looks good but I'm just waiting on my blood work.  They changed my surgery to July 14 at 7:15am as well.  I wish you the best.  I'm nervous too but I guess this is what's meant to happen to us in life so you have to accept it and move on.  There's nothing we can do to change things.  I'm very comfortable with my surgeon.  I know it's going to hurt but I also know that the recovery and pain is nowhere near as bad as recuperating from a total colectomy. I don't have a prep just clear liquids all day on Thursday. Maybe it's because my entire colon is gone...I don't know.  I'll have my laptop with me in the hospital so you can email me and we can compare [email protected] luck

Posted 7/11/2006 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
Good to hear from you Ritas. So we'll all be getting reversed on the same day. Safety in numbers, right. I'm sure we'll all do great and be home in no time!  I probably won't have my laptop with me but I'll check in with everyone when I get back home. Good Luck!
Posted 7/11/2006 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Well good luck to you two.  My pre op is wednesday.  Friday will be a breeze.  My good friend assured me of this because it is also his birthday.  I can't wait to check in with you both next week to see how we're all doing.  Remember when the going gets tough, just know it could be worse.  Whenever I am going through this stuff, I just think about the dark days of my uc.  Those were horrible dark days for me.  I always said that I would do ANYTHING to not have that problem anymore.  Believe me, as with you and many other people,  I have been through several surgeries, A LOT of pain, many complications, humiliation, depression, poking and prodding and just a down right miserable situation.  But no matter what, I always remind myself of the dark days and I get through somehow.  I am doing that "anyhting" to get well.

Posted 7/11/2006 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
Good Luck to Each and Every One of You!  May God Be With All of You and that all of you have a speedy recovery.  I had may takedown on 12/20/05.  Remember to bring a pack of gum with you and eat all the ice chips and popsicles you want.  The pack of gum helps you have a BM fast and that is what the doctors want you to do first and foremost is to have a real good BM.  You probably won't have to worry about the oitments for your little butts right now, that may come later on down the road expecially when you experience what certain foods and drinks your body will be able to digest and pass through your system and out the back down without any irritation.  Remember to always keep you body hydrated drink lots of water and protein drinks plus your doctor will give you a list of foods and beverages that you should be able to  eat and drink for the first few weeks until your post op visit.  Good Luck to all of you!
It is suppose to be a hazy, hot, and humid weekend (rain free) hear in the northeast.  So think happy thoughts and think coolness!
Angel Baby

Posted 7/12/2006 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
This might be a crazy question but what's with the gum? I don't get it!
Posted 7/12/2006 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for all the good wishes and prayers.  I pray for all of us to get through this with an easy recovery so we can go back to our normal lives.  As for the gum....from what I know through my holistics doctor, gum sends a message to the brain that food is coming down to the stomach so your system works faster and gets things moving.  Have you ever noticed that when you chew gum sometimes, your stomach growls and you get hungry???? That's why. So good luck and I will be thinking of you guys.  WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER.....KEEP POSITIVE AND DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.  I BELIEVE WE CAN OVERCOME THIS WITH NO PROBLEM.
Posted 7/17/2006 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I had my reversal on Friday 7/14 and got home today (Monday 7/17). While I am totally wiped out and exhausted, it still feel as good as I could expect to feel. I had my first bowel movement the day afer surgery. I'll write more later. I feel the need to sleep. Hope everyone else that was scheduled for 7/14 is doing well also. Best wishes.
Posted 7/18/2006 1:00 AM (GMT 0)

I feel more like writing after sleeping for awhile. My takedown was last Friday. I slept most of that afternoon and evening and a lot on Saturday. My first bowel movements were Sunday and I had a total of five.  The first experience seemed like gas but I was wrong! Learned quickly to go ahead into the bathroom and take no more chances.  My last BM on Sunday was around 8pm and I didn't have another until around that same time tonight (Monday). This one was very painful. Started out feeling as if it was formed but then turned very loose. Sorry if this is too much detail.

My pain level is better than with the first surgery but I still have a reasonable amount of pain. The incision is probably 3 inches across and had a drain left in one side. The MD covering for mine over the weekend attempted to pull it out twice before he realized that it was stitched in!  I still had quite a bit of drainage and he had asked the nurse to put a tegaderm over the incision. Well, that's not good for a wound that's still draining so being a somewhat over-assertive nurse myself, I insisted that they remove his dressing and put gauze over the incision so that it could soak up the drainage.

I could have stayed another night but I was getting absolutely no rest in the hospital. They were in my room 3 times between 5am and 7:30 and all they did was check my vital signs which have been fine all along!  Maybe I can rest at home.  There were two other people having reversals the same day as mine and I hope they're doing well. I haven't heard from anyone yet so they may still be in the hospital.

I'm still nervous about what to expect now and not sure what foods will be best for me. At least the surgery is over and we'll go from here!

Posted 7/18/2006 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on getting home and making it ok Chertuc.  I came home Monday 7/17 as well.  I'm going great except for the extremely painful gas pains.  That is expected and is totally normal.  Once that subsides, everything should be ok.  My bowels woke up Saturday with no problem and thank God I didn't have any pain it just came natually.  Was your closure stitched or stapled?  Mine was stapled and left a little bit open to close on it's own.  I'm going in on Friday for them to remove them.  I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  With all the horror stories I'm reading I can honestly say I'm very blessed to have things go as smoothly as they have.  Pain is something normal so that's all I have to deal with.  I hope the others are ok that had the takedown.  I haven't heard from anyone but you.  Congrats on a new bum again....hahaha.  Were you restricted from eating or drinking anything?  I'm still put on a low residue diet for a couple of week until things on the inside go back to normal then I can pretty much each what I want.  Let me know how you're doing.
Posted 7/19/2006 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
My closure was stitched. I think there are 7 or 8 stitches and I had a drain at one end. They pulled the drain Sunday but there's still quite a bit of drainage. I've got it covered with gauze. They've got me on a soft diet but said to advance it depending upon how I feel.

I seem to have more pain than I had expected and I feel totally exhausted. I think my first surgery was so traumatic because of the perforation that I just assumed this one would be easy. Compared to the first one it's much better but I still feel like I don't have one ounce of energy.

I'm so happy that you seem to be doing well. It's great to have this behind us and I pray that this is the end of my colon problems. Keep in touch.
Cheryl
Posted 7/19/2006 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi.  Congrats to both of you!  My surgery was cancelled due to a fistula not healed.  We though it was healed and then checked it again last Wednesday and saw that it was bad again.  So now we have to try and get that healed.  More surgery but no takedown.  They're also gonna revise my stoma because I have a short gut due to an emergency surgery after a previous surgery.  They created it on accident.  So now i'm gonna get rid of that and try and fix the fistula.  It sucks having to take a step back and have another big surgery and not get hooked up but i guess that's just the way it goes.  I wish you both the best.

Posted 7/20/2006 12:08 PM (GMT 0)
afboomer, I'm so sorry that you were unable to have your takedown last week. Having been in the pre-op area with IV's running and still having my surgery cancelled, I think I have a pretty good idea how you feel. The mental challenge of these situations are sometimes worse than the physical. You are in my thoughts and prayers and hopefully you'll be ready to go through the operation real soon. Hang in there.
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