Reversal surgery March 1st !!!!

Sitting here watching the closing Olympic program and starving!  After 7 months I am finally having my reversal surgery tomorrow.  I'll post on how it goes and the recovery.

I have learned so much from all of you and am forever grateful.  It seemed like every question I had was on someone else's mind at the same time.  Some of the advice was just golden and made a huge difference.    It was a rough road in the beginning but I figured out how to live a normal life with a bag...I mean pouch :)   And just in time to have it reversed.  Well, anything can happen in the future and if I end up with an ostomy again, it won't be the end of the world - far from it.    Having said that, I won't be surprised if I have a blow up tonight...a twisted fairwell message from my ostomy.  I had to change my appliance yesterday and it took a long time due to "activity". I actually laughed out loud; every time I went to place the flange, another outburst.  Just kept saying "are you kidding me with this?  Are ya done yet you little nameless sh...t?   I never did name my stoma, well not officially...:) 

last question for now:  is a reversal similar enough to a takedown that I can expect to experience some of what recent posters have said re. takedown surgery? 

thanks all

Connie

Connie~I'll be thinking of you today!

Remember to get up and walk...that will get things moving along:) You shouldn't have much pain (and it should be easily controlled w/meds) and chances are that you'll just have a pad over your stoma location. It will take some time for the wound to heal, but it's not terrible...and as far as your bottom it will depend on how much of your insides have been removed. If you have your some of your colon(which I think you do from your signature), it will/should absorb enough liquid so you shouldn't have too much 'burn':)

Take it easy for a little while and you'll be up and back to normal before you know it!!!

I've encountered more than just a few people who have had small sections of their colons removed, temp ostomies and then when reversed go back to normal. Whatever was normal for that individual person - diet, bm habits, etc.

Sooooooo, this is what I am praying and hoping is your case Connie!!! Oh how I want one of us on this forum to have uneventful bm's. LOL!!!

As for the actual reversal, I had post op pain but it was managed with my pain med pump. And I cooperated when nurses said it was time to sit up, get out of bed, sit upright in a recliner in my room, venture out into the hall for walks. I brought along a pad of paper and kept track of my laps around the surgical floor and my hourly breathing tube exercises. After a while the nurses left me alone. They only popped their heads in my room occasionally (compared to the my first surgery, the resection, gall bladder removed, ostomy, etc. My room was so busy, they even brought in interns to study my case!)......so since I was active, diligent on walking, etc. I had a quiet room. I recovered physically from the takedown surgery very well.

But since I'm missing a lot more of my colon than you are, I had multiple bm's start and well, they haven't ever stopped! As long as I continue to eat.

Go easy on meals though, if I were in your shoes I'd eat smaller meals for a while, skip spicy foods and hopefully you'll be checking back in with us with great news!

Wishing you my best........
Mary