HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Day 3 out of surgery with my brand new ileo!

Support Forums
>
Ostomies
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/1/2014 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
So far I am really enjoying my ileostomy. Yeah, it is kind of smelly but I am excited to go home and buy some deodorizers for that. Today my surgeons switched me from clear fluids to full fluids. So I had a pretty good lunch and dinner -- cream of cauliflower soup and ice cream, followed by tomato soup and orange sorbet. :) Wow, I am so happy I was actually able to enjoy those meals without feeling incredibly sick afterwards. They all went down the hatch smoothly! Well... with some gas afterwards but I heard that lots of gas is to be expected in the beginning.

Unfortunately I have to remind myself to not be brave and use the pain button as much as possible... there are times where I'm sitting up in no pain and have not pressed it for hours... only to regret it later when I have to shift my position. :( Owwww, that hurts and it is so not fun!

I also have to not feel embarrassed to ask the nurses for as much help as I can. Today I tried to empty my bag for the first time by myself unsupervised because I had a different nurse than usual and was too embarrassed to ask! Big mistake, I made such a mess! I have to remember, here at the hospital is my opportunity to learn as much as I can which will minimize the amount of mistakes at home!

Anyway, so far life with an ileo isn't half that bad, I'm very pleased to have joined the club. :) I can't wait to become a pro at this, lol!
Posted 10/1/2014 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, I'm loving my ileo too and it's only been a week and half. If someone had told me five years ago I'd feel this way I would have thought they were crazy.

I'm glad to hear you're doing well. It should only get better from here.
Posted 10/1/2014 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about my ileo as you are, but I remember being so happy about not being in pain (UC pain) anymore. It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to eat real food again! I'm loving life being UC free with my j pouch and I don't take a day of it for granted. Sounds like you won't either! :)
Posted 10/1/2014 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Annadee and Brt4545, I am so glad that you are doing so well. I am sure you both are embarking on a much better, healthier , freer life as each day goes by.

Just a example of how I now enjoy simple things in everyday. My car was in the shop for its annual service - I scheduled this on the day I was going to be in town for my 6 month PSC bloods test. The trip accross the city to the hospital was a 30 min stroll to the train station, 2 train trips and a further 30 min walk to the hospital. The bloods were taken & this time an ultrasound was on the list too. This was all fine & the trip home again involved the strolls & trains.

As we know in UC-land this is a nightmare scenario - where are the loos when I will need it & I would definitely have needed it often. It would not have been a pretty sight.

In Ileo-land, by contrast, I enjoyed the stroll in autumn sunshine & fresh air, there was plenty to see out of the train windows & there were lots of good people to talk to in the hospital.

My wish for you is that you get over the surgery in good time & can really be released from your past ill-health to enjoy each day as you deserve to be able to.

Very best wishes
Posted 10/2/2014 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all. I am still very happy but realized that my solid food appetite isn't very big at the moment. They gave me a hamburger for lunch and then chicken, rice and carrots for dinner and didn't feel like eating much of it, even though I gave my best shot. I did drink all the liquids though like grape juice and rice milk. I also managed to go on four short strolls around the hospital in attempt to get my bowels moving and relieve the unpleasant gassy feeling.
Posted 10/2/2014 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
:-o Take it slow. Sounds like your hospital isn't necessarily in sync with what your diet should be right now... A good guideline for foods for the first ~10 days after surgery is "mechanical soft," which means you should be able to cut it easily with the side of a fork -- veggies especially. This is super gross but for the first few weeks after each surgery I chewed everything until it was "slurry" consistency. Make sure to drink lots of fluids with your meals as well.

The most important thing to consume right now is protein, in whatever form you can tolerate. I really like Greek yogurt and I ate a ton of it after my surgeries. Scrambled eggs, chicken soup, baked fish etc are other good options.

The insides of your intestines will be swollen for about six weeks after surgery just from being manipulated during surgery -- it's normal but you're at an increased risk for a blockage until the swelling goes down completely. Chew, chew, chew!
Posted 10/2/2014 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to all the new ostomates! =)

@Annadee, the output from my ileostomy was quite awful at first (it was mostly bile), but it gets better as time goes on - it's still poop, so those pouch deodorants will work wonders :)
Posted 10/2/2014 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Go slow with that food! One thing I learned from all my hosptial stays is that even though you are in the hosptial and they bring you a tray of food doesn't necsasarily mean it's okay to eat it. Sometimes they just don't pay attention. They brought me lasagna after my takedown surgery. I thought it was a bit strange to serve me that but I was hungry so I ate it. Bad idea!

A low residue diet is best for the first week. Scrambled eggs, toast, mashed potato, yougurt, bannana, ect.
Posted 10/2/2014 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
I'm one of the few, apparently, who had a pretty decent appetite right from the get-go. I did stick with mostly softer foods- soups, toast, pesto, bread, pasta, etc.... I have yet to have any type of blockage whatsoever- not sure if it's due to a well-made stoma, or just luck, cause I sure don't chew 100x! Anyway- I really like the ileo too- mainly because I can walk around now, go on long car trips, etc. without a second thought. Even ride a train or subway! Unthinkable with UC... and I do feel much better, physically- not sure if it's due to being off meds, or being UC free. But I'll take it! After a month or so, changing appliances becomes 2nd nature. Enjoy your recovery! Don't push it, take it slowly!
Posted 10/2/2014 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
@Eva Lou. I think you're right about the well made stoma. My surgeon told me that he's a great surgeon and did an excellent job. He said because of that, I can eat whatever I want and I shouldn't worry about chewing. He said I could swallow a marble if I want to, and I won't have any problems. I eat everything, but I do make an effort to chew and drink a lot while eating.
So far, I too haven't had any issues....but I haven't swallowed a marble yet! ;-)

I hope your daughter is feeling better and that you're hanging in there.
xox
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply