Posted 10/15/2014 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
I had a temp ileo from May, 2010 to mid-July, 2010 due to a sigmoid volvulous that resulted in 18 inches of my colon being removed. I was in the hospital for 7 days after the initial surgery, another 7 days a few days later when I got blocked up from being dehydrated, and the another 10 days about a week later when I developed pneumonia, likely from inspiring something into my lungs when the always wonderful NG tube was put in for hospital stay number 2.
Once I recovered from the pneumonia, my surgeon told me I had to get my weight and iron levels back up, or she could not safely operate on me. So, I was delayed until mid-July while I ate.....and ate.....and ate.
The actual reversal was a piece of cake. She didn't suture the wound, preferring to have my wife swab the ileo incision site out each day to prevent an abscess from forming. That felt very strange and it was a little disconcerting to see part of a cotton swab disappear in my abdomen. It took perhaps two weeks for the wound to seal itself up. It was about three weeks after that when I was allowed to resume working out.
Some things to note
First, your bowels will need some time to wake up after the operation. You'll likely have some pretty heavy gas pains. The night after my operation, I could not sleep because of the pain, so from about 11PM to maybe 4AM, I walked the halls to the point where the nurses on the night shift probably got tired of seeing me.
Second, once your bowls start to move, it's pretty intense. I passed my first gas around 5AM and my first bowel movement came shortly thereafter. By the time 8PM rolled around, I think I had had about 20 bowel movements and I had to report each to the nurses. The surgeon finally took pity on me at around 8 and let the nurses give me something for the bowel movements.
Third, the gas pains will last a couple of weeks. You just have to walk them out.
Finally, you have to remember to stay hydrated. I made the mistake of drinking a decent amount of wine on a family cruise in January of the following year. I didn't drink enough water to offset the wine and, since alcohol will dehydrate you, my colon shrank just enough that the spot of the ileo narrowed to a point where it became a blockage. An overnight in the hospital with an IV taught me a valuable lesson.
But you'll do fine with the reversal. It's perhaps two hours from start to finish.
Good luck and good health!