HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Surgery in a couple of days

Support Forums
>
Ostomies
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/9/2014 9:35 AM (GMT 0)
So the time has come - I'm getting surgery in the next couple of days!
I've been suffering a lot since remicade failed and over the last week got worse again; 15 BMs a day, extreme urgency, I stopped eating it made me nauseous, was losing a lot of blood and then over last weekend I developed a fever. I was coming into hospital on Monday for a sigmoidoscopy & to speak with the surgeon but when he & my consultant saw that the state I was in & that my temperature was high, they admitted me. I'm on fluids & rest for a couple of days to get my temperature down and I'll be heading in soon.
At the moment I'm sticking with an ileostomy and I'll see how I get on with that. Expecting to talk to the stoma nurse today.
I'm so scared about the surgery as it's such a big deal but I'm also excited. This year has been awful & especially the last couple of months so I any wait to actually be able to do things again!!
Any tips for the surgery or post surgery or recovery is welcome, literally anything at all! turn
Posted 12/9/2014 1:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 18 days out of surgery for Illeostomy and now I feel great, still a little colitis in rectum but I have my life back... No more rushing to toilet 30+ times a day!!!!

I few tips...

• Get up! The nurses will encourage you to get up and walk about, this helped me.
• Try and eat... It took me 10 days or so before my appetite came back after op (I developed Oral Thrush too which didn't help). I'm now putting the weight back on that I lost.
• Rest and sleep when you can and night times will be tough... In the early days out of hospital the days were tough and the nights were tougher. You'll get through them....
• Listen to your body, cravings etc... I've just ate what I want and it's helping!

Stoma Support

• Listen to the nurses
• Emptying and Changing a doddle once get used to it.
• Stoma shrinks so don't go cutting your bags all at once.... (I cut a few at big size and applied and ended up with nappy rash).
• Get in a good habit of how to empty your bag
• if you have a leak, don't panic. These are the most rewarding changes to make as your under pressure and only option is to short it.... (Had a few first few days home).

You will have your life back in a few weeks.... I'm sitting here with my 2 year old watching Xmas films knowing I'm not going to poop myself....

I can't wait to get back to work tho!!

Hope all goes well!
Posted 12/9/2014 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck! If you've already met with the ostomy nurse, I'm sure you had many of your questions answered. And TeacherAxel's reply is great. Take it slow- you will get tired very easily after surgery, & just give in to it. Taking short walks, & upping the amount of time & distance will help. The ostomy is really easy to work with- I just had my 2nd leak in 8 months, & I was due for a change tomorrow AM anyway. I go 4-5 days between changes. Try a few of the manufacturers- I was sent home from the hospital with Conva-Tec, but wound up using pretty much strictly Hollister stuff. Along with an Eakin seal & powder, & that's it. I still cut my bags to fit, though the stomas has been just under 1" for ages now. Eat, but don't overdo it- I did try to stick with softer, easily digestable foods the first few weeks. Now I feel like I'm eating 24/7! And remember- no one will know you have an ostomy unless you want them to! Post as you can, there is always good advice & help here. It may seem like this board is sort of slow at times, because really- after a month or so, there's just not much to an ostomy!
Posted 12/9/2014 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your replies, some good tips there!

I'm getting my surgery tomorrow at 2pm - so I should be colon-free by dinner time!!
I met my nurse, she was so helpful. We were trying to decide where my ileostomy should go and when I wasn't sure she gave me a fake ostomy to stick on myself and filled it with some slushy stuff so I could play around all evening and see how it felt - it's not too bad! I'm still a bit confused about how it fits into jeans but I don't have any here to try so I assume it works fine, going from what I've read from many many people.
My rectum will be left also, to minimise pelvic surgery and if I decide to get a pouch later in life.
Can't wait to be free of this colon! Ironically, it's been the most well behaved it's been in about a month today - I think it knows what's coming!!
Posted 12/9/2014 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Ask the nurse about the belts you can get which allows you to dress normally etc.

My nurse just ordered me 2 on prescription. Look great and allow me to go swimming and when go back to work where my suits...

Good luck tomorrow
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply