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Surgery update

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/3/2008 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yesterday I had my first appointment with the surgeon since leaving the hospital after my October 20th surgery. I had a pouchogram. They inserted a tube and injected a clear liquid with iodine into my bum and then x-rayed my J-pouch. They were mainly looking for leaks. No leaks were found. The doctor filled out a progress report form for my employer and faxed it in. She didn’t include a return to work date. She said I won’t be going back to work this year. She asked her secretary to set up a second surgery date at the end of January or beginning of February. She will get back to me with the date. It is unlikely that I will be going back to work until after my second surgery

I have been having problems with the skin around my ileostomy being irritated. The doctor had the ostomy nurse at the hospital look at it. I had three nurses at once changing my ostomy bag, one was a real knockout. They treated the irritated skin and started me on a different type of flange for my ostomy. I hope it starts to heal properly soon. It really hurts. The ostomy nurse at the hospital wants me to have the home care nurse that visits me twice a week to call her. I left home for the hospital at 8:20 am and returned home at 3:10 pm. That was a long day and I was totally exhausted.

Take care,
Posted 12/3/2008 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to see you didn't lose your appreciation for a beautiful woman at this time :) Overall, would you say you are feeling better?
Posted 12/3/2008 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
LOL Sherry - yes, and isn't it nice to have a "knock out" nurse! I love it! I do hope you heal soon and feel better soon!

Gigi1227
Posted 12/3/2008 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Glad you are doing well, and have the holidays off to boot!
I'm curious, are you feeling like you could work? I don't know what kind of work you do, but do you think you could do office work at this point in the process, the way you feel?
Posted 12/3/2008 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
If you're having bag issues, it's just as well that the doctor got you excused from work for a sizable length of time. A patient can return to work "too soon", then have to leave on disability again, at which point the required paper work can be more demanding of "evidence" to back up one's claim. Apart from the ostomy nuisance, I hope you're feeling stronger & able to navigate the house comfortably. Thanks for keeping us posted & good luck with those nurses! Let us know how things are going; your insider info is always appreciated. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

Posted 12/3/2008 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
I was lying flat on my back when the nurses were working on my ostomy and couldn’t see a thing. One of them brushed a liquid on the irritated skin and it really hurt. They were also pushing on the skin which didn’t help with the pain. The only thing that took my mind off the pain was that one attractive nurse. I was really sweating and she was the one that got me a cloth for my forehead. A guy can dream, can’t he?

I do feel I am getting better except for my irritated skin. It is a slow recovery. Two days ago I went out with m car on my own for the first time since being home. I went to Canadian Tire and Home Depot, my 2 favorite stores and I found it exhausting. I was only gone for 90 minutes and I slept for an equal time once I got home. I’m defiantly not ready to go back to work just yet. If I am up and standing or walking for more than a half hour I break out into a sweat and have to sit or lie down. I’m a control technician at a nuclear power plant. Some of my work is very physical. My boss recently emailed me and asked if I wanted to go out for lunch with him and the other guys I work with this Dec 15th. They do this every Christmas. I told him I’ll be there if I’m feeling up to it.
Posted 12/3/2008 11:20 PM (GMT 0)
LOL, Paul! You are too funny. Glad you had a knockout nurse to put that cool cloth on your forehead! Hee hee. How nice that your boss and fellow workers invited you to share in the holiday spirit with them. I'm hoping that each day brings you more strength and that by Christmas you'll be able comfortable and able to move around a bit easier. Take care, and as always, thanks for the good laugh!

Posted 12/3/2008 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Straight up, tell us a little more about this "knockout nurse"... ;) Pictures, please!

Seriously though, I'm also in consideration for surgery, so it's very helpful to hear all these "successful" surgery stories...seems more and more people are vying for this option.....weird....
Posted 12/5/2008 1:56 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Paul, sorry to hear that your recovery has been so arduous, but i am sure that you, like me are focused on the long term outlook. Hope the planning and reversal operation go more smoothly.

I had a few memorable moments in hospital, bujt the person who comes to mind when you talk about knockout nurses was the pharmacyst who came around to brief me on my discharge medication. Unfortunately she was very attractive and had a lowish cut top and i had trouble focusing on the disposition of my medication when i was to get out. But boys will be boys - won't we!

From the stoma nurse i got :-
wafers or base plates
bags which emptied
putty for molding into crevasses which may have allowed leaks
wipes to help remove the wafer adhesive
wipes to build up a protective layer on the skin around the stoma
2 belts to help hold the base plate in place
curved scissors to cut the base plate
wipes and a bag to hold everything

i am hoping to get into the supply office next week to see what other sort of weird and wonderful accessories are available.

:)
Posted 12/6/2008 10:26 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Paul

Glad that you're getting better, with the exception of the irritated skin.  My visiting nurses take my blood pressure at every visit.  Paul, I'm surprised yours doesn't.  What does your visiting nurse do then?  My nurses help me change my bag; well mostly they just watch me change it b/c I tell them if I have to learn it, I need to do it myself.  I just haven't gotten the hang of cutting the wafer just the right size.  They also check my blood pressure and my temperature, and ask me how i'm feeling.

I had a follow up appointment with my surgeon and ostomy nurse this past tuesday and i asked them if it was normal for me to feel so exhausted and tired all the time; they said it was normal, when I actually was dehydrated.  So when I saw my home nurse on Thursday, she took my blood pressure but couldn't even get a reading when I was standing up; that's how bad I was.  Now I know better and will pay attention to the signs of dehydration:  dizziness, shortness of breath, dry mouth, fatigue, etc.  I mean when I walked three feet, I was out of breath.

Paul, keep us informed on your condition.  I hope all goes well!

Cher

Posted 12/7/2008 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
Paul, it's great that you are doing well. Hopefully your irritation will get better soon. Bratcat learned over time that the slightest dehydration made her lightheaded. Even before surgery she always drank alot (at least 3 liters a day). She couldn't drink any less than that with her ostomy. With her ostomy she also found she couldn't stand for any length of time or she would get lightheaded. And walking up several flights of stairs would completely wind her. Since her reconnect, all these issues have gone away though.
Hope you get another cute nurse to help you out. smilewinkgrin
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