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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/8/2010 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, so here is the update. i was release from the hospital about 1 week and two days ago. I must admit that I was not feeling well at all but was stubborn. I got home and that is when the onset of disaster set in. my output of my stoma was way more than what i was inputting and I got seriously dehydrated and badly to the point of my kidneys not functioning. I was readmitted to the hospital flushed with gallons of liquids blah blah blah. That was all fixed and was feeling good again until I got a minor case of pneumonia. I am destined to be home tomorrow, but everytime I say that I just jinx myself. Either way, I am on antibiotics and am feeling near 100% again and fully hydrated. I am not saying this to scare people away but just to give some advice that I didn't take when I was in hospital. (1) Get up and WALK WALK WALK (2) drink lots of liquids. These are the two things I slacked on. I would def recommend this surgery to anyone thinking of it because I am a whole different person now and feel great. hope all is well with all of ou out there.
Posted 5/8/2010 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
So right Anthony! My surgeon does not discharge patients until they can walk 1 mile that's taped out on the hospital floor! Continue to walk now that you are home. Your stoma output should settle down. It can be quite high in the beginning due to the trauma of the whole surgery. A few complications from any surgery should be expected. Hopefully things will improve from here.

Sue
Posted 5/8/2010 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
     HOLY SMOKIN CATFISH!!!  I am getting more scared by the minute by this surgery!!!  LOL!

     Still going for the consult on Tuesday though. idea

Posted 5/8/2010 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
this is why i didn't want to post that. I posted it like many others have said in the past because I didn't follow directions. The surgery itself was great and I was in minimal pain. I was just stupid not to walk and drink enough. You will be fine and you will be a whole new person. I am loving every minute of it.
Posted 5/8/2010 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
My output was so high that no matter how much I drank, I could not keep up with it
But, yes, definitely drink a lot and walk. I was up as soon as I could. I have never had problems with that part of my surgeries. I heal well and am up and moving very quickly
Posted 5/8/2010 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
And do your breathing exercises! A lot of us who are basically healthy think we don't need to do those. We do.
Posted 5/8/2010 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
yeah, I was a little lax on those but I did do them whenever I thought about it
Posted 5/8/2010 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
     Breathing exercises?  I won't have a problem with walking..I LOVE to walk but I have to remind myself to drink...I don't drink enough water, never during the day, only with meals.  They wanted to put me on Heparin when I was in the hospital in 08 because I had a PICC line in and I was sooo sick.  I said "no way...if you give me a pair of roller skates, I will skate down the corridor if I have to...but NO HEPARIN."  I made sure my butt was out of that bed at least three times a day.  Hubby had to practically hold me up walking down those halls..lol...but I did it.  Can't hold this old gal down. smilewinkgrin
Posted 5/8/2010 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
When you get surgery, they give you a little plastic thing to do breathing exercises with. It's no big deal. You're supposed to do them 10 times an hour when you're awake. It takes just a minute. It's to help clear out your lungs and get you to cough and stuff because you can get pneumonia if you don't
Posted 5/8/2010 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
wow Anthony, just what you didn't need, but good to hear you're now back on the road to recovery.

It's invaluable that you and others share their experiences....

Keep us posted with your continuing progress.

quincy
Posted 5/9/2010 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
Paul L's surgeon would not release him from hospital in Toronto for ca. 3 weeks due to high stoma output-- she is one fine doctor, apparently. She saved him from all these crises that cause trouble at home and then require readmission to hospital anyway. Sometimes U.S. hospitals discharge patients too soon. Hoping you are now on your way to complete healing, Anthony. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 5/9/2010 12:58 AM (GMT 0)
Yes - dehydration was an issue here too - I drank 1liter of pedialyte/day, plus 7/8 glasses of water and juice.

Now after takedown its not as bad - but i still need to drink electrolytes every day and take codeine to slow things down - it keeps me in good shape!

I hope that you get outta there tomorrow!!! Good luck!
Posted 5/9/2010 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
thanks all ... it will be a nice mother's day gift for my mom as she was pratically having a coronary worrying about it all. I tried to tell her all would be good, but she was just being a mommy. good night all and I will keep in touch.
Posted 5/9/2010 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
i used imodium (loperamide) daily to slow down the temporary ileostomy output if you want to give that a shot (and still use it daily for my j-pouch). you can buy a bottles of it really cheap at costco: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11112490

but yea drink lots of water, gatorade, and anything high in electrolytes. i slacked off on drinking a lot about a month before my takedown surgery and was probably borderline dehydrated because of it. during this time i remember only having to pee maybe twice a day.

but don't worry, once you get the reversal & your j-pouch is working your intestines will absorb more water. i still drink a little more daily than i did pre-surgery but definitely not as much as i did with the ileostomy.

it seems like you're doing great now though, i wish you continued luck
Posted 5/9/2010 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
I am sorry to hear you have been feeling sick Anthony but happy to hear you're doing better. So funny to see this post as I was just thinking about you and wanted an update. I hope you're out of the hospital and feeling great. I know the surgery has a long, hard recovery but it seems like it's usually the best outcome in the long-term. I've been feeling pretty bad the past few days. I wonder how long I can go before I am looking for a surgeon.
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