1st Surgery Done!

I'm two weeks removed from my first surgery.  It was 9 long uncomfortable days in the hospital for me.  I knew it would be painful but I had no idea what I was in for until I went through it.  I still have no regrets.  I came out of the hospital 17 lbs lighter than going in.  I had no food for 7 days and couldn't even drink water for 3 days after the surgery due to the NG tube up my nose/throat.  I'm now living with an ostomy bag, which sucks.  Luckily, I only have a short time and will do the takedown.  I've had several problems since coming home with the bag and it's a major pain, but I'm trying to stay positive.  The surgeon said my colon looked real bad and that it was coming out sooner or later.  I want to also mention how wonderful my wife has been during the procedure.  Having a partner who truly cares makes a world of difference and unbelievably, this ordeal has brought us closer.  I love her very much.  Anyways, just wanted to post...

Samic 25,

I went through all this with my son over the last year, so know exactly what you are going through.

I promise the worst is definitely behind you. Two weeks is so early post surgery. Expect some ups and downs and measure your improvement by the week, not by the day. You are going to be very tired for a while. I promise that the ileostomy will become much easier to look after. Over the next couple of weeks your output will thicken up and slow down a lot. Did you have a J pouch built during the first surgery or just your colon removed. Different surgeons have different feelings on this. My son had only his colon removed in the first surgery. By the time he was ready for the next surgery (about 4 months later) he found that the ileostomy was really a non issue. Hopefully you have an ileostomy nurse coming to your home for the next while to help out?

Just so you know..we are coming up to the one year anniversary of the first operation. My son is completely healthy (all blood tests come back completely normal), has more energy than he can ever remember having and has a beautifully working J pouch. He has about 4-6BMs a day with NO pain or urgency and usually gets up one time in the night but it only takes a minute and then he is back to sleep. He can eat just about anything he wants (I am sure he could eat anything but he is still apprehensive of some things), has put on 25 lbs and regularly goes to the gym. He is living life exactly the way a teenager should and has almost forgotten what UC was like. It all takes time but you WILL get there!

If you have any questions just ask.

Cathy

Check with your doc or nurse first, since 2 weeks is still very early and your intestine is still badly swollen, but a trick that a lot of people use to slow things down before changing the flange or bag is to eat a couple of marshmellows a few minutes before. We were told this at the hospital and my son swore by it. The marshmellows really slow everything down for about 30 minutes.

Cathy

samic25...wow, awesome to hear you're feeling positive about the surgery and have no regrets. I would think that the adjustment would be difficult, not only from healing but dealing with the ostomy bag.

It's great your wife is very supportive...that helps a lot.

Thanks for the update...hope each day has you doing better.

Interesting about the marshmallows...they're good frozen..lol.

q

Congrats Sam! I wish you the best during your recovery! :o)