HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

J pouch surgery ... Complications

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 5/29/2012 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
May 7th I finally got my second surgery completed. J pouch, rectum removed, diverting loop ileostomy. The first surgery went extremely well. I'm young so I healed extremely quick and I was back on my feet in less then a week. This surgery absolutely has kicked my ass. Everything was going great, I got out of the hospital in 4 days instead of 9, I was walking, I had no pain meds ( epidural wasn't even in my back when I woke up after surgery ) however, now that I'm home things are getting bad. I'm completely exhausted, my body is shot. I'm having so much anal discharge my butt hurts to the point to where I can't sleep at all, and here's the worst of it, I can barely pee. I literally have to sit on the toilet and strain as hard as I can to empty my bladder. I'm wondering If this happened to anyone else after their surgery. It feels like I have an erection 24/7 and my penis basically doesn't work at all I had a catheter for awhile and when it got taken out I could pee I just have to strain and my flow is weak and it's hard to get started. I'm going insane.
Posted 5/29/2012 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
Go to www.j-pouch.org ask on the general discussion board.
This is the wrong forum,most here still have UC.
Old Mike
Posted 5/29/2012 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
I'd call your doc.

Also, are you on any pain meds such as hydrocodone, codeine, etc? The meds in that class can cause urinary retention -- they do that to me and I literally cannot pee.
Posted 5/29/2012 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
The second surgery is the toughest. My step 1 was the colectomy and the creation of the j pouch at once and I had some complications too. I developed and abscess/infection in my pelvic area and it needed to be drained. I had difficulty urinating too( I'm female though) and it was because the abscess was putting pressure on my bladder. Do you have any lower back pain? Definately call your surgeon and tell him what you're experiencing.

Hang in there. These surgeries are tough to get through but before you know it it will all be a distant memory.
Posted 5/31/2012 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
After a long drive back to the docs all they are doing is a ct scan to see if I have some sort of abcess underneath my bladder causing me not to be able to urinate. It's kinda dissapointing considering I drove 6 hours just to get a script to drive back home get the scan to see if that's my problem =\ also they found huge Kidney stones that I can't pass. Sigh ... I really just want to enjoy my summer but it always seems it's something. And I am taking Hydrocodone so who knows it could be that.
Posted 5/31/2012 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
Why didn't they do the scan right there?? Seems silly to write you a script for it and send you away. ???
Posted 5/31/2012 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
They were just like well we can't do it here today ... I almost fainted hearing that. I'm still in pain and still not better but they were just like ummm bye see you in a week or so. And this the university of Chicago ... Probably one of the best hospitals for intestinal issues. Really disappointing and depressing =|
Posted 5/31/2012 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thats just crazy. I would have raised hell. Sorry...hope you get it sorted out. I know how you feel....I had similar complications after surgery. It really does gets better I promise. The doctors fail to tell you that you need TONS of patience with these surgeries.
Posted 5/31/2012 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah. That was left out for sure. =] feeling like you got hit by a train isn't pleasant I can tell you that. My takedown is in August so I really want to enjoy my summer. I was so full blown sick last year around this time I didn't get to do anything. As soon as I can urinate normally I should feel better. Feeling like you need to pee 24/7 is so exhausting.
Posted 5/31/2012 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
I wish your surgeon would recommend an at home nurse do a straight cath on you, it's a one time, for relief only tactic. Or better yet, teach you how to do this so you won't be in this 24/7 agony. I'm not a UC'er nor a J-poucher, just someone who pops in on this forum from time to time (mostly hang out on the IBS forum). I have a SIL who is a nurse and she's mentioned in the past how sometimes discharged patients often need just a straight cath from time to time until nature takes over.

I am praying for you.
Posted 5/31/2012 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
I actually do know how to cath myself and I have everything to do it but I've Been putting it off until my checkup which was today bevause I had hopes that I was going to find something out. Looks like that might be my next option.
Posted 5/31/2012 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Well that must give you some relief, to know if things get worse you know how to relieve yourself. I will tell you that my first surgery, 5 hours long, resection, creation of temp ostomy, etc. was so incredibly painful to recover from. While I didn't experience complications I did introduce solids too soon my surgeon said, I was on a liquid diet for 6 days, hospital nurses brought me a few meals before being discharged on the 7th day and well when you add 6 to my 2 day liquid diet and pre-surgery prep, I was starving for real food (I'm sorry but cream of celery soup isn't food, I just about threw it back at my nurses). Yes I was a crabby, pain ridden patient back then. Long story short, I jumped into eating much too quickly and had dry heaves for 2 days. Surgeon said to go back on liquids. After about 14 days I was able to eat food and by then I was so careful, I chewed my food thoroughly and ate only small portions. But what a ride that was - I was a real mess back then, literally the color of gray too (needed blood transfusions). I'm glad you had initially an easy time of it, it does suck that now you are in so much misery. I am hoping in just 24 or 48 hours, this will pass for you. In fact that was one mind trick I implemented back then - I projected forward, each time it was painful to just move, or breathe, my mantra became - 1 week from now I'll be feeling better. 1 month, etc. It did work. Taking my mind off what was going on in that specific moment.

But I'm not minimizing what you are going thru. It's rough, these GI surgeries often have slow, painful recoveries sometimes.

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers in the coming days.
Posted 5/31/2012 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Still fighting to save my colon but thiught I'd cnime in from another experience. Hydrocodone in high doses can definitely stop up your bladder, I think. I had some non UC orthopaedic surgery that resulted in such severe paim that I needed some morphine while recovering in the first 24 h- and my bladder must have infkated to the size of a water melon- nothing was coming out. Once the painkillers got out of my system the tap started flowing again. I hope this is what is happening i e will pass soon... Well I hope it passes soon whatever the cause.
Posted 6/1/2012 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Oh I know how you feel marsky. I looked like Edward from twilight 24/7. I was so severely anemic I had if I renember 8 blood transfusions. Besides that fun fact this surgery was 10 hours and I woke up with no morphine because the epidural wiggled out of my back during the surgery. I must have the pain tolerance of the hulk because I didn't even realize I was on 0 pain meds until the 3rd day. Funny thing is my stomach isn't even what was causing me severe pain. They pumped me full of air and it was trapped in my shoulders. Let me tell you I've never felt such an immense, acute feeling of pain like that in my entire life.
Posted 6/1/2012 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
Ugh the shoulder pain from the pumped air was the worst!!!! You just brought back that memory! I would still do it all over again because this surgery gave me my life back...litterally.
Posted 6/1/2012 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
I had trapped air too, but it was all in my abdomen, it felt like a dozen tennis balls inside my gut, the air kept ricocheting off my abdomen walls. And of course it happened at 3 am, just when I wanted sleep, the pains prevented any comfortable position w/o extreme discomfort. A sat up for a long time in a recliner. RE5, you're bringing back painful memories too. That night I was mess with trapped air, I should have just walked and walked but I didn't believe the nurses when they said walking helped the trapped air escape. :) I learned the hard way, they were right but one sweet nurse's aide sat up with me for hours that night, holding my hand and getting me thru the pains. I remember telling her I thought one tiny saltine would help and she said - oh no, w/o bowel sounds, you can't eat anything. I smirked and said - I wish I had packed a few in my suitcase, you'd never know. She laughed and said - oh we'd know, it would all come back up and we'd have to clean up the mess!

You can't get much past those nurses.

Hang in there RE5 - there are much better days ahead for you. Surviving a 10 hour surgery - WOW, I tip my hat to you. And to have experienced minimal pain up until now! That is something!!!! I'm proud of you.......
Posted 6/1/2012 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
It's Anthony =} and honestly you guys have made me feel 100x better. After being diagnosed back in 2009 and going through all the meds, surgeries, recoveries I've never actually talked to anyone else that's been through this so it's nice to know I'm not the only one out there. I'm trying my best to stay positive but I'll admit it's quite hard. This disease has wrecked my life. I'd give anything to just be a normal healthy young adult.
Posted 6/1/2012 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
Fascinating post - i was pretty clueless about this process. Man I was grimacing at your descriptiopns- I wonder how the heck they got air trapped in your shoudlers from that sort of op. Man that must be a horrible feeling. I imagine this makes your average colonoscopy seem like a walk in the park.

All I can say is good luck and hope you have a quick recovery.
Posted 6/2/2012 11:13 AM (GMT 0)
>>It's Anthony =} and honestly you guys have made me feel 100x better. After being diagnosed back in 2009 and going through all the meds, surgeries, recoveries I've never actually talked to anyone else that's been through this so it's nice to know I'm not the only one out there. I'm trying my best to stay positive but I'll admit it's quite hard. This disease has wrecked my life. I'd give anything to just be a normal healthy young adult.<<

Anthony - only too happy to help. Unless a person has gone thru multiple abdominal/intestinal surgeries, it's difficult to convey to another person how much discomfort these surgeries can bring. I recall after my 1 hour temp ostomy reversal surgery, referred to many as a takedown, I felt great compared to my first colon resection surgery. I remembered what my recovery room looked like, the private patient elevator ride to my room was like, my orderlies' faces, being able to converse with so many of these hospital personnel when first time, I didn't fully come out of my resection until 48 hours later. After my blood transfusions I'm told. Anyway, I was trying to fluff my pillow and had a severe stab of pain in my gut, the nurse chuckled and said - please remember, you did just have surgery! I laughed and said - you're right, I'll be more careful. I wanted to skip down those halls, after the takedown. Once you come thru a VERY painful post-surgery recovery phase, you feel like you can take anything on, medically speaking. This will be your painful recovery phase and you're probably on the tail end of it now, if that helps you deal with things - physically and mentally. As I posted earlier, you do have better days ahead. Trust us on that. You just need to get thru this painful stage. And you will.

I wish you were a normal young adult too - I was 43 when my cancer struck. I do really feel for those of you in your 20s. Pulling for you!
Posted 6/3/2012 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Well I found out what was going on finally. I had a 5 pound abcess sitting in my pelvis. So I had another surgery =\ to get it drained out. My entire body feels normal except the fact that I now have a drain in my right butcheek in the muscle. I haven't slept since the surgery and I don't think I will until it's removed. So ... So ... Uncomfortable.
Posted 6/3/2012 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
This is exactly why surgery should NEVER be referred to as a "cure".
Best of luck on your recovery.
Posted 6/3/2012 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Re5

I had a feeling thats what is was. I had the same thing happen to me! The drain in the butt cheek is the worst but I swear you will make it through this and all will be okay. I had the drain in for 5 weeks. Longest five weeks of my life but it all worked out fine. Hang in there....let me know if you have any questions about what you are going through. I feel your pain!
Posted 6/4/2012 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
Well at least you had a definitive explanation as to why you had so much pain and discomfort. You'll get thru this too Anthony and months from now you'll be updating us with fun-filled stories on how your life is going. We're definitely pulling for you (and yes I will admit this, the mom in me comes out when I read a topic from a younger member struggling so much). Hang in there! I know you're uncomfortable right now but it'll pass.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply