Time for a Bowel Resection

Well, it sounds as though it could possibly be...you need to get to your doctor asap to do a thorough test to make sure.

Thanks for the link on that and the connection regarding IBD. How exactly, I suppose it could be autoimmune? I'll have to do more research.

Don't take aleve...but if you already have..don't take it again.

Please keep me posted...yikes.

q

I took the Aleve as they were giving me NSAIDs in the hospital for a while once they put me on oral meds

I had the NSAID's for inflammation and Percocet for my narcotic pain med. They were giving me Toradal IV meds which was an anti-inflammatory / pain med and the NSAID's, Percocet is what they switched to when I went to oral meds

I have a few doc appts this week. Tomorrow I go to my colorectal office and see the stoma nurse and to get my staples removed. I'll ask her all my questions for my Surgeon and maybe I can get my answers quickly while I'm there. On thursday they want me to see my GI about continuing my other colitis meds. 6MP, Colazal and my Surgeon said no Remicade for at least a month. The way I feel now I would prefer not to take any immune suppressants till I know I'm in the clear with everything.

I had my stoma / staple appt today. The stoma nurse is the one who changed my bag twice in the hospital. She's completely awesome. She said everything looks perfect. She has no skin concerns and the stoma looks beautiful. She didn't like how the home nurse handled my bag change. She gave me a bunch of extra supplies and is ordering me a few different samples to try. Today she fitted me with a two piece Hollister non see through bag which I love so far. It should make things easier for me. They couldn't remove the lower staples on my big incision yet as the two that fell out in ICU, that area is still a little open. All other staples have been removed. So far today I'm feeling well. I had the nurse submit my question to the Surgeon about my breathing pains. He's not in today. I also see my GI on Thursday so I'll also ask him about it as well.

no cream on the lower incision but the nurse and stoma nurse both said it looks great. No redness or drainage of any kind. I'm keeping it covered at the moment as there is still an opening and I don't want anything in there.

I told my stoma nurse how the home care nurse tried to use my supplies to change it and the home nurse was completely backwards to the way it should of been done. She used three of my adhesive rings trying to get it to work and couldn't because she was trying to put the stoma powder on last then trying to put an adhesive ring on powder. It's never going to stick. Those rings are $5 a piece. I tried to tell her but she just wouldn't listen.

So far no chest pains today that I've felt, not even this morning when I got up. I'm starting to write down all the areas that have felt the pain so I don't forget any of them.

well the pains returned today, and a bad one. I called my surgeons office and one thing he asked me was if I had a bad cough at some point. I told him when I was in the hospital and still had the NG tube, I had a brutal cough for a few hours. I remember telling the nurse that I think I tore something. He thinks because I can press on the spots and they hurt that I may of torn some cartilage between my ribs. I'm to try ibuprofen for a couple days and see what happens. If no improvement they'll bring me in for a chest xray to double check.

I obviously missed your yesterday's post...sorry about that.

Yes, I hope it's not a form of pneumonia as well...seems the pain wouldn't be limited to only laying down, although walking pneumonia can sometimes elude symptoms.


Since you did have an x-ray and it shows fluid in both lungs...it's definitive something's been going on.
It could still be pleurisy...yeah, I hope you don't have to have drainage.

Please limit the ibuprophen...maybe the doc can offer you another pain med.

You have no sputum? If so, the doc can send it off for culture. I'd push for it, even if I were on antibiotics.

You might also have costochondritis...meaning a few things going on.

Thank you for the updates...looking forward to what the doc's plan of action is.

Rest and take care. Is anyone at your sister's coughing?

q

I got results from my blood / xray. My blood markers are showing inflammation but my doctor said they are nothing severe and are ok. For the fluid in my lungs, he asked how i was doing today...other than being tired I feel ok, I'm breathing fine just not full deep breaths and the little cough is barely there. He said as long as I'm feeling ok, I need to be patient and let my body absorb it, if any issues arise he gave me a name of a pulmonary doctor to see.

The fluid buildup is still lingering from the Hospital. Both of my lungs had fluid in them at that time and now one of my lungs is clear. It's just taking it's sweet slow time to absorb. He didn't suspect pleurisy. I've been moving around more and more...the initial get up and move is a little rough but once I'm up and around it's fairly easy. At least every day that goes by I know I'm slowly getting better.

I'm working on trying to walk upright more. When I stand upright it feels like I'm stretching the skin and pulling something but I'm really not. It's a mental thing right now. Most of the time I honestly can't tell the bag is there for the most part, I thought it would feel like a constant annoyance but it's not.

I did notice when I emptied my bag today I saw what looked like a bunch of white poppy seed looking things in the stool. The only thing that has changed is the Pentasa that my GI gave me on Thursday. I opened up one of the capsules and behold it's full of tiny white poppy seed looking beads. Not a whole lot came out but enough to be noticeable

I'm taking 8 Pentasa a day. My GI doesn't want me to be without anything in case I flare. Regardless of the surgery I still have the disease. He doesn't want me on any immune drugs while I heal and another surgery coming up in a few months.

Yeah, in the hospital I had fluid in both lungs. It's taking it's sweet ass time to absorb. I have some soreness which feels like my diaphram when I breathe that I think is from the fluid as well.

As far as TV, nothing really new, I just watch my normal shows and movies when I get bored with those.

When I see him next month I need him to draw out exactly how my plumbing is now as I truly don't know. I was so out of it in the hospital during the few times I saw him I never got around to asking. Every other time I saw his assistants. I know I have my rectum and a small portion of my sigmoid colon left, then he removed the 40cm and then did the join. My colostomy is on my right side slightly below my belly button. I still have full rectum control and I'm still passing stuff through it about every two days. Definitely no gas coming out my rectum though, just what appears to be mucous...sometimes yellow/pink and sometimes darker.

I think time is the only thing that's going to help with the absorption. I've been using my incentive spirometer to help with my breathing and the last couple days it's been a bit harder as it feels like my diaphram is sore when I try to get that deep breath in and I have to stop.

I'm fighting another low grade fever as I type this.

I went into work today to see how my body handled it. I went in at 9 and stayed till about 1.30. I just ran out of energy. I got home and slept for 3 solid hours.

I have seen Oblivion, my mom bought that for me and I watched it in the hospital on my laptop. I'm huge into visual effects and that movie was very cool looking. I loved the story as well even tho I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan. She also bought me the movie "Mud" which was a slow story but a very good story. I really enjoyed that one.