Recent J pouch

Did you have your takedown (reversal) surgery?

I think that the pain may be normal since the operation focuses a lot in that area while they build the j-pouch. I had some blood discharge after the creation of the j-pouch which was normal, it didn't hurt to sit but I would say it was more uncomfortable to sit. You might not have a enough pain meds if it is too painful.

It is a major surgery so you should expect to feel weak and exhausted for a few weeks. The loop ileo doesn't help with its rapid transit time and high liquid output. You need to stay hydrated and take in enough protein to help your body heal. You might want to try a liquid protein drink like Ensure.

Usually you have a follow up consultation the first 7-10 days with your surgeon after you are released from the hospital, you should bring up all of these questions with the surgeon.

Niks said...
No that is scheduled in a few months after this heals some

oh ok. I had a two step procedure and about a week after my first surgery I developed an abscess in my pelvic region. I had terrible back pain from that so if your back pain persists and/or you start running a fever, call your surgeon to get checked out right away.

You had major surgery so you're going to feel pretty beat up for a little while.

I wouldn't worry too much about an abscess unless you have a fever. Pain and a fever are signs of an abscess and then they would confirm it with a CTscan.

I had a very small abscess when I had my take-down, they treated it with an antibiotic for 10 days. I didn't need it drained.

By the way, your symptoms sound pretty normal to what my step-2 (j-pouch creation) was; it was the toughest of the 3 surgeries to recover from, I was out of work for 7 weeks and lost 30 lbs. Be patient with yourself and let your surgeon know your symptoms.

Discharge, like liquid or mucus? After step one, I had my rectum and that caused me some problems so far as urgency. After step 2, my biggest problem was dealing with the loop. I still had watery liquid exiting though my butt, often with some mucus. I think it was output that bypassed the pouch somehow (the loop has 2 ends, one small bowel into the bag and one end that goes down tot he anus. you usually only see one but it's possible to have output get through to the other). I think dark blood is probably normal right after step 2, pain is definitely normal. It took me weeks before I felt strong enough to walk distance. I had no appetite for quite a while with each step..

It will get better with time and the blood will go away or at least most of it will. The amount of discharge (mucus liquid) will decrease too.

I freaked out the first time because the nurses and surgeon didn't tell me to expect it.