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Surgery done...

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/30/2018 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
Surgery went good yesterday. Was laproscopic so thats great. Sore but getting lots of meds. Not sure what hurts more, my abdomen or my lower back. 4.5 hrs of that operating table really did a number on my back. Ugh. Going to try and walk today. As for pain meds they have me on a constant lidocaine drip which will go for 48 hrs so no pain pump. They do this so its less narcotics which i like. I do get tramadol, extra strength tylenol and can get dillaudid every 2 hrs if i need it. Had some early this morning so i could sleep. Ate an italian ice late last night and on a soft foods diet so had scrambled eggs and a few bites of french toast. Right after surgery last night they gane me milk of magnesia to help wake up the intestines so i have a small amount of output already. It's making a ton of noise so i guess that's good. I feel so much better. Even my hubby said after surgery I look better so I'm glad i made rhis decision.
Posted 1/30/2018 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
They gave me muscle relaxant bc stomach was in spasms. Muscle relaxant maybe good for your back??? They worked for me. Glad your ok. It gets better. Just relax and let the healing happen
Posted 1/30/2018 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for checking in, I was thinking about you this morning! Glad it went well!
Posted 1/30/2018 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
Woogy, glad to hear it went well. I had been thinking about you. There’s not much better in the world than that feeling right after surgery of being better and having done the right thing.
Best wishes with your recovery ... those first couple of days can be rough, but walking and eating are key, so it sounds like you’re on the right track.
Posted 1/30/2018 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
I happy to hear from you. It sounds like you're on the mend. The first step was definitely the hardest for me. Are you doing 2 steps or 3? I was able to eat solid food very soon after surgery too, and I had no issues. Once things were moving, it was all pretty easy to manage, once I got used to the ostomy bag...
Posted 1/30/2018 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear your surgery went smoothly!
Posted 1/30/2018 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear your surgery went smoothly!! My back still hurts! The first couple of days are rough but once those are over it gets way easier. Keep us updated!!
Posted 1/31/2018 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Thx all. It's crazy how much better I feel with that diseased colon gone. Been eating good, got up 3 times to walk the halls and sat in the chair for a bit. Got the cath out this morning but wasnt able to pee until about 4pm. But now im fine and going lots since im drinking water and gatorade. Plus every tray they bring they give me 2 juices. Lol Stoma is workinfg. The nurse emptied my bag 5 times now. I'm sure tomorrow will be hard since the anesthesia will be worn off by then. wink
Posted 1/31/2018 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
NSSG, im having 3 steps. Been on steriods since August so couldn't do too. Plus to much inflammation. Sugeon confirmed i will go six month before the 2nd step so I'm off the steriods long enough to have the best result. I'm okay with that. I would like it sooner but don't want complications and not willing to risk it. At least step 3 will only be 3 months in between so not so bad. 9 moths with the stoma, i can live with that. smilewinkgrin
Posted 1/31/2018 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
Woogy that happened to me too, I have to keep tapering for a while but they’re making me go down by ten a week so that’s gonna make me feel like poop! I’ll probably have my stoma as long as you too die to being on it since this time last year.. I’m down to 40 now though! Glad to see you’re eating good, I was scared to eat lol but eating makes you feeel waaaay better in my opinion!
Posted 1/31/2018 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
Glad things are going well!
Posted 1/31/2018 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
You sound like you're doing very well. i wonder how many days you will stay? I felt almost ready to leave after 3 or 4 days, but i stayed 5 because i had a drain tube that I wanted removed and I didn't want to deal with going back... I figured staying an extra day wasn't the end of the world. I had 3 steps, I had the 2nd step after 12 weeks. I stayed on a pretty generic schedule (12weeks/8weeks). I wasn't on prednisone when I had surgery, but I was on it fairly recently, and my UC was flared up really badly. I was hopeful for two steps when I went into surgery, but my surgeon told me it was very unlikely. When I woke up and he said 3, I wasn't excited about it, but looking back, it wasn't a big deal. Actually, living with the end ileo was easy. The loop was another story for me. I am happy you're feeling better.
Posted 1/31/2018 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Feeling much better is the best result! Wishing you a smooth recovery into the next phase of surgery. Please keep us updated how youre doing.

q
Posted 1/31/2018 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on doing so well post surgery! Hope your recovery continues to go this well.
Posted 2/1/2018 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear it went well and you are feeling happier.
Posted 2/1/2018 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Doc said I might go home tomorrow or Friday. Doc will see how I'm doing with everything tomorrow. I get a bit dizzy after walking the halls. I'm able to do 2 laps then I need to sit down. So we will see how it goes. They took the lidocaine drip off this afternoon so I'm a little more sore than what I was. Not as bad as I thought though.
Posted 2/1/2018 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
Make sure u r drinking fluids. I got very dehydrated once they took IVs out.You need Gatorade or something with electrolytes. My surgery was 3 weeks ago and its much easier now to eat a normal diet with plenty of fluids and feel good.Still can get feeling of dehydration coming on once i awhile.Be careful and always carry some fluids.Good luck
Posted 2/1/2018 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
Yup, hydration is key, and I found it really hard to drink much when they stopped the IV fluids. Good luck! Keep moving, and I hope you will feel better every day!
Posted 2/1/2018 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thx. They stopped the ivs today so i will make sure drink more. I have 1 bottle of gatorade left, i usually drink that in the late afternoon and just water throughout the day. I'm a little more sore and stiff today without the lidocaine. They said if it gets to bad i can have oxycodone but i don't want the narcotics. I still get tramadol and tylenol so that is helping. A little more tored today to but they reduced the prednisone so I'm sure I'm feeling the effects of that. Ugh. Can't wait to finally be done with the pred. It's been way to long on that horrible drug!!!!

Still learning more about my stoma and tips and tricks of it. I am supposed to watch their video on changing the whole setup but i can't get it to work. Lol. I've seen enough you tube videos and they did a change yesterday with me so I'm somewhat familiar. It's still hard for me to do since my stomach gets queasy so easily. One more thing to adjust to. Lol
Posted 2/1/2018 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
Woogy will u have visiting nurse come to your house once u get home?? They make life easier. They can give u tips that u either use or don't use. It's all pretty easy once u have done it a few times. Just make sure u have all items layed out when your ready to change them. I changed bag only once myself bc of slight leak. Everything went fine. But have everything layed out so nurse can see what u have. It speeds up changing everything. Good luck and stay hydrated
Posted 2/1/2018 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Woogy, I hope you’re able to get off of prednisone successfully ... it feels so good to be free of that drug! It felt like the taper after my first surgery took forever, even though it was probably only a few weeks. I couldn’t believe how long it took some of the symptoms to go away, though, like joint pain and difficulty sleeping. That definitely adds another layer to your surgery recovery, so be kind to yourself! smile
Posted 2/1/2018 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear you’re doing good, getting unhooked from all the IV fluids is a blessing! Way easier to get around. Are you using the one piece or two piece bags? I’ve only used the one piece and it’s pretty easy to change but others say the two piece is easier.
Posted 2/1/2018 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
I will have nurses coming to my house a couple times a week to help me and hopefully give me tips. Lol I'm currently using the 2 piece bags, these seem easier to use and change. I still have more to learn about powders, wipes and such. Lol So much information. So I'm glad nurse will be at my house on Saturday. Makes it less nerve racking.
Posted 2/1/2018 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
I have 2 piece Hollister. Very easy to use
Posted 2/1/2018 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
The snap together is easier for me than the adhesive ones. The adhesive, if you don't place it lined up correctly, you can mess up the whole setup. Annoying. I never used those once i was on my own. Having the nurse for me, was kind of good, just to get her help, but the moment I started doing it myself, I was better off. The key is finding products that work for you. By the 3rd or 4th time the nurse came, it was an inconvenience for me. I already knew how to change. I think i had her 4x. I didn't want to get up early and deal with anyone. I didn't get the nurse after step 2 even though they recommended it.
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