Hello Cathy,
I am 2 weeks post-op now and I am feeling great! I am on a low residue diet util tomorrow but I'll confess that I have gone outside the low residue limitations during the holidays. At first I had very frequent BM's (for the first 2 days). They have tapered to about 4-5 per day now and are mostly formed. I have experienced very little pain or discomfort. The site of the incision drains a lot and the dressing has to be changed 2 x per day but other than that it's been a breeze. I have no complaints and I'm looking foreward to returning to work in February.
Best of wishes on your surgery and I hope you are as lucky as I!
Frank
Good luck Frank. You must be soo excited.
I've had my ileostomy for 20 years..I am 20 years old..that's right I got it when I was a week old. Crazy! Anyway my whole life i've hated it..growing up when kids can be crewel and having a bag doesnt help at all.
For the past 2 years i've been going from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital to see if i could get it removed..either way I need some surgery because the ileostomy I have now is horrible. It is very retracted and it leaks every single day and the skin around the stoma is horribly raw. I'm afraid to leave the house for more then an hour in case it leaks. Most 20 year olds are out a the bar having a good old time but not this one!
Anyway I go in for surgery in 5 days (jan 18th). I won't know until I wake up if I was able to get rid of my ileostomy or if I have a new one..dear god I hope I get rid of it. I've had many many surgeries over the years of my life but this one is by far the most scary.
I read a forum about the lady who's husband thought it was gross..I couldn't believe it. I'm engaged to a 26 year old guy who is the absolute best about it. I was terrified to tell him about it when i met him in case he thought it was gross pretty much, but he says it makes me unique and no matter which way my surgery goes he will never look at me differently. He's was constatly asking questions about it because he is so interested when we were first together and though some were hard to answer I was just happy that he accepted it as part of me. If aannyyone with an ostomy or someone close to them has one wants to email me about anything please do so, i'm only 20 but I have 20 years experience and I think i've been through it all!
I really like this site by the way..thanks to whoever invented it. my email address is shortchick03@hotmail.com..dont laugh i made it when i was 13.
Ashley
You are correct. The colon or large bowel is where most water is reabsorbed back into our system. According to my GI doc (she also happens to be my surgeon) the small bowel will assume the duties of the large bowel. This takes time of course and you may have loose stools for several months following the colectomy. I was very lucky and had loose stools for only a couple of days. I am now 4 weeks past my reversal surgery and I am going only 3 times a day. The best part is that I can control the BM urge and "hold it" so to speak until it is convenient for me. The thing that I'm having the most difficulty with is mt incision site. There are 2 areas that are slow to heal. I had to go back into surgery to have some stitches removed that were absesed and slowing the healing process. Believe me, it is a mere inconvenience compared to what I was experiencing prior to my colon being removed.
Hope this helps ease your worries somewhat.
Good luck again!
Hi Jean,
I've had my ileostomy removed for 3 weeks now..almost a month. My healing went great from the operation as in my incision scar is healed perfectly and i'm not in any pain that way anymore. The only thing that i'm really having problems with is the very frequent bowel movements. I'm going so often that my bum gets really raw and sore but i've got paste that I have to apply there to keep it as painless as possible. They may tell you to use it too.
The thing is I had my ileostomy my entire life (since i was a week old) so if you have only had it for a short amount of time it may be easier for you. They werent sure if i would be able to 'hold it' before going to the washroom but luckily i have perfect control. Let me know which procedure you will be having done and how old you are and how long you had the ileostomy for and I can give better advice and let you know what to expect. The procedure I had done was the Duehamel's procedure and I had my entire large bowel removed.
Sorry for not answering your question really but if you let me know a little more details I will definately tell you all I know!
Hi Frank,
It has been almost a month since my surgery and everything's great accept i'm going so frequently that i'm sore and losing a lot of sleep. I'm taking imodium and it is helping a bit but I really need to get some sleep. Which meds did your doctor prescribe for you to slow things down and are they working? Please let me know. Thanks!
Hello Ashley, I was prescribed imodium also. I was fortunate and never had to take it. I had frequent BM's for about 2-3 days and then they tapered off. I am now back to work full time as a paramedic in a busy city. I am only going 2 times a day (pretty much normal). My doctor told me that some people take up to a year to adapt to the change. Seems like yours is just little slower than mine. Don't get discouraged! Your small intestine will get the message and start taking on the extra responsabilities soon enough. Consider eating some high fiber foods to firm up the stool. Best of luck to you and I'm sure things will start improving with just a little more time.
I am having some problems with the BM's still but it has only been 3 weeks and the doctors told me before surgery it could take up to a few months until i'm going normally again. After a major surgery like that my intestine just needs to remember how to function properly. As for Frank, I think he's some kind of miracle or something haha. In the hospital for only 2 days and having formed BM's after only 4! Crazy! Wish that was me.
As for your questions i'll answer all of them the best I can.
You do not need ot be on medication forever to help slow down the BM's, but my surgeon put me on imodium (its just a little pill that disolves on your tongue and tastes minty). It is helping more and more everyday and last night I actualy only got up 3 times to go! I will be on this med just to train my bowel how it is supposed to work and then I can stop.
Foods that I was told not to eat right now are high fiber foods because they cause you to go to the washroom more (i'm trying to slow that down). Eat lots of cheese, bananas, peanut butter, white bread (food that bulks up the stool). I'm actually not allowed to eat veggies right now because they eithe rmake you go more or make you gassy.
All activities are definately ok to resume as soon as you feel up to it. I wasnt allowed to drive until 3 weeks after surgery. As soon as you are no longer in pain you can do whatever. My problem is still slowing down the BM's so that I can leave the house and not worry about finding a washroom.
I did need to wear a 'diaper' for a week or so after surgery just in case I had an accident. It was cald 'poise control underwear' or something. I just called it a diaper . I did have a few accidents for a while but the doc was amazed at the control I now have for holding it. I can hold it for quite a while but everyone is different. I am still wearing a liner in case of an accident and because I have to apply cream to my bum to help with soreness but as soon as that is all healed I won't need that anymore either.
I had my bag for 20 years and I was prepared to do anything I had to to get rid of it and I am so happy that I got the reversal. To be honest for a week afterwards I wondered if i made a mistake because it is a hard process to go through but things quickly got better and if i could go back in time i wouldnt change a thing.
I hope I answered everything you needed. If you have any other questions just let me know.
Bye for now!
Ash
No problem Jean. Anytime!
I just wish I had someone to talk to before my surgery so I could be a little more prepared for it and set my mind at ease. So if there's anything I can help with i'm here.
