Recovery Update - Two Days Post-Reversal

So far, so good....

A few sessions of throwing up, which was extremely painful. I think it has to do with how salty the broth is at the hospital and all the anesthesia still in my body.

My bestie is a great chef and brought me a thermos of homemade chicken stock with ginger grated into it and that had me on the upswing immediately. I HIGHLY recommend doing this as the ginger was good on my tummy. The nurses station has been great about nuking it for me in the micro after it cooled down.

I have passed quite a bit of blood, but have been told it's totally normal by the day doc, nurses and my surgeon.

It took three days to pass gas, but they will keep me here until I pass some poo. Tummy is grumbling, but nothing substantial leaving. They upped my diet to soft food, so hopefully the mashers and meatloaf I ate today will find their way out.

I have some packing sticking out of the hole in my tummy and it has been seeping, but not a ton. It's so weird to me that a few centimeters will still be open when I leave here and it should then heal the rest of the way shut.

The surgeon closed the rest of the wound with a procedure that he said is like purse strings, so kind of like a drawstring bag. I'm still too queasy to look at it yet, but everyone that has seen it says it looks great.

I spent the first two days here checking my bag and wondering where my supplies were... so funny, like phantom ostomy syndrome.

That sounds like great news! I'll be going through a reversal on Wednesday.

I am set to go to reversal/reconnection surgery on Dec 7. Really have no idea what to expect. Thank you for your message. I would welcome more feedback from you and others who have gone through reconnection. What is it like to poop after ostomy? What kind of difficulties can come up? I was surprised to learn that sewing the area is like purse strings. What is that?! Is the scarring bad? I suppose I can google all this, but appreciate feedback from this group. I am nervous about pooping, passing gas, and what if I can't? Also worried about peeing. After surgery last time, I could not urinate and it was pretty painful having a balloon inside.

Thank you!

Hope you heal quickly and have no issues.

Hi Jackie - I had a reversal 4 years ago. When I got home, I was very tired and was running to the bathroom 8-12 times per day and felt generally yucky, but it wasn't unbearable. The doctor told me to take Imodium, which helped. It took about 3-4 months for things to "settle down". Now I go 4-5 times per day; more if I eat too much! Most of the time it's runny, but I've found that high fiber foods make it less runny. If I have to go somewhere for any length of time, I won't eat anything. I know this may sound daunting to you, but it really isn't so bad and I'm so used to it that I don't think anything of it. Good luck! By the way, get to the pot right away when you feel the urge to go. A couple of times I waited a little too long after feeling an urge and almost pooped my pants!

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I'm not pooping yet, so not sure what it will be like. I've been told I'll likely have issues with control and a high amount of movements while all the nerves in the area and my colon that hasn't been used in 6 months wake up. But that will not be the new normal.

I haven't looked at the scar yet because I'm not ready to see that area with the packing sticking out, but once I look at it, I'll post maybe even a foxy picture.

What to expect is a lot like your other surgeries, though doing the prep with a bag on was a challenge. I use a two-piece system and the first change in prep I snapped off my bag to replace it and the poo just exploded all over my pants. After that, I was pretty vigilant in draining it. I would recommend doing the prep earlier in the day than they recommend so you don't have to worry about a bag malfunction while you are sleeping.

They have all told me that walking a lot is the key to getting a poop out. So I've been taking pretty long walks a few times a day. It's also good to get out of this room. They also said to bring gum and lifesavers to help get things moving.

One thing I didn't do was drink Ensure pre-surgery three times a day for a week leading up to this. My surgeon thinks it's important, but I was so swamped getting ready to leave my job and hand off duties that I totally spaced out doing it. I'm sure it helps.

My doc also recommended doing Kegel (I can't spell) exercises leading up to the surgery because it helps wake up nerves.

I'm fortunate that as a teacher I only had to take a few weeks of leave (in between Thanksgiving and winter break) as we have Thanksgiving week off and about two and a half weeks for winter break. I just couldn't see myself back at work until my bowels are way more settled.

I'd say that if you work, talk to HR about FMLA leave if you are like me and want time to normalize before getting out in the world. I don't think I'll make my full pay for part of the time I'm off, but I won't lose my job or my benefits.

I also have had issues with peeing. Often times my body isn't alerting me I need to, so I have just gotten into a habit of going to the bathroom whether I think I need to pee or not. Reminds me of being a kid on a road trip with my parents during any gas station stop.

I'll post more about my progress as I go!

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Just checking back here to see how your reversal is going. I see you're from Texas. It would be crazy if we were in the same hospital in Austin right now!

I'm in Nac! Good ol' East Texas. I'll be having mine in 2 days.

Good luck. Make sure they know where to connect your pipe to.

That hole on the tummy is so weird, isn't it? Best of luck to you as you heal and move on!