Since I can't figure out how to post in the forum (it keeps logging me out) I'm putting this in blog form.
I had my ileo revrsal last week and it appears to have been succesful!
I feel good, I'm being careful about what and how much I eat, and I'm able to wear pants again, though still too sore to do up the top button, with a tucked in shirt.
Please, please, please understand that I am not bragging. I had an emergency colostomy mid/late june due topost opcomplications stemming from diverticulitisand that reversal was done in late september. However, I hadn't yet healed properly, there were many adhesions and alot of scar tissue that the surgeon had to remove. So to avoid the probability of resulting complications leading to a permanent colostomy, the surgeon elected to go with an ileostomy to allow my colon time to heal properly.
If anything, I found the ileostomy much harder to deal with and accept than the original colostomy had been. And the original wasn't easy for me by a damn sight.
For those here planning/waiting for a reversal, it is possible to be succesful! I advise scheduling the surgery first thing in the morning as mine was late in the afternoon which allowed me the time to have one final emotional melt down while waiting to go in.
I still have to be careful what I eat and how much so I don't do something stupid like splitting the open the seal in my small intestine for a while yet. But, that is not going to be a problem! If I have to be a complete pain in the ass to my surgeons staff with questions, well then I guess that's exactly what i will be and I won't even feel bad about it. I have found that a single aleve controls my post op pain very well and now only need an oxycodone once per day (maybe) and then a couple right before bed as by then I'm pretty sore from puttering around the house all day or going for a nice walk if it isn't too cold outside.
It can work! I realize that it's still early yet, and it's possible that things may go south again. But then, it's possible that a satellite might fall out of orbit and hit me in the head too, and I don't worry too much about that. I have more control over my recovery than i do over orbital reentry so I feel even better about my chances at complete success than I do about my chances of getting domes by a comsat.
Best wishes to you and yours, highest hopes that you will embrace life whatever your condition, and a sincere and heartfelt thank you just for being here on this site when I needed to read and write or relate.
God bless you all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apologies, but no matter what I do, I can't get this thing to let me add a reply to answer questions so I will just edit and add on here.
Thank you for the encouragement and well wishes, it means alot coming from you good folk who've been there and done that. I appreciate the well wishes I get from others, but they can't really know the way we know. Thank you sincerely.
fable:
There is some pain and stiffness but much less than I expected. I'm a little over a week out now and am taking an Aleve every morning that works almost all day. In the evening an oxycodone or two before bed since by that time I'm pretty sore and need a little help to sleep.
The BM's were at first very alarming since it was expelling blood from the surgery. Expect this, but keep open communications with your nursiing staff and surgical team. You'll probably be asked to poop in the hat so they can track the volume the way they track urine output. It's unpleasant, but you buys your ticket and takes your ride.
At first I had a Penrose (?) drain sticking out either side of the sealed stoma incision to allow drainage. This was removed before I went home and if I hadn't been watching I wouln't have known they even started let alone finsihed removing it. My stay this time was only three days before I went home.
Be careful not to overeat, it's easy to do without realizing it, and that can lead to some pretty severe cramping as I found out. It's also a good way to accidentally split your intestine open, so several small meal, not one big one, okay?
I had alot of false alarms at first. Run to the bathroom and...nothing. Maybe a little gas, but I didn't want to push to hard either. I'm taking 1 or 2 stool softeners a day along with mild bulking fiber with meals. Want to keep it all moving smooth, afterall!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This stay was three days, the colo to ileo stay was 4 or 5 given my history of failed surgeris (2 failed lapro's and one major surgery in June this year) and an apparent susceptability to infection. I did well after getting the loop ileo so this time they sent me home after three days and watching my output to make sure everything was what it was supposed to be. On another good note, the seatbelt didn't tear anything open on my way home this time like it did in september! Two thumbs way,wayyyy up for not having to run to the ER a couple hours after getting home again! I actually didn't have very much pain at all for the colostomy to ileostomy prcedure. Yes, there was some, but not too bad. This one has more, but I think that's primarily because not only is my body trying to heal up the inside, it's also trying to heal up the incision itself this time.
The soreness I have now is "deeper" than I had before, like a very touchy bruise for instance,but it seems to be localized around the former stoma site. It's the itchy feeling I get from the tape holding a 4x4 in place that really drives me buggy. Although at one point early on my wife rolled over in the night and elbowed me right dead center in the incision D: Wow, that's an eye opener!
I would suggest bracing yourself into bed with some big soft pillows on either sidewhen you first get home to keep something like that or a rollover from occuring. On the upside, I haven't slept in my own bed since June and man does that sleep better than that rented hospital bed torture device I had been using.
I know exactly what you mean when you talk about the ileo/colo difference. It's the same experience I had to the letter. I have alot (well, more than I'd like anyway) of what I caan only surmise is gas pain. At this point, my chief concern is constipation which might result in complications so I'm doing my part to avoid that.
I don't know how common it is, but when I began even my clear liquid diet post surgery I had some semi severe trouble with heartburn/indigestion followed by the worst case of hiccups I've ever heard of. I'd hiccup for hours after a meal and they finally gave me a 25mg thorazine along with my evening meds and that stopped the hiccups. It sounds silly, but they were strong and constant enough that I was beginning to worry that I might rupture some sutures to which they lightlly agreed so we tried the thorazine. I was also pretty cramped up by then because I ate more than I should have so they gave me a full dose of IV pain med. I slept reallllllyy good that night but thankfully was able to wake every now and again for a trip to the bathroom.
I'll be pulling for ya, and feel free to post up any question you want. I may not have an answer, but I will tell you how I dealt with something if I have experience with it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaebreezy, breathe, hold it a few seconds, then let it out. I understand the fear of going under again and it sounds like our stories are very similar.
I never knew what diverticulitis was, let alone knew I had it, until august 2010 and by June 7 2011 I was having a partial sigmoidectomy. By the end of June, I was on emergency surgery number 2 (3 surgeries in all that month including the original) and I was down some 25 lbs and fading due to infections and sepsis, and kidney failure and a new colostomy...it was a rough road. A week or so later (2 weeks maybe?) I was back in the hospital due to malnutrion and dehydration and was down another 10-ish pounds.
The reversal surgeries went much better than those did. It is possible that complications may arise, I don't want to try and BS you about that. But, the reversal is almost always far less complicated due to the nature of things according to my surgeon. You might have to go through a two step process, it might be a one step, I don't know, but your surgeon does and that's what really counts. Follow their instructions for care afterward. Something that has helped me an awful lot in getting back into the whole processing food business is kefir (think of it as liquid yogurt) since it's packed full of the goodguy little critters. Talk to your doctor before trying it though to make sure you don't have some allergy or something. Most people don't, but I don't know your full story and your doc does.
I know it's difficult to do, but relax. Get as relaxed as possible and let your surgical team know you're scared so they can have some valium or something waiting for you before you go in for surgery. I got so scared that the valium wasn't enough and they had to dose me with versed (versaid? Can't...uhhh...remeber ;p) quite some time before they wheeled me in. I kept squeezing my wifes hand and repeating over and over "I didn't quit, I made it this far, I didn't quit"
I'll tell you all a little secret: I quit alot of things in my life. Some were "good" quits, but mostly they were "I'm tired of this, I quit" type of "bad" quits.
If I didn't quit, then dammit you can't quit either. Hang tough and you'll see the world on the flip side.
I had my ileo revrsal last week and it appears to have been succesful!
I feel good, I'm being careful about what and how much I eat, and I'm able to wear pants again, though still too sore to do up the top button, with a tucked in shirt.
Please, please, please understand that I am not bragging. I had an emergency colostomy mid/late june due topost opcomplications stemming from diverticulitisand that reversal was done in late september. However, I hadn't yet healed properly, there were many adhesions and alot of scar tissue that the surgeon had to remove. So to avoid the probability of resulting complications leading to a permanent colostomy, the surgeon elected to go with an ileostomy to allow my colon time to heal properly.
If anything, I found the ileostomy much harder to deal with and accept than the original colostomy had been. And the original wasn't easy for me by a damn sight.
For those here planning/waiting for a reversal, it is possible to be succesful! I advise scheduling the surgery first thing in the morning as mine was late in the afternoon which allowed me the time to have one final emotional melt down while waiting to go in.
I still have to be careful what I eat and how much so I don't do something stupid like splitting the open the seal in my small intestine for a while yet. But, that is not going to be a problem! If I have to be a complete pain in the ass to my surgeons staff with questions, well then I guess that's exactly what i will be and I won't even feel bad about it. I have found that a single aleve controls my post op pain very well and now only need an oxycodone once per day (maybe) and then a couple right before bed as by then I'm pretty sore from puttering around the house all day or going for a nice walk if it isn't too cold outside.
It can work! I realize that it's still early yet, and it's possible that things may go south again. But then, it's possible that a satellite might fall out of orbit and hit me in the head too, and I don't worry too much about that. I have more control over my recovery than i do over orbital reentry so I feel even better about my chances at complete success than I do about my chances of getting domes by a comsat.
Best wishes to you and yours, highest hopes that you will embrace life whatever your condition, and a sincere and heartfelt thank you just for being here on this site when I needed to read and write or relate.
God bless you all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apologies, but no matter what I do, I can't get this thing to let me add a reply to answer questions so I will just edit and add on here.
Thank you for the encouragement and well wishes, it means alot coming from you good folk who've been there and done that. I appreciate the well wishes I get from others, but they can't really know the way we know. Thank you sincerely.
fable:
There is some pain and stiffness but much less than I expected. I'm a little over a week out now and am taking an Aleve every morning that works almost all day. In the evening an oxycodone or two before bed since by that time I'm pretty sore and need a little help to sleep.
The BM's were at first very alarming since it was expelling blood from the surgery. Expect this, but keep open communications with your nursiing staff and surgical team. You'll probably be asked to poop in the hat so they can track the volume the way they track urine output. It's unpleasant, but you buys your ticket and takes your ride.
At first I had a Penrose (?) drain sticking out either side of the sealed stoma incision to allow drainage. This was removed before I went home and if I hadn't been watching I wouln't have known they even started let alone finsihed removing it. My stay this time was only three days before I went home.
Be careful not to overeat, it's easy to do without realizing it, and that can lead to some pretty severe cramping as I found out. It's also a good way to accidentally split your intestine open, so several small meal, not one big one, okay?
I had alot of false alarms at first. Run to the bathroom and...nothing. Maybe a little gas, but I didn't want to push to hard either. I'm taking 1 or 2 stool softeners a day along with mild bulking fiber with meals. Want to keep it all moving smooth, afterall!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This stay was three days, the colo to ileo stay was 4 or 5 given my history of failed surgeris (2 failed lapro's and one major surgery in June this year) and an apparent susceptability to infection. I did well after getting the loop ileo so this time they sent me home after three days and watching my output to make sure everything was what it was supposed to be. On another good note, the seatbelt didn't tear anything open on my way home this time like it did in september! Two thumbs way,wayyyy up for not having to run to the ER a couple hours after getting home again! I actually didn't have very much pain at all for the colostomy to ileostomy prcedure. Yes, there was some, but not too bad. This one has more, but I think that's primarily because not only is my body trying to heal up the inside, it's also trying to heal up the incision itself this time.
The soreness I have now is "deeper" than I had before, like a very touchy bruise for instance,but it seems to be localized around the former stoma site. It's the itchy feeling I get from the tape holding a 4x4 in place that really drives me buggy. Although at one point early on my wife rolled over in the night and elbowed me right dead center in the incision D: Wow, that's an eye opener!
I would suggest bracing yourself into bed with some big soft pillows on either sidewhen you first get home to keep something like that or a rollover from occuring. On the upside, I haven't slept in my own bed since June and man does that sleep better than that rented hospital bed torture device I had been using.
I know exactly what you mean when you talk about the ileo/colo difference. It's the same experience I had to the letter. I have alot (well, more than I'd like anyway) of what I caan only surmise is gas pain. At this point, my chief concern is constipation which might result in complications so I'm doing my part to avoid that.
I don't know how common it is, but when I began even my clear liquid diet post surgery I had some semi severe trouble with heartburn/indigestion followed by the worst case of hiccups I've ever heard of. I'd hiccup for hours after a meal and they finally gave me a 25mg thorazine along with my evening meds and that stopped the hiccups. It sounds silly, but they were strong and constant enough that I was beginning to worry that I might rupture some sutures to which they lightlly agreed so we tried the thorazine. I was also pretty cramped up by then because I ate more than I should have so they gave me a full dose of IV pain med. I slept reallllllyy good that night but thankfully was able to wake every now and again for a trip to the bathroom.
I'll be pulling for ya, and feel free to post up any question you want. I may not have an answer, but I will tell you how I dealt with something if I have experience with it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaebreezy, breathe, hold it a few seconds, then let it out. I understand the fear of going under again and it sounds like our stories are very similar.
I never knew what diverticulitis was, let alone knew I had it, until august 2010 and by June 7 2011 I was having a partial sigmoidectomy. By the end of June, I was on emergency surgery number 2 (3 surgeries in all that month including the original) and I was down some 25 lbs and fading due to infections and sepsis, and kidney failure and a new colostomy...it was a rough road. A week or so later (2 weeks maybe?) I was back in the hospital due to malnutrion and dehydration and was down another 10-ish pounds.
The reversal surgeries went much better than those did. It is possible that complications may arise, I don't want to try and BS you about that. But, the reversal is almost always far less complicated due to the nature of things according to my surgeon. You might have to go through a two step process, it might be a one step, I don't know, but your surgeon does and that's what really counts. Follow their instructions for care afterward. Something that has helped me an awful lot in getting back into the whole processing food business is kefir (think of it as liquid yogurt) since it's packed full of the goodguy little critters. Talk to your doctor before trying it though to make sure you don't have some allergy or something. Most people don't, but I don't know your full story and your doc does.
I know it's difficult to do, but relax. Get as relaxed as possible and let your surgical team know you're scared so they can have some valium or something waiting for you before you go in for surgery. I got so scared that the valium wasn't enough and they had to dose me with versed (versaid? Can't...uhhh...remeber ;p) quite some time before they wheeled me in. I kept squeezing my wifes hand and repeating over and over "I didn't quit, I made it this far, I didn't quit"
I'll tell you all a little secret: I quit alot of things in my life. Some were "good" quits, but mostly they were "I'm tired of this, I quit" type of "bad" quits.
If I didn't quit, then dammit you can't quit either. Hang tough and you'll see the world on the flip side.
