It's been 4 days since I left the hospital after colostomy reversal. In Ice Cube's words, “Today was a good day.” I thank God for today! I almost, almost gave in to oxy. I cut it in half and was ready to take it at 2 am because I was in pain. I decided to sleep off the pain and if I needed it when I woke up, I would take it. Negative! I put it back in the container and have not used anything for pain since 8 pm yesterday. However, I am taking a 500 mg Extra Strength Tylenol before I go to bed so I can get some sleep. Air is still present in my abdomen. I'm still passing gas but not like yesterday; I think it's finally dwindling down. I can't feel it traveling through my belly like a flipped-over Coke bottle, and the noises from my belly are not as strong or as painful. I did have a BM this morning that was not as watery as the other days, so I think normal is coming soon, still a bit bloody though. Sorry if that's too graphic for those who are sensitive. I do still have pain, though, but that too is dwindling down. I have some pain in my abdomen when sitting up from a lying position. I have some pain in the rectum area, and the outside of the stitches sting a bit at the stoma site as well as the 3-inch incision by where my belly button used to be. Although, when I wear the binder, the abdominal pain level drops way down. I ate more today than any other day this week and am still on a low-fiber diet. I felt good all day. I didn't wear the adult diaper, so I was heading to the bathroom a bit more than yesterday, but again, not like I had a stomach bug or anything, mostly to pass gas because I didn't want to have an “accident.” My discharge instructions say not to sit on the toilet more than 2-3 minutes at a time, so because of that, I just keep going instead of sitting there. I do experience shoulder pain every now and then, but the pain comes and goes and is not strong enough for me to take more pills to alleviate that. My doc said it was post-op nerve pain and gave me more pills which, like the oxy, I refuse to take. I can't sleep fully on my sides yet… maybe 3/4 on my right side and 1/4 on my left side (stoma side) because it is somewhat painful. Attempting to sleep/lay on my sides does move the air around, so I do it a bit so the air can move and eventually exit my body. I'm getting close to my one-week mark, yay!! Keep y'all posted! Have a good night!
Hello MoeMoe.
Thank you for such a detailed and graphic account as it makes for a good read that I can envisage without too much extra effort on my part.
There won't be many on this site who won't be appreciative of people sharing as much detail as they like, knowing that expressing themselves in this way may be helping them to cope with those things that 'normal' people wouldn't have a clue about.
Best wishes
Bill
3 Steps Every Ostomate Should Take
1. Join MeetAnOstoMate.org to connect with others who truly understand.
2. Register on manufacturer websites for free samples and product news.
3. Sign up with your local or national ostomy association for expert support.
Thanks, Bill! You know, now that you mention it, in a sort of odd and unexpected way, it does make me feel better. I never thought about it like that, but yeah, for sure it's a coping thing for me too, I think 😊
For more tips and resources, check out our Ostomy Learning Center.
Good to hear you're slowly getting better.
All the details you provide are meaningful to your fellow ostomates. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Take care
My Ostomy Journey: Kimberly | Hollister
G'day MoeMoe, it won't be long before you're entering the hurdle races and long jump. I'm so happy it's all well apart from the pain, but that's to be expected after what you have had done. Don't forget to put all this into a journal that you could give out to people heading for the same operation. Good on you, MoeMoe. Regards, IGGIE xx