Hi friends! Just checking in again 😁
I am now 4 months post colostomy reversal and my God healed me up real well. I don't have any constant pain, but I still do get that stabbing pain in my rectum. That pain now only comes when I am in a sitting position and have to pass gas. For example, when I'm on the freeway in my car, I pass gas and I get that stabbing pain after passing gas and then it goes away. It's not excrucialing, but it does hurt. Sometimes when I have to poop, I have some lower abdominal pain and pressure that goes away when I empty my bowels. I still have some soreness at the stoma site, some days more than others. Sometimes, I get pain on the lower left side of my abdomen, deep in my body. I have come to the conclusion that it's probably where they reconnected what's left of the colon to the rectum and I think it depends on how I sleep and what muscles get pulled while I'm asleep. I try to sleep with a pillow between my legs, but it's not comfortable for me. My pooping habits are normal now, but I do feel that when passing gas, I have to push harder to get it out and have also noticed that while the consistency of my poop is normal, I spend more time trying to empty my bowels than I used to pre-ostomy. I see the GI next month and will definitely be asking about that. Lastly, if I sit too long, my butt bone aches… maybe from the significant weight loss and don't have the cushion I used to LOL. I can sit with my legs crossed now, but after a few minutes, it becomes uncomfortable for me on my inside. It feels like the muscles on the stoma side are pulling, so I don't sit like that for long periods. I walk 4-6 miles daily (broken up, not all at the same time), it's a brisk walk with the abdominal binder on and no pain or tiredness. I feel like I could start jogging, but since I still experience soreness at times, I have opted to wait before running and bouncing my insides around. I feel my physical body has healed well, but I'm still very, very scared to lift anything heavy for fear of developing a hernia again. I have a big, big dog and have finally started to take her hiking with me, but hiking is easy and slow. I am not doing any strenuous exercises since I am still experiencing some soreness. I still have not returned to my normal diet for fear of blockage. This continues to be a huge hurdle for me. I am still dealing with the mental trauma of all of this and, I think I've mentioned it before, but the constant, daily mental anguish, fear and anxiety, was (and continues to be) the absolute worst part for me, by far worse than the physical pain. Therapy is helping some, but I still am so scared of food that I have not gained any of the weight back that I lost. I cannot eat comfortably and without worry or fear. Physically I am doing well, I am continuing to heal and mentally, well… I have lots of work to do there.
Welp, like Porky Pig says, "That's all folks!" 😁 I hope all of you are doing well, enjoying the sun and practicing self-care. Rest, relax and take care everyone! Until next time, be well!
