Recovery Tips After Ileostomy and Proctectomy Surgery

Good afternoon. I had an ileostomy 5 weeks ago and had everything removed below my small intestine. They also removed the rectum/anus, etc. Not sure of the medical term—proctectomy? Or something like that.

It seems like it is taking a long time to heal as getting up and sitting down are sore. Getting into a vehicle is still hard. Not sure if I am being too careful. Just don't want to hurt anything down there.

I rinse it off in the shower morning and night and dry it off really well with a hair dryer. I go for 2 or 3 walks a day of about 1 km each.

The doctor checked it out last Friday; all seemed okay.

I don't feel I can go back to work the way it is yet.

What were your guys' recovery times? Or is mine just taking an extra long time?

What can I do to speed things along? Are there any prescription meds that might help heal? An Epsom bath maybe? The surgeon didn't seem to like it, but said 5 minutes would be okay.

Thanks

I would not bathe until it is all healed. The surgeon removed the stitches but missed one; went to the regular doctor and she took it out. Cannot remember how long it took to heal.

You're lucky. Many times the area opens up and leaks. Then it's hell to get it healed. Be careful. This surgical procedure takes a long time to fully heal.

5 weeks is nothing for that area to heal. I was told by my surgeon that it can literally take 1-2 years to truly heal. You probably shouldn't even be sitting normally on it yet. Push it too hard and too fast and you'll be prolonging your healing time. Pain, soreness, etc., means something isn't right or isn't healed fully yet. Go slow and let it heal.

Thanks for the input. Getting an ileostomy, there is a lot of info about stoma's, ostomy bags, wafers, and how to live with it all.

Virtually nothing on how to deal with the wound of having your buttocks removed. Nothing that says "Don't take baths." Or what kind of ointments may help, or just run water over it. Or even what to watch for.

One thing that helps out immensely is a wafer pillow. If you need to sit on a chair or put it in the car. It's the best.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

You are 100% right; they give us almost no information. I ended up getting help on Reddit, but everyone has different experiences with this surgery. Mine started off well, but now, almost 30 days in, it's gone to hell.

It took many months for mine to even close up fully. I lived in an upstairs apartment and couldn't use the stairs for quite a while.

The surgeon recommended using a sitz bath with Epsom salt several times a day, but it needed an elevated potty chair to be usable. You do NOT want to squat down as that tends to pull the wound apart. Even getting in a car puts a great deal of strain on the area.

Patience is difficult—try to remember that this crap can save your life!

After my surgery, I was in the hospital for two weeks, sponge baths then.

Doc cleared me to shower when I got home. No issues. Just be *gentle* down there and get all the soap out. Pat it dry gently. I would take a couple of paper towels, fold them up a time or two, and stick them down under and gently squeeze legs/cheeks together. Dried it nicely and quickly. Again, be gentle.

Your walking sounds great - in line with what I did and doc encouraged it.

Doc did *not* want me sitting for any length of time for the first 6 weeks. Mostly spent time in a recliner chair with an inflatable cushion thing the hospital gave me.

I was on leave for ~12 weeks and glad for it.

My doc told me to use heavy-duty lotion down under after showering as well because it was getting dried out, likely due to the radiation treatments I had.

Which wafer cushion did you get? I am just avoiding sitting altogether until my next doctor's appointment. I'm just going to lay on my side in the back seat.

I had one kind of like this…

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This is the one I got. Especially good in cars and on hard chairs. Sofas and recliners, I wouldn't use it. Filled it to about half full of air. If you sit down slowly on one butt cheek, it works well.

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I have to get one; I saw a gel-type one.

I've found reclining the passenger seat back all the way, but I can still see traffic out the front window. I basically bridge with my body weight applied to mid-back and to the back of my thighs. No weight on buttocks. My drive to the doctor's is under 30 minutes. Good luck.