1 Week Post-Op - Pain, Tears, and Recovery Tips Needed

Hi everyone! I'm sitting on the toilet here, crying and in misery. I've had my ileostomy for 3.5 years, and tomorrow will be 1 week post-reversal surgery. I am having pain so bad, and my cheeks are getting destroyed using toilet paper, so I've started using Dude Wipes. Also, I am using A & D ointment to help protect my skin. I'm having pain with digesting food just as I had at the hospital, but it isn't worse, which is good. I've talked to my surgeon, and I am not in danger at this time, so no emergency room visit is needed, just some more lucky sh*t I have to deal with.

I've been hearing 3.5 years is a long time for a reversal. So my questions are:

Has anyone had an ileostomy for that long and experienced such pain on the cheeks from pooping that you can't stop crying? It's not causing a fever or anything other than pain. I feel like that area is so sensitive from the lack of use, and I just need to get through it.

What helped you and your butt get through the first weeks of recovery?

Thanks, all! I know it will get better, just takes time, and I am being patient.

Get the flushable Walmart wipes, way cheaper than Dude Wipes.

Had no idea Walmart even had those! We happened to have Dude Wipes on hand, so I will definitely get them in the future!

Thanks so much!

You're welcome. Just make sure you use flushable wipes if you're putting them (any brand) in the toilet. The Walmart ones are plant-based.

Please get a bidet; you can get a cheap one that has a hose. Please, it helps. I am a little over a month out, and that thing is a blessing.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Oh, that is a great idea! Thank you so much! How are you feeling? Are you eating and digesting without issue? If you would like to DM, please do!

Hi Skeezal - I had an ileostomy 6 years ago, then a reversal 6 months later. I have no colon, so I poop a lot and sometimes I get a burning rash from so much wiping. I've found that Cortizone cream works best for relief. Hope this helps.

I swear on my life this is the best cream ever invented! Wipes and diaper cream are great, but this cream has a cooling feeling and it makes wiping 100 times less painful!

🔒 Login to see image

Thanks so much! By any chance, are you wearing roller derby gear in your pic? Never mind. I clicked on it and I see now! Lol, oops!

I am doing well. I have to use the barrier cream every time I go to the bathroom, and I use very soft toilet paper from Aldi. Without those two things, I don't know what I would do. The attachment bidet would be a mess, but I am doing well. I keep a low fiber diet. I will add some more stuff soon. A lot hasn't been easy in my personal life. I haven't been posting a lot here because of that, but I plan to update my original post. In the first two weeks, I wanted to die from the bile burn; it was awful. But I went through it. The anti-diarrhea pills are a must.

I hope your rough time gets easier for you. ♡ No one should have to deal with this stuff at all. I too have been having a rough time lately and I wish I posted more, but I have been miserable and just don't get to. I had Lyme disease in June and it was excruciating pain for several weeks. Now I'm dealing with this pain from the bum burn. 😫

I got the bidet and holy moly, what a difference though!! Why don't doctors suggest that!! I never knew they existed and I've dealt with perianal Crohn's disease and anal fistulas forever and not one doctor has suggested a bidet. I feel like they are much better than toilet paper. Soft toilet paper always leaves a residue behind which irritates the area, so I've been forced to stick with the sandpaper equivalent of toilet paper.