Recovery Time for Sitting After Ileostomy Surgery?

I am going into the hospital next week to have my ileostomy made permanent and to get a Barbie butt. I was wondering how long before people felt comfortable sitting for long lengths of time. I really love going to the cinema but worry sitting would be painful.

Hello, take good care of yourself and don't push your healing. Shortly after being discharged from the hospital, I explained to my daughter that sitting around too much was not good for me. I say that to say that you will most likely need something really comfy to sit on. It takes time for your butt to heal. I am at least five months after surgery and still feel the healing in my butt. I was told that it will be a while. I find that when I get home from work, I run to the couch to lay down or my bed. Patience, compassion, and tolerance, I think, is the recipe for healing. You will find your way with the support of this site and others. Best of luck.

Most shows are not over 2 hours, so you should be able to handle it before you know it. I used a donut or pillow only for a short while. After surgery, I was using a thick pad for a bandage and it hurt. It was putting pressure on my incision. I switched to a thinner pad and it was a big improvement.

Good morning,

I had the same surgery in March and I can still feel discomfort in my bottom to this day, but it usually comes when I have to wait too long to pee and have to squeeze muscles to hold it in. At first, I had 3 lumps in that area after surgery and I won't lie, it was painful. I washed the area gently using my hand and antibacterial soap. When I went for a post-op visit and complained about how painful it was, the surgeon told me to take a soft gauze pad and fold it in half and put it over the area. This worked very well, but you go through a lot of gauze pads as it needs to be changed every time you use the restroom. Keeping the area as clean as possible is key. It took about 3-4 months for the lumps to go away. One by one, they just shrank. It is a tough surgery, so be patient and don't push yourself too hard. I sat on my hip a lot or laid on my side for quite some time. This was my experience, but yours may be a bit different, so I hope this helps in some way. Good luck to you and best wishes.

Darlene

Hi, after my surgery, I used a donut for a while until it healed. I think everyone is different in the way their body heals, so you need to be patient, and in the end, it will be as normal as it was. Steve

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I agree with everyone. We each heal in our own time and have to do what works for each of us. I remember it being sometime before I could sit comfortably and often sat on the side more so than upright. Try not to worry too much, in time you will be okay.

Maybe in the meantime you can read the book instead of watching the movie, the book is usually better anyway. It doesn't take too long before movies come to DVD these days anyway. You'll be back in the cinema before you know it!

Sitting, for me, was a painful experience for about a year after surgery. (I think I'm a slow healer), but one thing that really helped was an inflated cushion they gave me in the hospital. About the time the air had found its way out was about the same time I didn't need it anymore. I carried that thing around for months. I can sit for a four-hour car ride now :)

PS. The cushion they gave me was square and had no hole in the middle or anything.