Skip to main content

Reply to "Notes on the recovery process (like walking after waking up from surgery)"

Hello, BBE. For my first surgery I had an epidural put in my back, inserted alongside my spine. It did not hurt when they inserted it because they gave me a relaxant a few minutes ahead of time so I would not feel the epidural going in, and so that I would be relaxed and not tense. I hate needles and told them in advance. I already had my IV in my arm so they administered the relaxer that way. But before the relaxer, they had me sit on the edge of my bed and lean over a podium type of structure that they put in front of me. This was to expose my entire back and spine to give them easy access, rather than lying on my side in bed. They gave me the drowsy drug (probably Ativan) and that's all I remember. They inserted the epidural while I was drowsy and I did not feel a thing. A few minutes later I was lying down and being wheeled into the operating room and was fully awake until they put me fully under. The needle stayed taped to my back for three days (I did not feel it at all, even when I was lying on my back). They removed it at day three and left me with the morphine pump for the rest of my stay.

Other things to know: When you wake up, you probably won't feel any pain. You'll be very drowsy, your mouth will be parched and your throat may be sore from the tube they put in your airway during the surgery. They will give you ice chips or a special sponge to wet your lips. On the second or third day when the morphine starts to be withdrawn, you will feel some level of pain in the incision. As others have said already, when you need to sneeze or cough, you must brace your abdomen with a hard pillow, or even a book or magazine, and press FIRMLY AGAINST your stomach when you sneeze, cough. I kept a magazine close by for bracing. I didn't find a soft pillow any use at all for bracing. It's got to be something hard enough to press onto your stomach. If you don't brace and a cough or sneeze escapes you, be prepared your abdomen and incision area will hurt. A lot. No way to get around that or sugar coat it. So remember to brace.

Bring your own water bottle and drink as much as humanly possible. Walk every hour if humanly possible. On my third day my bowels woke up and gas started to move through my insides. There is no pain suppressant for gas pains. Just know that it will hurt, and it will pass. Ask for warm drinks to help the gas pain. This will soothe you through the gas pain. You just have to bear it and then the gas pain will be gone. 

Bring slippers. Never set foot on a hospital floor in your bare feet. Enough said.

As soon as you are allowed, take a hot shower if facilities are available in hospital. A sponge bath does not feel the same. You will be messy from surgery, and after a few days of sponge bath and a catheter you will beg for a hot shower. My first hot shower and shampoo in hospital felt like a million dollars. Felt human again, despite being hooked up with morphine, the little drain pouch, and I don't know what else. Just remember each day gets better, each day another tube or drain is removed until you are free of machines and lines, you are eating food, and then you are going home!

Good luck.

Copyright © 2019 The J-Pouch Group. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×