I went into the hospital on 10/10 for three pre-surgery tests. The doctors and nurses at the hospital have been with me from the beginning, and through the worst of my days, and they were all so happy to see me, as well as excited for me to finally be at the point of reversing the ileostomy. I was admitted to the hospital after all of the tests were completed, and my husband and I enjoyed a quiet evening watching the Giants beat the Reds. Yes, I live in OH, but am originally from CA.
The morning of surgery my nurse woke me up and gave me a valium right away to help with my anxiety. I changed into my gown, and shortly after was wheeled down to the operating holding area. All of the nurses and staff on the SIU (where my room is/was) were shouting out things like "good luck, Dove", and "see you soon, Dove" as I was headed out. All of these people know what I've been through, and they filled my heart with love knowing they were all rooting for me.
Once down to the holding area I ran into more folks that I've seen on several occasions thanks to this process. For those that don't know, or don't remember, I have a port because of how bad my veins became over the past year due my illness and surgeries. Not having to go through the IV process pre-surgery is wonderful, and it felt like no time at all before I was given my "margaritas" to really relax me. Before I knew it I was in the OR, and the next thing I remember is waking up.
When I woke up I asked one of the nurses if they had been able to just use my stoma site, or if they had to open me up midline. They told me they were able to use the stoma site, and at that I started to cry a little. Basically nothing had gone the way I hoped for over the last 8+ months, so this was a BIG win for me. Plus, Thursday was also the one year anniversary of my 19 year old brother passing away from a brain tumor, and so I was just emotional in general as I felt he was with me in a very special way during surgery.
I wasn't in too much pain....felt more sore than anything. Of course, as anesthesia wore off I began to feel more pain, but nothing that couldn't be controlled with dilaudid. I was able to get to clear liquids fairly quickly that day, and had some cramping as the liquids moved through my system. I tried to walk once, but it made me very nauseous, so I decided to not try to walk again for the night. I had a catheter, and my bowel didn't wake up the first day, so it wasn't necessary for me to walk right away. The first night I woke up once with some cramping/spasms that were pretty uncomfortable, but a shot of dilaudid and valium took care of them pretty quickly and I was back to sleep within 30 minutes.
The second day my catheter was removed, and so I got out of bed more to use the restroom and walk in hopes that my bowel would wake up and I could start using my jpouch. We decided I would stay on clears until I had my first BM. I should mention that I had prepped my bottom liberally with calmoseptine, placed a cotton ball in between my cheeks, and wore an extra long panty liner in case I would leak before I could get to a toilet. I slept a lot of the day, but finally had my first movement in the late afternoon. It was watery, but not painful at all. I had full control, and never had a sense of urgency that I was going to have an accident.
I've developed a routine after using the restroom where I wipe with wet wipes, dry with soft TP, and then liberally apply calmoseptine. I'm not using the cotton ball in between my cheeks anymore because I'm not having any leakage issues at this point. I have yet to deal with any butt burn. My stools are somewhere between watery and soft, but I've had no trouble holding it until I get to the bathroom. I have had some cramping and gas pains, but nothing valium or percocet doesn't help. I anticipate these getting better as my system gets used to having food move through it over time.
Foods I have eaten so far with no trouble are chicken broth, jello, applesauce, mashed potatoes, rice, gluten free waffle with peanut butter, gluten free pretzels, yogurt, breeze drink (by Boost), and almond milk. I had gluten-free mac and cheese (Anne's; the boxed brand) tonight, and I seem to be having more gas. I'll probably hold off on that again for a little while. The gas isn't horrible, but still would rather avoid it if possible. I'm also taking a probiotic.
I never thought I would be doing so well so soon. I feel very, very blessed tonight. I'm at the point where I don't know how to thank every one who has been a helpful resource along the way. I found this group less than two months ago, and at a time where I was really dreading this take-down surgery. Thank you to every one who lifted me up, and have answered the many questions I've had. I imagine I'll have more as time goes on, and I hope to help people here as I am able to. I'm here to say it can go very well. Who knows what , if any, hurdles lie ahead, but for tonight I really couldn't ask for things to be any better this early on.
I'm super sleepy (I forgot how much I sleep post-surgery...for weeks), and I'm trying to keep an eye on the Giants-Cardinals game, so I want to get going for now, but I will be back in touch soon.
Peace to you all tonight!
