Hello, all. After 4 years of battling Ulcerative Colitis, and becoming steroid dependent, I had my first ileostomy step on Thursday the 12th. The surgery was a success, and the doctor said he removed "...about 6 lbs of diseased colon." This was done at the Cleveland Clinic which is about 30 minutes from me.
My main concern now is my stomach seems quite a bit distended and bloated. The doctors/nurses said that could last from 2-3 weeks so I'm not too concerned, as the stomach itself is soft to the touch and the stoma is working properly. I do hear a lot of gas coming from it, though.
That said, I'm assuming I can ascertain this is pretty normal, especially when it hasn't even been a week yet since I had my surgery? I was just surprised to see I had gained around 5-7 lbs and couldn't even fit in my jeans post-op. Plus, there's an obvious "bloat" when I look at my stomach from the side.
Thanks for any advice you're able to give me.
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