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38 replies

Got my date for surgery

skn69skn69Member
Saw my French surgeon today and he agreed with me that the pouch had to be tacked down to stop it from rolling and twisting (which has caused a number of occlusions both minor and major).
He is planning on going in using a laporoscopy (round ended not pointy to avoid any risk of perforation) then he will try to take down any adhesions that may have grown since the last surgery and check for hernias.
While he was in there last time during the gallbladder surgery he saw the exact site where the pouch had been attached before (apparently the 2 sutures were still hanging there) as well as the markings on the pouch so he knows where to suture it...but we have decided that suturing it that high will put the pouch under too much tension so he will attach it lower down on the abdominal wall,so that it is only slightly higher, enough to stabilize the pouch without having it hanging in the air, so to speak.
He is hoping to be in and out in under an hour if all goes well and keep me only 2 nights. I am hoping
to be back on my feet in under 10 days, in time for Xmas.
His concern is that he may find the pouch glued in with adhesions or so twisted that he cannot do the surgery as planned and have to open me up...it is a risk but the danger of these constant adhesions is worse...
Keeping my fingers crossed.
I am planning on working up until the day of surgery, literally...I will work til 11:30 and leave for the hospital from there...surgery is at 3pm! (it is only a few blocks away).
Surgery is in 2 weeks...
Sharon
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skn69skn69Member
He's a really good person...and a great surgeon. We sat there talking and drawing pictures of what we think are the possible solutions to the problem and he explained the difficulty in tacking down the intestine to the wall...I didn't realize that the 3 layers put together only add up to 1mm...so he was showing me how to stitch and if he should or shouldn't double it to get better hold...I love surgeons who explain all of the details!
We spoke about the k pouch around the world, the evolution of the J pouch and if there would ever be an alternative.
He reassured me that he isn't planning on retiring yet but he is 70 so I am not planning on holding my breath for too long...this surgery must get done. I have very strict time limits due to work and school so it was the 15th or next summer...way too late. Now, at least I get to rest for 3 weeks before going back to work.
By the way, he actually agreed with the way that I am eating...tiny meals (about 2-3ozs.) 5xs/day just enough to keep me nourished without making the pouch too full or heavy.
Keeping my fingers crossed!
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
STRESS!
Ok...yes, I am an old hat at this, yes, I know all of the protocols inside out and sideways...and yes, I will probably be in the same room on the same floor...but...I am playing a dangerous game here.
This is my pouch and any surgery can have complications (don't I know it!)...so I am terrified that it will puncture my pouch (that is why he is using a rounded tip instead of a sharp, pointy one)...but like like he said, one knows nothing until they get inside. If the pouch has been sitting low in a twisted position it may have glued itself to some organs or something...scared that he can't do this and scared that ends up removing my pouch!
I have 2 weeks of hysteria here to finish up my classes, write exams, do my Xmas shopping, and give out the gifts (I gift all of my assistants and secretaries...they are the life's blood of all of the schools and are soooo sweet to me!) before I am glued to bedrest for the next month.
So happy that I did not plan anything this year for the family.
I feel the stress rising and my deadlines looming...I am working the morning of surgery so that I don't miss any classes!
Off to work...by the way, Lyrica works pretty well...the pain is less and I am soooo calm compared to my usual hyper mode.
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
Thanks all,
7 days and counting! Running out of time to do everything that I have to do...started stock piling yoghurts, soups etc for the following weeks...no solids for a while...even with laporoscopy ileus looms and the doctors, surgeons, Emergency room doctors are all On Strike as of the 20th!!!! I have been informed that if I have a problem that I am going to be S-it out of luck! The medical system in France will be on skeleton crew until the new year...crap.
Took a peek at the films from 2008, 2010 and 2012 and saw how far down the pouch has fallen over these last years...Even hubby is insisting that I need it done Now.
So, Hi-ho-hi-ho its off to O.R. I go...
Yes, the Lyrica does help, but is not a miracle drug...it just takes the edge off of the pain...Am hoping that post op I will no longer need it. (if this works)
Sharon
EricEricMember
Sweetheart!? Another surgery? Are you trying to be me? I'm sorry, but I haven't been on this site for a while, had my new K pouch done on October 7th (I got sick of the constant infections with my ileostomy). Have you had your surgery yet? I'm on pins and needles here, please, let us all know how you're doing, or send me an email, and by the way, Dr C says hi back! Love you, sending healing vibes your way, always xo
skn69skn69Member
Not yet Hon,
Made a deal with the Anesthesiologist...he is going put me out before he puts the I.V. in...I cannot go through another 25 needles in my arm while they dig for gold in my veins...he remembered me from the last time...I walk in and he said, 'you're the one who has no veins!'.
Nice reputation I have here.
Dr Broutin is planning on taking down any adhesions, check for hernias and put the pouch back up (if he can).
I have a morning's work left in one school then hubby picks me up, drives me over to the clinic and 2hrs later I am in O.R. Starting to shake and shiver from the fear already.
I just hope that he will not hurt the pouch more than help it...you know us, never a dull moment.
Hugs and hopes that we get to have a very boring 2015.
Be healthy and have a happy pouch
Sharon
EricEricMember
Isn't funny that no matter how many surgeries we have, we still get nervous? I don't care what others say, I've never got use to be sliced open like a Christmas ham! But know that you're not going through it alone, I'm with you in spirit the entire way, only wish I could be there in person, I miss you! As for the veins, tell me about it, after my last surgery they all collapsed. I literally had two nurses and one lab tech, each with a needle, each grabbing a differnt part of my arms, all stabbing me at once, and...not one of them could get a vein! I was NOT a happy camper, it was torture. In the end, as in the past, my foot was the only place they could get a vein, hurts like hell! I'll say this much for us, they make us super tough, like it or not! I know you'll get through this, I'm sending every positive vibe I have! Keep us posted sweetheart xoxo
skn69skn69Member
Thanks for the support Eric,
I appreciate it...especially since you (and our friends here) are the only ones who can understand the meaning of repeat surgeries.
You can understand the fear and terror of 'just one more' and then it will finally be over...just one last surgery and I will finally be healed...we are such darn optimists!
We believe in hope...not an easy thing to believe in after everything that we have been through...maybe that is what the fear is all about...fear of losing hope.
Let's keep our fingers crossed!
Sharon
TE MarieTE MarieMember
I hope all goes as planned Sharon. I hope your plan with the anesthesiologist works like a dream that you don't remember. Please post as soon as you can. There are a lot of us here that will be thinking about you and wishing and/or praying you wake up to fantastic results. We want you to receive the surgery to end all future k-pouch ones that will last forever! Smiler Big Grin Cool
skn69skn69Member
Just got home from the hospital...wow! 48hrs! This has got to be a ground speed record.
Laporoscopic surgery, 3 sites.
The pouch was fully off of the wall and hanging by the stoma/valve. It was sitting low in the pelvise crushing the other organs. I was also stabbing myself with the tube every time that I intubated. There is a huge white spot on the hit site (Dr B says that in a while I would have either pushed right through or caused a wound or ulcer in the pouch).
He picked up the pouch and reattached it with 2 rows of non-desolving sutures that he hopes will hold.
On the left side I had a loop of bowel that was adhesed and emprisioned in adhesions. He released it and removed the adhesions from around it. The pictures look really cool!
I also had an umbilical hernia that needed fixing.
All in all he felt that it went very well. Sugery lasted 3.5hrs (I expect only 1) and it took only 4 tries to get the I.V. going!
No post op nausea, no vomitting, no sickness.
Yeah for my team!
Even the nurses were wonderful!
sharon
TE MarieTE MarieMember
You are soooo right. Stay down except for bathroom trips, brushing teeth, bathing and emptying your pouch. Don't spoil the joy he feels by helping you. Our loved ones don't always understand everything we are going through but they want to do something to help. (You might need to clean out the refrigerator and put the Tupperware and dishes back into place when you are feeling better.) Smiler
skn69skn69Member
How are you doing Dixie?
Nice to see you back.
I am trying very hard not to overdo it here but honestly when they do 'closed' surgery you feel like a fraud sitting on the sofa and being served. I know that the damage/work done to my insides is real and so is the swelling and pain but 4 iddy-biddy steristrips make me feel like a fake! I feel like a need a note from my surgeon giving me permission to say flat on my back and not vaccume!
Sharon
BillVBillVMember
Sharon, congratulations on your successful surgery. Those 4 small openings certainly are misleading in regards what your surgeon did inside. You need to take it VERY easy to allow full healing to occur and not have to get more surgery. Vacuuming, lifting, etc. are out for a while, probably for 2-3 months (that’s what your hubby is for!). Also, take it real easy when you go back to work.
Bill
skn69skn69Member
Well, the good news is that I hurt so much that I couldn't hold the dust mop if I wanted to...the bad news is anything going in hurts!
I feel like I am burping building blocks...they hit all of the sore edges going up...and going down.
Any and all gas feels like kicks in the guts...and I know that this is all normal...just venting...soup aches!
But the back pain is almost gone (or is that the tramadol?)...at least the organs don't feel crushed any longer...
Sleepless too...I have to get up every 2hrs to empty the pouch so that it doesn't fill up or it will get heavy and pull on the sutures...the doc doesn't want me on strait drain because that comes with its own lot of complications so I am doing it myself.
Its almost 2am and I am waiting for the next empty before hitting the bed...ate some chicken tonight...lets see what that does to me!!!
Sharon

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