• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Surgery DONE!

So after my 6th ER trip this summer, the doctors finally got sick of me and decided to get me some surgery! I was admitted to hospital on July 26th and had my surgery August 1st. They took out the terminal ileum as well as a small chunk of colon and my appendix since they were already in the area. I got to come home yesterday, and now I have some burning questions.

1) The actual incision seems to be healing well, but the area of muscle just beneath the incision and maybe a bit to my left is still giving me an excruciating amount of pain. When I'm not moving there's not much pain, but when I try to get up, sit down, lay down, basically do anything, it hurts so bad that I literally can't breathe and start to whimper like a wounded dog. Is this normal? How long will this last? It's been a week since surgery and it doesn't seem to be getting much better.

2) How long until the gas in my gut starts to settle down? Today I noticed that I can sort of lay on my side a bit, but prior to that every time I tried to lay anywhere but on my back there was so much gas that I felt someone was blowing up a hot air balloon in my belly. Then popping it. Then blowing up another one. =\

I have some good hospital stories that I'll post later but right now I'm not really feeling up to it. I can't believe that as few as two weeks ago I had no idea I'd be having surgery, and now here I am sitting in bed with those parts of my anatomy in a jar in a lab somewhere (still waiting for the pathology).

Does anyone have any surgery recovery tips or good stories? I'd love to hear 'em.
 
hiya Brizz, so that's where you've been!

glad to hear they finally did something to help, and that you've come through it all ok.

i fully remember the initial pains following surgery, and some of those pains seem weird in their location and presentation... i wouldn't worry too much, just keep an eye on your temperature and let your doc know if it starts to rise, or if the pain gets worse..

the gas can really, really hurt! and it's amazing how long it can lurk in our systems... but it will disperse in time.

surgery recovery tips... well, a good nutritious diet for starters. if you can't manage a decent diet just now, maybe think about nutrition drinks like Ensure until you're eating varied foods again. plenty of rest and sleep.. listen to your body. little bits of exercise like walking around the house, or the garden. and don't be a martyr to the pain - if it hurts, take something. the pain can get you down after a while if it's stubborn, and now that you're home, you don't really want to bedbound because of postop pain.

basically, just be gentle on yourself - your body has been through a lot, and it is going to hurt, and you are going to feel crappy for a little while, so just look after yourself and hopefully the pain will lessen each day from now on.
 

Entchen

Chief Dandelion Picker
Bryce, hope that you improve each day and that you get some times with relief from the pain. Take care!
 
Heya there, yeah I got very winded when I moved even a little however my pain was quite under control, what pain meds are you on atm?? Like Ding said listen to you body, if you're tired just go sleep. I didn't want to feel any kind of pain so for atleast a week after being sent home I kept myself on pain med regime that I was on at hospital and then started weaning off.
Take care :)
 
So after my 6th ER trip this summer, the doctors finally got sick of me and decided to get me some surgery! I was admitted to hospital on July 26th and had my surgery August 1st. They took out the terminal ileum as well as a small chunk of colon and my appendix since they were already in the area. I got to come home yesterday, and now I have some burning questions.

1) The actual incision seems to be healing well, but the area of muscle just beneath the incision and maybe a bit to my left is still giving me an excruciating amount of pain. When I'm not moving there's not much pain, but when I try to get up, sit down, lay down, basically do anything, it hurts so bad that I literally can't breathe and start to whimper like a wounded dog. Is this normal? How long will this last? It's been a week since surgery and it doesn't seem to be getting much better.

2) How long until the gas in my gut starts to settle down? Today I noticed that I can sort of lay on my side a bit, but prior to that every time I tried to lay anywhere but on my back there was so much gas that I felt someone was blowing up a hot air balloon in my belly. Then popping it. Then blowing up another one. =\

I have some good hospital stories that I'll post later but right now I'm not really feeling up to it. I can't believe that as few as two weeks ago I had no idea I'd be having surgery, and now here I am sitting in bed with those parts of my anatomy in a jar in a lab somewhere (still waiting for the pathology).

Does anyone have any surgery recovery tips or good stories? I'd love to hear 'em.
Brizzyce do you have D with you gas pain,if you do there is good chance you have C-Diff fairly common after surgery they blast us with so much antibiotics it kills all the good bactieria in are gut and this bad one gets in there,a stool sample ID"S it,and its a simple cure if you test positive. I just had my surgery July 29 open surgery and haven't had the pain you have,my abs are surely weak i need use my arms to support my self getting in and out of chairs,but i see improvement everyday, im glad you incision looks good but the real healing is below it,it might be time to call the surgeon,it seems to me you shoudn't have this much discomfort this long after surgery.
 

Astra

Moderator
Hi Brizz

hope you're ok?
I haven't had IBD surgery, but I had a hysterectomy, same difference!
remember what's behind your skin, layers of deep muscle, they have to cut thro them to get inside, it's a thick wall, your six pack! and you might also have a rogue stitch in there that's kinked, this happened to me, they fixed it with lap surgery.
It's these muscles that hurt, and the best tip I can give you is, keep moving! this is so they don't tighten and seize up, it hurts like buggery, but you've got to do it.
when they do abdo surgery they blow air inside to move other organs away, and the after effects hurt like buggery too! tons of wind and gas! they call it shoulder tip pain, like its up there in your neck!
I took Windeeze, and sipping boiled, cooled warm water helps to burp and fart, sip it, don't drink it. this is what we do for babies too!
keep an eye on your temp and rest, abdo surgery is major, and will take time to heal.
good luck
xxxx
 

Dexky

To save time...Ask Dusty!
Location
Kentucky
Hey Brizz, what advice did you get from the hospital? Did you call them to ask if the level of pain is normal? I think they usually say what Joan said, "keep moving". I know it's probably hard when you feel like you may rip something back open but I'm pretty sure that's what the docs would say as well. Whatever you do, I'd say do it slowly for a while.
 
Thanks for all the advice and support guys. Today was an interesting day actually - the pain below my incision got so bad that I wanted to go to the ER but the pain was too crippling to even do that on my own so the ambulance swung by to pick me up. The doctor told me that the pain is definitely not normal and is probably the result of some sort of nerve damage caused by the lower staples which had been giving me some trouble. They took out the staples and since then I've noticed a HUGE difference in the amount of pain I've been experiencing, but it's still pretty bad so I'm hoping by tomorrow it's gone down enough that I can get up and walk around a bit.

It feels good to have that little issue (hopefully) figured out so now I can actually start to heal haha. It's also awesome to have a resource like this where I can talk to people who've gone through the same thing, since God knows it takes forever to get a doctor to talk to you.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Hey Bryce,

I hope the pain is continuing to resolve. Please keep us posted on how the recovery is going.

Take care, :)
Dusty
 

Astra

Moderator
Hiya Briz

glad you're getting some relief! Those staples really hurt, especially if one is too tight or pinching on a nerve!
speedy recovery!
xxx
 
Top