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Please help with info, feeling nervous

Hi there I am having an illeocecal resection for my crohns In a few weeks. They are Removing a small part of my colon, my cecum, my terminal ileum and 1 1/2-2 feet of my ileum. I do not know what to expect after surgery. Is it really painful immediately after surgery? Will I have an NG tube? Are you bed bound for the first couple days or can you get up and walk? When can you have normal food again ? And is it a pretty bad scar? Sorry to ask so many questions but I'm just a little nervous and forgot to ask many of these questions at my consult appt. thanks everyone. Hoping to feel better after surgery, hopefully no more constant pain, constant diarrhea and bleeding.
 
Hi. I had a resection six years ago. They took about six centimeters from my stomach. They tried to get me up and moving the following day but for me it was too painful. I got up and started moving the next day. I walked at least twice a day. It is important to walk as much as possible. I think I had a NG tube. For a while, it seems, I got food like popsicles. I can't remember how long it was before I could have ordinary food. I remember shortly after getting home I asked for seconds. That was a little too much for my body so take it easy at first. For a while, there will be a weight limit of how much you can lift. I hope the best for you. Keep us updated.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Hi hredner and welcome.

There is a thread that outlines varying members experiences with surgery. There are quite a few that have posted about the same surgery you will soon be having, it is also goes under the name of a right hemicolectomy.

Good luck and I hope all goes well for you. If you have any questions that you don’t feel have been adequately covered please don’t hesitate to ask for further information.

This is the link to the thread:

Your Surgery Story
 
Thank you! I read a lot of posts. I was hoping to be back to to work about 10 days after my surgery, but not sure that will happen after reading these posts.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
The time back to work factor will be very much dependent on two things aside from your general recovery:

1. Open surgery (longer recovery time) versus laparoscopic and

2. What type of job you have, indoor versus outdoor and how physical it is.
 
I just had an ileocecectomy in July. It was hand assisted laparoscopic, but they ended up just using the hand hole to do everything, so I have about a 3 in scar at my belly button. I was up and walking the day after surgery. I had a catheter that was removed the morning of the day after surgery. I did not have an NG tube. I got started on a clear liquids diet and moved to a soft diet within a couple days. I had surgery on a Wednesday, went home that Saturday, and was back to work 2.5 weeks after surgery. I could have gone back a week earlier, but I wasn't cleared to drive yet. I cut grass with my self propel mower a week after getting home. The pain from the surgery was never horrible. The gas pain was the worst. Getting up and walking will help relieve the gas pain.
 
2 years ago for me amazingly.

None of it was bad really. I was able to get out of bed more or less unaided the day after, though having a catheter for the first 24 hours meant I couldn't move far. But by the next day I was able to walk up and down the hall, which is a good thing to do. No NG tube, and I had PCA for the first 24 hours, then just oral pain killers for about a week but then found I didn't need them much.

I threw up a couple of times which wasn't good, but managed to eat on the 4th day which made me feel a lot better, and then went home on the 5th.

They told me not to drive for a month, and not to work or lift anything heavy for 6 weeks, but actually I went back to work (by car) after about 2 1/2 weeks because I felt fine. But although the pain had mostly gone away I'd still get the odd stab when moving around so it really depends on what you're doing. I wouldn't have wanted to do anything physical.

Hope it goes well.
 
I'm a nurse but don't really have to do any lifting. Glad to see some of you healed pretty fast. I think they are going to try laporoscopically, so hoping I can be back to work in 10-14 days. Thanks for all the input, I've been so scared about the post op pain and healing to come. Hoping there's no complications. Thanks everyone.
 
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