Having surgery in 2 weeks!
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hello everyone! I'm 39 years old and have had diverticulitis for 5 years now. Been hospitilized 4 times and twice within last 9 months of each other with bad outbreaks. Not to mention the day to day outbreaks. So ive finally elected to have surgery at U of M Hospital in Michigan on JUNE 10th. Getting my sigmoid colon removed. Just wondering (for the people that had the surgery)how the surgery went? How was the pain? Is your quality of life much better now? Recovery time? What to expect going forward? Thank you everyone in advance!
NATE
0 likes, 21 replies
glenda_82112 nathanlee
Posted
Number 1 thing to remember is that everyone is different. What type of surgery are you having, open or laparoscopic? I had open cut a year ago from May 11th where they had to remove 4" of my sigmoid colon . I also had sepsis so my healing process was slow. I highly recommend a "block " where it numbs a large area of your abdomen, it helped so much with the pain. Walking, drinking lots of water, and just plain listening to your doctor is a huge step in recovery. Even though I was "told " I could eat anything I wanted......NOT TRUE. For 6 weeks after I stayed strictly on a soft diet, you have to give your insides time to heal. Even to this day I limit red meat, salads, tomato sauce foods, etc. simply because my stomach can't handle it. Ask me if I would do it again.....ABSOLUTELY! I immediately noticed a difference, even the nausea..lol. I'm still in the healing process but for the first time in years I can pretty much eat anything (except corn, etc.), in moderation. I always keep in mind, the surgery only removed the damaged tissue, not the disease.
nathanlee glenda_82112
Posted
I'M having laparoscopic. Can i ask why you had open cut? Glad to hear youre feeling good!
glenda_82112 nathanlee
Posted
A couple reasons. I had over 19 ER visits in an 18 month period, couldn't hardly eat anything, was extremely nauseous, and the pain was horrible. I also have colon cancer in the family. They basically had to cut me open, wash what sepsis they could out of my abdomen (it was traveling to my heart). My organs were severely swollen, stomach inflamed, etc. The surgeon wanted to ensure there was no cancer, did find a huge scar tissue blockage and holes in my colon (hence the sepsis).
vic_07103 nathanlee
Posted
Nate,
Your quality of life is going to improve greatly. After having over a foot removed during emergency surgery, being septic, then having an colostomy for a year which, luckily, was then reversed ....i have absolutely no diverticulitis symptoms at all! its been a few years, i am good.
Katealso nathanlee
Posted
I had my surgery 4/2018. IT was done robotically with 12-18 inches removed. I am grateful every day! I agree with everything Glenda said about recovery!
I thought the surgery was easy. I had very little pain! I too had the abdominal block. I took minimal pain meds when I went home. I took the meds at bedtime so I could sleep. Drink a lot of water and walk after every meal! The walking helps to increase the blood supply to the bowel which helps with healing. MY only complaint was diarrhea which has taken 1 year to the day to go away.
I feel great now! Best of luck to you! Feel free to ask any questions.
Kate
nathanlee Katealso
Posted
IS the abdominal block the same thing as an epederal? How long was surgery and how long were you in hospital after surgery? Is the pain mostly from the incesions or abdominal pain mostly? Sorry so many questions lol
glenda_82112 nathanlee
Posted
It's close. Surgery time depends on how bad your colon is. Lapriscopic surgery has much less hospital time than open cut, again depends on your situation. Remember, everyone is different. The healing process should be less than an open cut. As for the pain, the doctors will closely monitor your pain and pain meds. I can only tell you the pain is much different than the diverticulitis pain, and it's manageable.
Katealso nathanlee
Posted
The abdominal block is done by injections on both sides of the abdomen just prior to wheeling me into the OR. So after OR I had been given 2 doses of pain meds through the IV in the recovery room and then they gave me pills once I got to my room. I had 4 one inch incisions and 1 four inch incision low in the abdomen. The most painful part was I had a reaction to the tape in one spot that was red and itchy. Your belly is tender and bloated but I never had pain more of a discomfort.
The surgery was 3 hours. I was in recovery waiting for a bed until about 4 p which was about 5 hrs longer ! I got to the room and was able to move myself from the cart to the bed. I walked around the entire floor that night twice!
I had surgery on Monday and went home on Wednesday (1 day early). They probably wont let you go without a bowel movement. I will warn you that could be bloody so dont be alarmed!
I know how scary this seems but you will be happy you had it done!
1231Pecan nathanlee
Posted
Nate, hope all goes well with your procedure. Please keep us posted with the process and your recovery.
nathanlee 1231Pecan
Posted
I definetly will! THANK YOU!
sandiishealthy nathanlee
Posted
Hi there, I just had my resection on the 6th of May. I had an block/epidural for the first 24 hours. Then just 2 plain extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours for a few days. I started eating regular food right away. Now I'm eating salads, red meat in moderation only because I want too and anything else I feel like with no issues whatsoever. The only issue I've had is that my longer incision has been difficult to heal as they cut over an old previous surgery from 30 years ago. So I had 4 laparoscopic incisions and one larger one that took 11 staples. That's the one that was the problem. It's better now though. Also I got constipated from the epidural. I knew this was gonna happen as it also happened when I had an epidural delivering my twins. But the doctor just said you'll be fine give it a few more days but I could tell I was gonna have trouble so after three days of no poop I took 2 glycerin suppositories over 2 days and the poop plug came out. Since then my bm's are perfect. After every meal perfection. Lol And no pain, nothing. I'm so darn happy. I've got my life back.
sandiishealthy nathanlee
Posted
Also I forgot to mention that I went in on the Monday and was out on the Thursday. Three days after. Quite remarkable really. Keep a positive attitude and set your sites on how great your gonna start to feel in the very near future. Take care and hope to hear from you soon.
glenda_82112 nathanlee
Posted
Always keep in mind, EVERYONE is different. Drinking lots of water, walking (NOT exercising because your body cannot handle it), eating right , and pain management is so important for the healing process. Don't think you're a superhero just because you feel better, which means no lifting, stretching, etc. because your body needs to heal. If you need to rest don't feel guilty because you need to sit or lay down. At first I would take 1 pain pill in the morning and 1 at night. Very rarely had to take 1 mid day.
vic_07103 nathanlee
Posted
Nathan,
YOUR surgery and recovery should be a snap, from what Ive read. The patients on here are twice your age therefore their recovery is more difficult; well some are at least sixty plus.. Focus on your future, simply because your your so young; age is a risk factor, you could develop it again --it takes years--but you have the time. You are getting the disease cut off, but you can develop it in the higher areas of the colon. focus on your future: Exercise regularly
Eat more fiber, Drink plenty of fluids on a daily regular basis. change your lifestyle.
glenda_82112 vic_07103
Posted
Exactly what Nathan said. I had the disease alot longer than I thought simply because I didn't know anything about diverticulitis. The surgery will only remove the bad area of the colon, not the disease. You will have to change your lifestyle and eating habits, but it's all for the better. Your type of surgery is not as invasive as open cut so your healing time shouldn't be as long.
glenda_82112
Posted
Sorry, meant what Vic said..lol