Post surgery now / 2 weeks. Still hurting terribly.
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hello everyone.
Is there anyone out there who's actually gone through sigmoidectomy, and resection? I Had mine done two weeks ago. I'm experiencing a lot of trouble, which the surgeon says is normal. My BM'S are small and pencil thin; hard to pass. It feels like impaction, but the doc said keep at the diet regimen and slowly introduce normal foods and the BMs will get normal again.
Meanwhile, the feeling of impaction and constipation is overwhelming. My insides feel swollen.
Anyone out there post surgery experienced the same or similar symptoms?
It has me down, and somewhat depressed.
Any advice from any fellow sufferers? It is needed, and welcomed. Please.
0 likes, 9 replies
greg80227 gio41589
Posted
Hello, Two weeks isn't very long, give yourself time to heal; you know your body better than anyone else so listen to what your gut is telling you, if you feel impacted, ease up on your food intake and limit your diet to easily digested foods. I had surgery for a temporary colostomy and fistula repair due to diverticulitis and Crohn's, hospitalized for 21 days and despite the fact my doctor told me to eat whatever I wanted, I quickly realized I couldn't and it took months to feel anywhere near my usual norm. Be patient and keep well but do let your doc know about your concerns.
glenda_82112 gio41589
Posted
Yes I had the same surgery. Two things you need to do, Milk of magnesium and fiber (metamucil). Drink 2 tablespoons of milk of magnesium first thing in the morning and 1 8oz. cup of water with 1 teaspoon of Metamucil. I also drink 1 small Gatorade every morning and make sure I'm hydrated by drinking lots of water. Yes, you are swollen and bloated and retaining water. This will help a lot. Patience is needed during this time. I'm 6 months post op and still find it hard to eat a regular breakfast, but that could be from the sepsis I had also (inflamed my stomach and surrounding organs), so I usually eat a bowl of cream of wheat. Walking is extremely important for the healing process. Go as far as you can, keep it up, then set a further goal. It takes time. Keep a mental record of foods that bother you and just eat foods that don't. Eventually you will be able to eat everything. Eat in moderation, not a lot. You might experience lower back pain, if you had open cut, the muscles they cut are the ones that control the lower back....again patience. If you were severely bloated like me, around that time my muscles started to spasm and felt like they were pulled, it's actually your muscles retracting and falling back into where they belong, a good thing because you're healing. Doesn't last that long only a couple of weeks.
gio41589 glenda_82112
Posted
thanks for the reply and encouragements. Glenda_821, I'm interested to know: the regimen you'd suggested - do you follow that every day before breakfast? Over the long periods, have you developed a tolerance to the milk of magnesia to have to use more for results?
glenda_82112 gio41589
Posted
Irregardless what the doctor talking me I could eat anything I wanted, NOPE. Stay on soft foods for at least 6 weeks, then start reintroducing new foods, in moderation. Remember what goes in has to come out.
jon43244 gio41589
Posted
I had my sigmoidectomy (and resection) about 18 months ago. My bowel movements were fine afterwards, but actually they were never a problem and I'm thinking that perhaps if you already had a constipation problem the sigmoidectomy wouldn't make things worse. In theory it would, if anything, make your bowel movements more liquid because there's less bowel to absorb the water from the stool. Look at any pain relief medication that you're on. Anything opioid-based will cause constipation. If possible, use only paracetamol (acitominophen) and take lactulose when you are constipated - I was given bottles of both, when discharged from hospital.
I would be very interested to hear from any people who have had the sigmoidectomy and who feel that their bowel is no longer working as it should - eg constipation, diarrhoea, leakage/incontinence, maybe perianal soreness or itching. There has been insufficient research into long term effects and in general surgeons don't see their patients to follow them up.
gio41589 jon43244
Posted
thanks for the encouragement. Theres truth in saying everyone is different. I've suffered with chronic constipation all of my life, and have had to take steps prior to surgery to ensure it didn't happen to cause more intense and painful flair ups. I'm only 4 + weeks out from surgery, and know I've got a ways to go.
theres truth too in the lack of any quality aftercare coming from the surgeons and their staffers. All the pain I've been suffering with, they say, is from the surgery itself. But, I suspect different due to the constipation. Their suggestions and advise seems to be ineffective for the most part. That's why this site is a good way to get reliable info.
It's difficult in trying to let nature take its course when visiting the lavatory, and not push or strain too hard. Frustrating for sure. I've got a leftover bottle of lactulose from previous flares of diverticulitis. I'm thinking about putting it into use again for a remedy.
Trying to consume more (cooked) veggies and fruits. But, choices are limited.
Any suggestions for good aftercare (online, etc) and menu ideas?
gio41589 jon43244
Posted
.....forgot to mention: I'm sick from a nasty cold virus, causing sneezing, coughing, etc, etc. I try to "brace" myself in preparation for the impact of the sneeze and coughs. Any reason to be concerned with causing any damage??? Thanks.
jon43244 gio41589
Posted
I don't think you can cause any damage to yourself by sneezing or coughing. But if (like me) you try anything too energetic such as mowing your lawn you might end up with alarming abdominal pain and a trip to hospital to ask them to check whether anything was seriously wrong (after a long wait and several investigations I was told nothing was wrong and I could go away).
I'm told that things you can take to relieve constipation include prunes, raisins, bananas and regular spoonfuls of linseed on whatever you're eating.
glenda_82112 gio41589
Posted
Sorry I missed your message. Yes I still take Milk of magnesium and fiber everyday, walk as much as I can and drink lots of water. In my situation it will take a full year for my organs to heal (including stomach) which won't be until May. So because of that I still have to be careful of what I eat, especially greasy, spicy and gassy vegetables. Most people I know from this forum are basically on a regular diet by now. Also eat in moderation. I don't know how you are but from the beginning of my disease the part in your body that tells me I'm full has gone on vacation and hasn't come back...lol, so I'm vigilant on how much I eat. Also very important is to find a liquid multivitamin to help build your immune system up.