Will I Ever Feel Better After My Surgeries?

Believe me, you will get stronger and stronger. There is one thing we cannot rush, and that is "time." Love♥️

Yes! Time and attitude... Try to stay as positive as possible... I found sharing my problems with anyone that will listen helps a lot! Best wishes 😊🎃🎉

Agreed. I'm 5 months post op, 3 of which were in ITU, so no movement or exercise at all. It's a big smack to the system, I keep getting told that it was a very big deal by all my medics and nurses etc. I would suggest WindEze (Simethicone) for the wind, and I find well chewed cherry tomatoes help with moving things along if you get bunged up. But I have a colostomy, not an ileo, so maybe things are different. And a microwave heat bag also helps with wind. You'll get there, but it is slow, sadly. I focus on the lack of pain and sepsis these days. Is Keir the name of your stoma?

Things I wish I had known earlier in the UK - you throw your little black bags in the normal refuse bin. You can also drop them in, I suppose. Throwing them isn't an Olympic sport yet. You are considered disabled in the UK, so you can probably at least get an Attendance Allowance. If you ask for a visit from your community occupational therapists, they will assess your house and give you all sorts of kit that may help. I found Coloplast really helpful. They have a phone service which is very very useful. Sorry if this is coals to Newcastle. And you can now enjoy your new stoma superpower, if someone is being a pain, you can poo while they're talking to you, particularly enjoyable if they're telling you about your "attitude problem!" Or if you're watching PMQ on Wednesdays.

I always found that 6 weeks seemed to be the turning point for recovery after my surgeries.  You are almost there!  One day at a time.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Yes, you will get stronger week by week, but you have just had major surgery, so it takes time to regain your strength. Eat four small meals a day, eat slowly, and make sure you have plenty of protein. It's important for healing. Take frequent rests and don't feel down if you sleep a lot. It's all part of the healing process. Take time to see friends and share your concerns with loved ones. A problem shared is a problem halved. Good luck and best wishes. 🌈🌈

I snack on nuts, just a few and chew them very completely. Probably the same for raisins. Popcorn is a no for me.

This advice is pretty restrictive. I got ileostomy two years ago and I don't have any problems with bananas, alcohol, nuts, most meats (as long as I can chew it really well). Seafood is super for me, if I can choose that's what I always go for. I think you should experiment, carefully, once you start to recover. Find out what works for you. Best of luck! 

Welcome to the site.

One day at a time is the best advice I can give. For everything that may seem to be getting worse, you can find something that is better. I don't know your situation before surgery, but for me, being in control of my life versus my bowels being in charge is huge. I'm traveling more now than I thought I'd ever be. There are only a few friends and family that know of my bag. I still enjoy adult beverages and can eat basically whatever I want. Advice above to chew your food cannot be overstated. It will become a habit before you know it. A year or so and I'm betting you'll be in a better spot. You took the first step by reaching out here. You're not alone.

Best of Health,

SharkFan

Thank you so much for this information! You put it in a “nutshell!” (No pun intended)

Now I just need to figure out how to print the lists and keep them handy. My husband is a great cook and learning to cook for me since my Ostomy has been a challenge to say the least. 
Thanks again Shamrock!

Former rock climber/rappeler. Deja vu! 5 weeks in Mayo, 3.5 months in a scuzzy nursing home. My "core" vanished. Got home and brought 2 "grabbers", as I could not bend over or get up from the floor. Two years of PT and I can hike, kneel again.

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Add garlic to your list. PU!

Howdy! You are proof that we can... and do, "get our life back." I remember the first time after surgery, peeking at this strange thing sticking out, covered by a "stuck on" plastic bag. "What... the... hell... is... that?" Two years later, that memory is funny to me now.

Like one of my surf rat friends used to always say: Keep on Truckin'.

I know exactly how you feel, especially being young too. There's always a stigma around stomas. I had 4 surgeries and 3 stomas in 2 years, and now I have a permanent ileostomy. Don't be so hard on yourself; honestly, sometimes our bodies just need to rest and adjust. It's been a long road, and you have to give yourself credit. Some days you're going to feel more deflated than others, but don't be so harsh on yourself or put too much pressure on yourself; you're only human! x

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Thank you, pretty much back to myself 🧡

Takes time, doesn't it? So many unexpected turns with an ileostomy. I'm the proud owner of one myself. 😅😂

You're right about the stigma for sure. I think that's why I found it so hard, being 26 and then having my life change so suddenly from a rapid health decline. I'm sorry you've gone through what you've gone through, but you've come out so much better at the end of it all. Thank you for your kind words x

It's the same with appointments. I was once at the hospital having a stoma appointment, and someone said, "Do you even know what a stoma is?" 😂😂😂

Yeah, they can be a little tricky for sure 😂 mine has just about started behaving now, thankful I’ve only one more follow up appointment in March then I don’t have to go back to the dreaded place 😂

Calm before the storm 🤪

True 😂 do you have premium on this by any chance? If so is it worth the money? Seems a lot to fork out just for private messaging 🙃

No, I don't. I'm not paying £50 for it. 🤣🤣 How about you?

As Darth Vader: "The force is strong with these two." breathes heavily 😊

Nah I don’t. I’ve considered it though, mainly for the AI question tool. My stoma nurse support team are absolutely useless and just tell me to go A&E all the time with any minor inconvenience 😂

That's what mine say: go to A&E, and then you sit there for 12 hours for them to give you a paracetamol!

I’ve never bothered going. I just pray a blockage clears itself 😂 x

What a shame my previous account got deleted eh🫠

It’s like the world likes to make you vanish, ya TT has disappeared now