Facing My 4th Surgery Tomorrow - Nervous and Hopeful

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312
eldonnaa
Aug 22, 2024 9:18 pm

First of all, I can't find any of my previous posts. Ugh, I was hoping there was a link on my profile page, but...

Well, for those that have read those previous posts, I'm finally having surgery tomorrow morning at 7 EST. The hospital is 2 hours away, so having to be there at 5 AM means we need to leave home at 3 AM. OMG! Well, I know I won't sleep tonight, but I'm having my husband go to bed at 6 tonight.

I'm nervous, excited, and scared. I will have 2 surgeons, one for the reversal and also a urologist for the stents in my ureters (yes, both) and I also have a 5mm kidney stone. This will be my 4th surgery since last October. As always, I have no idea what the outcome will be. Will the reversal go well? Will my bowels work right and if not, will they get better over time? Will the doc see something once he gets in there that would cause me to not have the reversal? Will the urologist zap the stone and remove the stents? I've been on Flomax for 3 weeks and nothing has moved. Honestly, I'm so scared that I almost want to say forget it and keep the ileostomy. Note the almost. If it does happen that I have to keep an ostomy, my surgeon said that he can move it to a more convenient area of the abdomen.

Anyway, thank you all for your advice, stories of your journeys, and friendship. I'll be around, I'm sure.

Bill
Aug 22, 2024 9:22 pm

Good luck and Best wishes

Bill

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Sasquatch
Aug 22, 2024 9:48 pm

We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers. We will welcome your return!

Nini4
Aug 23, 2024 12:23 am

Sending positive thoughts your way!

Newhere
Aug 23, 2024 2:29 am

Wishing you all the best. Take care.

 

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w30bob
Aug 23, 2024 2:31 am

Hi el,

We're all pulling for you, so go get 'em, Tiger! Looking forward to hearing how it goes... and I'm sure you'll have some good 'hospital' stories to tell.

;O)

Differentclass
Aug 23, 2024 5:29 am

Best of luck 🤞

IGGIE
Aug 23, 2024 5:56 am

Good luck, and get back as soon as you feel better and let us know the outcome. Regards, IGGIE

Axl
Aug 23, 2024 10:53 am

I hope you get everything you wish for.

ron in mich
Aug 23, 2024 1:36 pm

Good luck and a speedy recovery.

Morning glory
Aug 23, 2024 3:30 pm

Hi, by now your surgery is over. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Give us an update as soon as you feel like it.

warrior
Aug 23, 2024 3:57 pm

Hey Jersey gurl... you got this.

Probably still knocked out at this hour today - noon.

What hospital? Philly or Jersey?

Justbreathe
Aug 23, 2024 7:24 pm

Thinking of you this afternoon and wishing you a speedy and healthy recovery... sending hugs... jb

warrior
Aug 29, 2024 1:32 am

Several days later... nail-biting time... no word...

Marjatta
Aug 29, 2024 1:41 am

Thinking of you, Eldonnaa, and hoping everything went well and you're on the road to full recovery. Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it. We're all rooting for you!

M

xo

eldonnaa
Aug 29, 2024 3:26 pm

Well, I had surgery on Friday. As far as the reversal goes, it went well. I'm in extreme pain, though. The little hole that the stoma came through in my abdomen is my only "incision." The surgeon made the decision to not open me up further, so my recovery time may be shorter. BUT, by doing so, there was little room to work through; hence, there was a lot of internal turmoil to my skin, intestines, and muscles. Muscles are involved because he found an internal hernia that I didn't know I had, and he had to cut muscle to repair it. I have been informed that hernias are quite common with an ostomy, so nothing out of the ordinary. The hardest part (besides the constant pain) has been the "recovery" from the pain meds that have done quite a number on me. On surgery day, I was given many drugs. It started with propofol along with the anesthesia for the surgery. In post-op, I got cocktails of propofol, versed, fentanyl, and dilaudid. Fentanyl x4 and dilaudid x2. OMG, they have kicked my ass and not in a fun way. Monday, day 4, and I still haven't been able to get up except to go potty. No PT or anything. The dizziness has been so bad (from the cocktails) that my BP dropped to 56/40 at its lowest. Came close but never passed out. Needless to say, they have kept me down. I have slept most of the night and the next day... all day. I have started to eat and... I pooped. :ok: So the plumbing is starting to work. The dizziness has almost subsided completely, but I still get waves every now and then. I didn't poop after the first day (Saturday). Doc said not to worry. Came home on Tuesday. They left the ostomy site open and packed. That pain and the pain involved in removing that hernia, working through such a small opening, is kicking my ass, but I can tell it's getting better. I slept not a wink last night as I began to poop again, and again, and again, and... I was in the loo every 15 minutes all night long. It finally subsided around 8 this morning, so I will probably sleep most of the day. No home health care nurse to change the packing today, so my husband is going to do it when I'm awake enough. He's SO afraid of hurting me, but I know he won't. He's a 32-year retired paramedic, so I'm in very good hands. He's SO gentle.

So far, so good, but the bad news is they were not able to remove the stents nor the kidney stone, so I'll be having another surgery in 4-6 weeks. But, while I will have general anesthesia for the procedure, it will be outpatient.

Another question, I need pain-killing butt hole ointment. Any suggestions? The poop has gone from solid to almost diarrhea with "sludge." The lack of use and the acidic nature of it is painful, and I'm almost in tears when I go. The good thing is I am much more optimistic. This is very rough, pain-wise, but I know that will pass. Thank God for ice packs!

eldonnaa
Aug 29, 2024 3:26 pm
Reply to warrior

Cooper in Camden

eldonnaa
Aug 29, 2024 3:29 pm

Oh, and hospital stories. LOL Stay tuned!

 

warrior
Aug 29, 2024 3:48 pm
Reply to eldonnaa

Cooper? Never heard of it. Welcome back. Good to know you are on the mend and got a good hubby to care for ya. Keep your fluids up, kiddo. Get those drugs out of your system.

Other members will anxiously chime in to help with butt pain. Ice packs helped me. No one thinks of that. Hang in there. Write when you can.

Morning glory
Aug 29, 2024 5:02 pm

You are lucky to have a good husband to help you out. Each day it will hopefully get easier for you. I am sorry you are going to have to go through another surgery. Be so careful getting up by yourself. Get your husband to help you. Keep in touch.

eldonnaa
Sep 23, 2024 9:48 pm

Well, almost a month later... Post-op appointment went well, and I have another this Thursday. On Friday, I will have another surgery scheduled. This one is to remove the stents in my ureters, and he's going to zap the kidney stone. That will be 5 surgeries in less than a year. I'm over this shit.

I still have the hole in my abdomen, but it is filling in nicely and shrinking. Now it's about the size and shape of an almond. On Friday night, I started having some weird things going on. Since I got home, I have pooped and pooped and... pooped some more. However, on Friday night, as I was beginning to fall asleep, I heard a lot of gurgling and to the left of the stoma, I felt something that I can only describe as someone squeezing my colon. I talked to one of the docs today, and he thinks it's just some normal spasms. The stool has gone from Little Smokies to full-on kielbasa. Except on Saturday, I began pooping less and less. The stool itself is just a little wider in diameter than a no. 2 pencil. The doc said that it appears normal, but on my visit on Thursday, we'll address it again.

I have become quite fond of the ice pack, though. I'm still using one every night. It feels so good!

Hospital story #1:

I had great nurses. I mean, really great. My 80-year-old sister was visiting while one nurse, Dylan, was tending to me. Now, let me tell you, even in my drug-induced state, I could tell that Dylan was, OMG, he was a Greek god! Perfectly chiseled facial features. Just a really delicious-looking young man. Well, I noticed my sister (whose husband passed 5 years ago) was watching Dylan intently. At first, I thought she was just observing everything he was doing, but NOOOOOOO. As Dylan was leaving the room, my sister almost fell out of her chair watching him (I really think she was watching his butt) leave. Her eyes got so big I thought she looked like a 5-year-old getting ice cream for the first time in a year. I swear I saw a little drool seep from the corner of her mouth. Anyway, the next day she texted and asked me, "Have you seen Dylan today? Is he your nurse again? Will he take you for a walk? Oooooo if he does, you'll have to hold his hand or arm. I hope you get to see Dylan today." OMG, she's a hoot! She still talks about him. lol

 

 

eldonnaa
Sep 23, 2024 9:55 pm
Reply to Morning glory

You know, I swear I am the luckiest woman alive. Harry and I have been together for 20 years and he treats me like a queen. We've never even had a fight. While I was in the hospital he had a 15 ft awning installed over the back patio AND he bought me a new car! I've been looking for about a year so he knew exactly what I wanted and he got it! 2024 Hyundai Elantra. It's LOADED right down to the leather seats. God I love that man!