I am almost 3 weeks out from my surgery, and I still am in pain. A stinging, stabbing pain when I walk on the right side of my colostomy bag, stabbing pain from 6 incision points on my left, and somehow I woke up with severe hip pain after surgery. I have a lot of swelling in my lower stomach that has caused rubbing, and now I have the most horrible heat rash. So I can say I am thoroughly miserable. I know it takes a while to heal; I'm just wondering how long it was before you felt good again? Because I'm starting to think maybe I should have lived with the basketball in the middle of my stomach. Because if it ever happens again, I am not doing the surgery again. This is more painful than my original surgery to create my stoma and remove sections of my colon when I had the bowel blockage. Any advice would be very helpful.
I am about 5 weeks post-surgery for 3 incisional hernias and one parastomal hernia repair with mesh. It was painful up until now. Now it is only painful at night. It helps that I forced myself to exercise—first walking and now riding my low-impact stationary bike. At night, though, after all my day's activities, I am in pain in my belly, and it is still sensitive to touch. Slowly, I am getting better, though. I take Tylenol before I go to bed at night; 3 of them help. I am allowed to take 4,000 mg a day of Tylenol, but I rarely take that much. However, I do take some in the evening, 45 minutes before I go to bed. It helps. Laying down flat helps too. I am sorry you are in so much pain. Was your surgery open or robotic? Mine was robotic with 4 entry points. It was hard until the glue came off. I could hardly put on a bra without rubbing the glue on one of the incision points. That hurt. I also wear elastic shorts; that helps too. I make them loose enough not to hurt but tight enough to stay up. They have a drawstring as well as elastic. They are sports shorts, but I don't mind wearing them because they are comfortable. I hope you get to feeling better soon. Take your time and give yourself the space to recover.
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I began my Urostomy life February 27th, 2023...a month and a half ago. I stumbled upon this site from another on Youtube and website called VeganOstomy and between that site and this one, most of my fear and worry of not having any answers other than calling the Dr's office recording menu and hoping to hear back in the next day or two for an answer to leaks, skin irritations etc, or just feeling alone and the "no one understands" thoughts I had to look forward to in my mind were all put to rest by these two websites and the community here at MaO!! I have been here for a few weeks now, and the help and support offered by the members here is just amazing!! The information and support is absolutely priceless for anyone recently out of their surgery and have tons of questions or had it for years...sit down...have a good read and you will see for yourself!!
Mine was robotic too, and I have 6 entry points on my left side. What hurts the most is the area around the right side of my stoma. I have these 2 strange-looking dark purple lines that I assume are deep bruises, and they trigger nerve pain if touched. Also, just wearing my ostomy bag causes the stinging, burning nerve sensation. I apply it carefully and try to avoid triggering pain. I've had many surgeries before, but this is my most painful in all of my 56 years of life.
Read our 6 tips to prepare for childbirth with an ostomy.
I can't help with surgery questions. But try Desonex for the heat rash and chafing.
Hopefully, you will feel better soon.
Take a hammer, hit your big toe… no more stomach pain. 😁 Seriously, the recovery time and the long-term results for a fairly active person are what keep me from having the surgery right now.
Tips on Hernia Prevention with Collin | Hollister
My belly is sensitive to touch too. I can't wear a seat belt properly because the tightening around my stomach hurts, so I end up holding out the lap part of the seatbelt. If you have bruises, of course, they are going to be sensitive. I have to put on my wafer and bag gently too because my stomach is still sensitive. I am getting better, though, and you will too. I know it seems like it is going to be forever, but really it won't. Take something for the pain. Be patient with yourself. And be gentle with your tummy.