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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Thanks for the welcome, guys. I have to admit this website does seem very friendly and helpful.
I will definitely log into chat as soon as I can and see who is around. Looking forward to meeting some like-minded people! :)
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.
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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.
Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | 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.