Having My Reversal Tomorrow

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canaussie

To all of my wonderful ostomates, thank you for your support, advice, and encouragement. I wanted to let you all know that my surgery date was just brought forward to tomorrow (Friday, Feb 19) instead of Monday. I promise to post as soon as I am well enough to let you know how it all went. I am scared to death but hopeful of success.
To Rachel, happy birthday for Monday! To Hannah, I hope you are back online soon and have a wonderful success story to share. To all of my mates, I will be thinking of you as I go through this as you have all given me strength (and some great laughs) and I don't think I could have done it without you.
Chat with you all in a week or so!!
Lorraine

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lottagelady

Hi Lorraine, thanks for letting us know - will miss you... Hope all goes according to plan and that you are back with us very soon ....
Take care
Rachel xx

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Past Member

Best wishes for tomorrow and we look forward to hearing from you on your recovery.

Jo xxx

WOUNDED DOE

Good luck to you!! (HUG) You will be just fine, dear....try not to worry and know that we will be thinking about you!! Try to stay relaxed and heal fast and keep us posted on how you're doing!!

~Much love from your Doe

Warbyrd

You are probably in recovery by now, Lorraine. I wish you the best. When I had my reversal, I was down in the dumps and my favorite nurse told me something. She said "You will get better." She was right, I did get better and I still get better every day. Good luck to you, Lorraine, and be patient!! It takes time to heal and get back to normal!!!!

 
How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister
Past Member

Best of luck. Look forward to hearing how it goes for you as I'm up for reversal in 2 weeks.

Past Member

Hi. I had my reversal several months ago and was scared to death. My colostomy was so bad, I was sure the reversal would be just as bad. I am now doing great with just a bit of leftover pain. Scars healed great. You have undoubtedly had your procedure by now and are on the mend in the hospital. Hang in there and feel good about the day (coming very soon) when this is all behind you. Be careful not to overdo things (no heavy lifting)... Congratulations!

canaussie
Hello to all my wonderful ostomates. As you can see, I am back home now after a week in hospital. I promised to provide details of my experience, good or bad, so here goes (please take pity on my brain which is still under the influence of percocet etc.)
Day 1Friday morning went to hospital and everything was going on schedule. The surgeon actually called me to the OR 45 mins early.I had a chat with the anaesthetist who explained she would be putting in an Epidural to start with as this would provide greater pain relief after the surgery. She also told me I would have the pain pump and we would work with both systems to maximize management.
The epidural seemed to take forever and in the end, only worked on my left side (strangely, the same thing happened when I had one for the birth of my first child - no epidural for second, so I don't know if this is just some that can't be done on me or what).
Going under the anaesthetic was uneventful (last tikme I had a suffocating sensation and began convulsing).
From all accounts the surgery went well. I woke up with 2 incisions - one 7 inch midline (over top of the 18 inch one from last September) and a 3 inch one from the stoma site. They are both neatly stapled. The doctor had initially said he wouldn't be stapling the stoma incision - his plan was to pack it and let it heal from the inside. Not sure why that changed yet - on my list of questions for him.
The procedure lasted about an hour and a half and I woke up with little to no pain on my left but my right side was excruciating. We quickly got that under control with the PCA pump.
Day 2 I was in ICU for 4 days during which we stopped the epidural to see what benefit I was actually getting from it. As it turns out, it was helping a lot so we turned it back on and left it there for another 3 days.
I was up the next day but still NPO. Little nausea and a lot of cramping.Heparin shots each day
Day 3By the third day I was walking short distances to try to get things moving. I was allowed clear liquids but had no gas or BM's (no sounds from bowels either).
Day 4 Once the epidural was removed, I was moved to the surgical ward. Still walking short distances to try to get things moving. Clear liquids but had no gas or BM's but we could hear sounds.
Day 5Still no movement down below but a lot of cramping and a tiny amount of gas. Dr prescribed suppository which resulted in small BM much like I'd had a few times after the ileostomy. That was painful but the sharp pain passed fairly quickly
Day 6Passed "real" gas for the first time. I say real gas because it was something my husband was there to witness and was proud of. It is very hard to tell if your are going to pass gas or have a BM, so I always assume it will be a BM.
Removed the PCA pump Day 6 and was able to manage the pain with shots. Dr also had me on a medication to get the bowels moving and reduce nausea.
Found I couldn't pass gas lying or sitting in bed - had to be on the commode. There were a number of false alarms which hurt like heck and they were very disappointing.
They also changed my diet to full fluids which meant I could have thicker soups and puddings etc.
Day 7I was beginning to think I'd never poop again....but what is it they say about patience??? This morning I had my first unassisted BM YAAAAY! Once it started, it didn't really stop.
I find that food goes through me as quickly (if not quicker) as it did with the bag, so I can time it pretty well. I found that after eating, I'd get cramping about 30 mins later, then some gas and then 3 - 5 BMs after that within a short period of time.
Still get false alarms and BMs between meals - up to 14 for the day I think today.
I also found the hour drive home rather uncomfortable. My bladder was getting a little full and that was putting pressure on the intestines causing cramping etc. Once I got home, went straight to the bathroom for BM and gas then a cup of tea and some pain pills.

So all in all, I think things are going well. Dr wanted to keep me in another day but I just wanted to get back home - more comfortable in my own bed etc.
I am seeing the surgeon again next Tuesday for check up and to have the staples removed. I will keep updating as the days go by. Feel free to ask questions but so far, I will rate this experience as very positive (day 5 was probably the worst for pain and lack of any real improvement)
Hope this helps those who are looking at a reversal in the near future!
Thanks again to all my mates for your ongoing love, support, prayers and advise - you've made this experience much better than it would have been without you all.

Lorraine
Txgirl

Lorraine, honey! I'm so glad all went well for you!
Yours sounds like mine. LOL
The worst part of my incisions are the ostomy site and the little wound where the drain was.
Love ya and HUGS for a quick recovery!!!

canaussie
Well my wonderful ostomates, it's 3 weeks now since my reversal and I am a little depressed about the whole thing. I know this is a slow process but I am just so sick of being "sick". I was up at 5:30 this morning, 4:00 am yesterday...the horrible cramping wakes me and I have to rush to the bathroom. Once it starts each morning, I am in the bathroom every 20 mins or so for about 5 hours before things settle down. I am averaging 15-20 visits each day and they hurt like heck. The cramping, butt burn, nausea.....I'm almost afraid to eat. BM's are almost pure liquid and I really have to watch what I eat (just as much or more than I did with the bag). Any hints on what/what not to eat? Gas is hugely painful too.

I use AnusolPlus and Tucks wipes to help with the butt burn and I think it is a bit better than it was - any advice on other products would be appreciated.

I am still on pain killers (percocet) but nothing else. Dr had me onstool softeners for the first 2 weeks but stopped them this week in thehope it would slow down my system. Dr is also refusing to prescribe more pain killers now - says after 3 weeks over the counter Tylenol should be all I need - yah right! I didn't expect the excruciating much pain to last this long - I am so tired of the pain.

The ostomy wound is healing very slowly - Dr is using silver nitrate sticks to try and get it to heal. It is still painful and oozes all the time. The other incision (another midline) is healing well though.

I've lost another 10 lbs since the reversal (35 lbs in total now), but I have this ugly pot belly with a huge scar down the middle of it that makes it look even worse....almost like a front bum.

I don't want to scare anyone away from having a reversal, I am just venting. I seem to live in my bathroom - don't leave the house other than for Dr appointments (and I fast before I go to them). I miss the little bit of freedom I had with the bag, but I am happy I don't have the bag any more.

Sorry for my rant - just need a little pick me up from my mates.
Lorraine
lottagelady
Big hugs, Lorraine! So sorry you are still suffering and having troubles with things - I can identify with the 'I am so sick of being sick' business, it really grinds you down. I am there with you (if I can manage to stay awake long enough, that is!).

For the 'Butt Burn', I don't know whether you can get it over there from a pharmacy, but you can get it on eBay: SUDOCREM. It's what I used years ago for my daughters' nappy rashes and I use it now for myself when I need to protect my own skin from, you know, what on my bad days! It is brilliant!

Hope you start to feel much better soon, Rach xx
Txgirl

Lorraine,
How long do you think it will take for our bellies to shrink down and not be so swollen? I had my reversal and a bunch of other stuff removed on the 15th of Feb and almost a month later and I am still swollen. It goes down every day but the spot where I have that blood clot sticks out too...grrrrrrrrrrr.......how is your hiney feeling? Have the BM's gotten less and more regulated?

Love ya, Hannah

Past Member

Vent away Lorraine, all helps in the healing process.
It is painful (literally) the time it takes to recover from such major surgery but you will get there.
Rach is right about the Sudocream (any nappy rash cream is a boon for burning bots).

Thinking of you and hope you feel better soon.
Jo x

canaussie
Thanks for the support, ladies - it really helps to hear from you wonderful gals.

Hannah, if my tummy is ever flat again, I will fly you and I to Jamaica (or maybe the UK to bug Rach) for a holiday! Mine is still swollen and lopsided (not to mention just plain ugly with the scarring and a hole still where my stoma was), so I really think my bikini days are done. I'm hoping it will level itself out after a while - we'll have to wait and see. My reversal was 4 days after yours, and although the swelling has reduced, I still have a long way to go.

Jo and Rach - what is the active ingredient in Sudocream? I am sure we'd have something similar here and right now, I'll try anything!

How are you doing with your reversal, Hannah? As per my post earlier, I live in my bathroom and should now have shares in Johnson and Johnson for the amount of wipes, TP, and creams I am using. I'm not sure what is worse, the butt burn or the cramps... the cramps, I think, cause they make me sick to my stomach.

Thanks for listening to me while I vent - I know things will get better (she says, all fingers, toes, and legs crossed). I just want to feel better soon.
Luv you all!
Lorraine
lottagelady
Hi Lorraine, I've had a look and it looks like the main ingredient is zinc oxide. I am sure you will be able to get it there - I have seen it listed on eBay in the US certainly as I think I have mentioned it before for someone else ... or try Googling it and see what it comes up with. Good luck in finding it - if you want me to get you some and post it, I could do that too!

By the way - you girls can come and bug me anytime. Bed, breakfast, and evening meal available in a historic thatched cottage in the Wiltshire countryside, must like dogs, cats, and mud!
Rach xxxx
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