Hello all:
Just wanted to send an update and share my experience with you all.
I had an ileostomy on May 19th, and was finally released from the hospital yesterday. The surgery was successful and I apparently have a happy and healthy stoma. Unfortunately, there were a lot of complications afterwards and that extended my stay at the worst hotel ever.
I started getting nauseous and had terrible heartburn on the second day. Sunday morning, I couldn't stop throwing up. The surgeon on call was concerned about something called peristalsis. I was still on a liquid diet, and they put a tube through my nose and down my throat to try to remove all fluids from my stomach. The tube was in for seven days and I was not allowed any food or water. I was given fluids intravenously. By the time they took the tube out, between surgery prep and liquid diet, I hadn't had solid food in about two weeks and I lost a further 10 pounds and a lot of muscle. This tube made me absolutely miserable. I just felt so dehydrated, and between the catheter and rectal tube, it just felt like I didn't have many more holes left to 'plug.'
After the tube came out, they did another CT scan and found a fair bit of post-surgery fluid leftover in my stomach. A radiologist aspirated the fluid from a couple of different parts of my stomach and results showed an infection. I started on IV antibiotics four times a day and three PERC drains in---in my pelvis, liver and the upper left quadrant of my stomach. Unfortunately, the one in my pelvis and stomach both perforated my bowels, but wasn't discovered for a full week. The drains came out after 8 days.
After that, the docs began trying to figure out whether to do further surgery and drain the infected fluid, or put me on TPN nutrition and give my guts a rest. Neither of these two options sat well with me, but my opinion at this stage hadn't been solicited! While the doctors bickered between themselves, my surgery incision started gushing abscess like fluid (puss, etc.). (My staples were taken out too early and I have a sizeable wound that needs to be packed and dressed daily). So, from my incision gushed all this fluid...it was like a little waterfall every time I'd get up to go to the bathroom. The poor nurses were changing my dressing and cleaning me up at least five times in a night.
Next CT scan showed that the fluid had decreased, and they've narrowed down the bacteria and given me specific antibiotics rather than broad spectrum ones. And since my wound is no longer gushing but merely leaking, they allowed me to come home.
I have home nursing come every day to change my dressing. It's a relief to be home---I was going a bit mad in hospital. I'm under strict orders to take in at least 3000 calories a day which has been more of a struggle than I anticipated. But at least I'm able to eat croissants without worrying about the size of my hips!
My surgeon said that on a scale of 1-10 of Crohn's, he would place me at a 15. He said he'd never seen anything quite like it. Hmph. I've never wanted to be spectacular. Mediocrity has been more my goal.
So that's my story. Now that I'm home, I hope to heal faster, although I still seem to be in a fair bit of pain along my abdominal wall.
Anyways, I'm now an official member of the stoma club! Yay!
Kismet
Just wanted to send an update and share my experience with you all.
I had an ileostomy on May 19th, and was finally released from the hospital yesterday. The surgery was successful and I apparently have a happy and healthy stoma. Unfortunately, there were a lot of complications afterwards and that extended my stay at the worst hotel ever.
I started getting nauseous and had terrible heartburn on the second day. Sunday morning, I couldn't stop throwing up. The surgeon on call was concerned about something called peristalsis. I was still on a liquid diet, and they put a tube through my nose and down my throat to try to remove all fluids from my stomach. The tube was in for seven days and I was not allowed any food or water. I was given fluids intravenously. By the time they took the tube out, between surgery prep and liquid diet, I hadn't had solid food in about two weeks and I lost a further 10 pounds and a lot of muscle. This tube made me absolutely miserable. I just felt so dehydrated, and between the catheter and rectal tube, it just felt like I didn't have many more holes left to 'plug.'
After the tube came out, they did another CT scan and found a fair bit of post-surgery fluid leftover in my stomach. A radiologist aspirated the fluid from a couple of different parts of my stomach and results showed an infection. I started on IV antibiotics four times a day and three PERC drains in---in my pelvis, liver and the upper left quadrant of my stomach. Unfortunately, the one in my pelvis and stomach both perforated my bowels, but wasn't discovered for a full week. The drains came out after 8 days.
After that, the docs began trying to figure out whether to do further surgery and drain the infected fluid, or put me on TPN nutrition and give my guts a rest. Neither of these two options sat well with me, but my opinion at this stage hadn't been solicited! While the doctors bickered between themselves, my surgery incision started gushing abscess like fluid (puss, etc.). (My staples were taken out too early and I have a sizeable wound that needs to be packed and dressed daily). So, from my incision gushed all this fluid...it was like a little waterfall every time I'd get up to go to the bathroom. The poor nurses were changing my dressing and cleaning me up at least five times in a night.
Next CT scan showed that the fluid had decreased, and they've narrowed down the bacteria and given me specific antibiotics rather than broad spectrum ones. And since my wound is no longer gushing but merely leaking, they allowed me to come home.
I have home nursing come every day to change my dressing. It's a relief to be home---I was going a bit mad in hospital. I'm under strict orders to take in at least 3000 calories a day which has been more of a struggle than I anticipated. But at least I'm able to eat croissants without worrying about the size of my hips!
My surgeon said that on a scale of 1-10 of Crohn's, he would place me at a 15. He said he'd never seen anything quite like it. Hmph. I've never wanted to be spectacular. Mediocrity has been more my goal.
So that's my story. Now that I'm home, I hope to heal faster, although I still seem to be in a fair bit of pain along my abdominal wall.
Anyways, I'm now an official member of the stoma club! Yay!
Kismet
Rest up, heal well and enjoy your martini.