Any advice for after resection

[Kip1]

Hi all
Just saw my surgeon on monday & he said he would remove my TI, appendix & caecum so I wonder what I should expect to be like bowel wise after surgery. I dont often get D now so by removing all this will I have D more or maybe have to go more often.
Also any advice on how long the recovery will be. Surgeon says 4-6 weeks but said it would be a bigger op than the total abdominal hysterctomy I had 5 years ago.
Is there any foods I should avoid too?
I am going for pr op assesment on friday afternoon so should find out more then. Surgeon was pretty good at explaining the other day but I had my hubby with me & he worries so I didnt ask to many questions.

 

[Kip1]

Hi again
I forgot to add GI said he would start me on aza after op but surgeon said some people do just as good without it so wondered if anyone has experience of starting aza after resection who could advise me what to do.
Although I understand that everyone will react differently would be good to know from a real person how they are doing & not with figures from GI & surgeon (which seem to conflict by the way).

 

[KatieDid]

Hi I had this same surgery in September and was in the hospital for 4 days total. My surgery was done laparoscopically and the pain was a lot less severe than what I expected. Sounds funny, and it'll be the last thing that you'll feel like doing, but walking in the hospital as soon as possible after your surgery is so important! I felt waaay better after getting up and moving, although it did take my husband forcing me to get up in the first place As far as the D, my dr says eating foods that are high in fat can make it worse. I haven't really noticed much of a change in my stools, but then I'm kind of used to occasional D anyway. I too started back on imuran a couple wks after surgery and I haven't had any trouble with the med The post op diet is called GI soft; so no nuts, seeds, fruits or veggies for a few wks. Just soft, easily digestable foods. Also, i think 4-6 wks in a good estimate for recovery. I was off work for about 8 wks, but I'm a nurse and have a pretty physical job so we were super careful. I hope I could help

 

[Clews]

Hi - i had a resection in Aug 2006 and have been on AZA ever since with NO ill effects.

 

[stickman7755]

I had resection surgery in early Dec 2011. Mine started out laproscopic but ended up being an open surgery. My biggest issue was being on Vicodine after I got released from the hospital and becoming constipated. My Dr. didn't tell me that vicodine leads to constipation. My best advice is to take things step by step and don't rush anything!!! Try to get a little better every day. When I was in the hospital the first big step was sitting up, the next day I walked to the door, then the next day I walked to the nurses station. Also, when my bowel's "woke up" again, it was pretty painful.
And try to be in good shape when you go into surgery, it helps with recovery!! Good luck!! You will feel a million times better a couple months after surgery!!

 

[Kip1]

Hi thanks everyone.

Should have my op in about 4 weeks if not sooner so with plan my diet before I go in & get shopping delivered from Tesco.
At the moment I am not on any special diet as such just have things i avoid.
Did any of you have a bowel prep before hand & if so was it fast acting? I am hoping if I do I can be at home until the op day. Would hate to have bowel prep in hosp.

 

[CLynn]

Hi again
I forgot to add GI said he would start me on aza after op but surgeon said some people do just as good without it so wondered if anyone has experience of starting aza after resection who could advise me what to do.
Although I understand that everyone will react differently would be good to know from a real person how they are doing & not with figures from GI & surgeon (which seem to conflict by the way).

My GI gave me the option of going on meds after the resection. I wasn't in a flare when we did the resection, was just tired of going thru the "partial obstruction" pain every so often, so thought it time. I asked his opinion on the meds for maintenence, and he told me the same thing, that just as many doctors a/o patients will say it works as will say it doesn't. So I opted not to take it. I made it 7 years without a flare.

 

[Kip1]

Hi CLynn
Thats good to know.
Gi Says aza is good when you have active EIM so may yet decide to take it but then when i have op EIM may go away. Unsure what to do.

 

[CLynn]

I know, it's so hard to know sometimes. We all respond differently. I loved that GI, he left our state not long after my resection. I could always count on him being honest, and giving me his best opinion. After he told me the stats on the theory, I asked his honest opinion, and his agreed with mine, for my case. I just felt that after all the meds we are on when we have to be, (and all the side effects and long term side effects they cause) if they can't give me better than 50/50 odds, why do it? I might have at say 80% odds, lol! And I am sure some would not agree with me, but it was a choice that worked for me.

 

[Kip1]

My GI says its best to have aza longer term results wise results wise but surgeon says not proven.
Nothing is simple anymore. Kind of damned if you do, damned if you dont.

 

[acemagic]

Hey Kip,

I just got out of my 3rd resection of my TI about 3 weeks ago.

I was in hospital for about 1 week, got released for 2 days, but then relapsed and ended up back in there for another week and a half.

My advice is go EASY on the foods when starting back up again (clear fluids for 1 full day, then introduce puddings the 2nd day, etc etc).

Once I was released, I stayed on the bread/banana diet for a couple of days, then slowly re-introduced meats, noodles and rice and after a few more days of tolerating that, I started to introduce fruits/vegetables slowly.

But after I was back on my feet, I vastly changed my diet to remove all grains, dairy and sugar because I'm trying out the "Paleo" diet.

No now I'm basically eating fruits, veggies, meats nutsa nd seeds, but that's it. I also came back to work 3 weeks after my initial surgery. It depends on your age. If you're in your 20's, you'll probably be ok after 2-3 weeks. If you're older, it will increase from there. Don't push yourself though. Take the time to recover properly. I have a desk job, so it wasn't a lot of effort for me.

You'll also feel very tired, even doing simple tasks for a while, so again, don't push yourself.

-Adam

 

[Kip1]

Hi Adam
Thanks for the advice. I think I may give the whole diet change a go.
3rd resection for you too. Could I ask how long between each one. My sugeon says nearly everyone who has a resection will have another within 10 years.

 

[FruitLoop]

My first re-section was fantastic! I was in for about 5 days - driving after 10 and felt fantastic!!

 

[Kip1]

Gonna get lots of elasticated waist clothing too as I assume I will have major swelling.
Apparently I am having epidural for pain relief after surgery so thats a bonus as I am really sick with some pain killers.

 

[Artificial]

Hi Kip,

Hope all goes well with the op

I had a resection two months ago and didn't have to do any prep. I was in hospital for a week. I did find recovery a lot harder/tiring/painful/sicky than I was expecting but I'm sure it's not the same for everyone! The main problem i'm having now is D (a lot!) which i never had before.

x

 

[acemagic]

Hi Adam
Thanks for the advice. I think I may give the whole diet change a go.
3rd resection for you too. Could I ask how long between each one. My sugeon says nearly everyone who has a resection will have another within 10 years.

My initial surgery was in December of 2002, then 2nd one was May 2006, and the third one was a few weeks ago. So averaging 1 every 5 years.

PS, the swelling isn't so bad. That goes down in a few days. But if you're not eating anything for days and days, you'll experience weight loss. I lost 25 lbs in 3 weeks. So you may want to look at some smaller sized clothing

-Adam

 

[highlandsrock]

Hello Kip

Hope your surgery goes well. Are you going to be on an Enhanced Recovery Regime? I'd never heard of it before I was put on it for my ileostomy. I found the whole process excellent. My wife and I spent two hours with the Enhanced Recovery Nurse who went through every conceivable question you might have and explained what will happen at each stage pre and post op.

When it came to the op I didn't have any form of bowel prep and was put on an epidural for pain relief. I had a hot drink when I came round in recovery and sandwiches when I got back to the ward. Things have definitely moved on since my last op 30 years ago. The only thing I was told about was the possibility of nausea setting in a few days after surgery. (If you have a few minutes on your hands I wrote down all my experiences on a blog - Crohn's Disease - 30 years and counting.... There are chapters for each stage of the process)

With regards to recovery time - my target for leaving hospital was 7 days but it actually took 14 days. I was back driving again at 6 weeks. The criteria being able to do an emergency stop without hesitating because of scar pain. The thing that is stressed is avoiding lifting anything heavy and that includes things like a full kettle. I didn't quite follow that bit of advice but didn't suffer any ill effects apart from withering looks from my stoma nurse!

Lastly - with regards to meds - the surgeon insisted that I went back onto Azathioprine either side of the initial surgery as this had been shown to improve tolerance to the op and subsequent recovery.

If you have any other questions please ask

Regards

Nigel

 

[Kip1]

Hi
Thanks for replying everyone. Adam I do feel for you with the 3 surgeries & timescale. I have had 15 in the last 17 years although some quite minor.
Rachel I dont have to have any bowel prep either & they have said all being well will be home in around 3 days.
Nigel I will look at your blog. I am having an epidural for pain relief & apparently they have you walking about straight after that wears off.
To be honest though the pre op assesment nurse was quite moody & didnt inspire me with confident as she seemed to be going through all the negative things that could happen during surgery but when I have gone there previously for other ops obviously they have to mention the contra indications of anesthesia & surgery but they get you to sign a form then the mood is lifted. This nurse was depressing. She then had the cheek to say "are you worried or frightened by having an operation?" to which I replied "well I wasn't until I spoke to you" but she wasnt bothered by the comment.
Its a good job I have had previous surgery or she would have frightened me from having it done.
My surgeon said 3 to 4 weeks till op or cancellation but she was insisting 18 weeks. I twice said to her she was wrong & she tutted than rang surgeons secretary who confirmed what I said.
Not a good experience at all. I got back to work later & was telling my line manager & she said to report her for her attitude. I didn't though.