First Bowel Resection YIKES!!!!

[kmarcel]

I am terrified, I am scheduled to get my first bowel resection in two weeks. I've had Crohns-Disease for over 25 years and this is my first surgery. Have been on Remicade, Humira and now Cimzia.
I have no idea what to expect! I hope they will be able to do it lap and not cut me open

Does any one have any advice or experience with this???

Also I'm a smoker, I know I am really trying to quit

 

[NJZen]

I had my second resection in 2015, 25 years after my first, which i think is decent, i can go with quarter centuries! Because they didn't have lap my first go around, so they couldn't do it this time with all the scarring. He tried and couldn't do it, so they reopened the same area. Honestly wasn't so terrible, when you live with Crohn's a few days with drug-dulled pain is actually a relief, and I tell my stepkids my scar is a zipper to hide snacks from their mom.

Really not much to tell, they'll put you under, do their business, and you'll be home in a few days. Just need to eat a bit, pee and poop, and you are good to go. After the surgery I had a nice on-demand morphine drip. If not lap you'll be home about 3 weeks before going back to work if in an office, 6 weeks if you do physical labor. I made sure to bring plenty of books, my laptop, etc, as it can be a longish stay. Try to relax, there is no reason to be terrified. Think of it as much needed downtime, no stress, not responsibilities. Get super friendly with the staff, interact a lot, I was one of their favorite patients in the ward because I was determined to be lighthearted, friendly, and positive. It paid off handsomely after the procedure because I was well liked and cared for by all. I also used that surgery as my opportunity to quit smoking for good.

For me, the first year afterwards was great. I was not on anything but Pentasa and close to remission. It did creep back, but this time I'm trying to be more proactive about it and now on anti-spas and biologics.

If your hospital has them, tell them you want the hospital pajamas, not the gown! It made me feel much more human to wear those. Bottom line is you're going in, so own it! You get to lay in bed all day, watch TV, surf the web, ride the fridge for ice cream, and take some good drugs!

 

[kmarcel]

Thank you very much, I appreciate it. I was just in the hospital vomiting for 5 days non stop, fever etc... I have two blockages. That was pure hell!!! Don't want to go through that again, so opting for the surgery. I've had several other surgeries, 2 C-sections, removal of my left ovary, and tube. So I'm thinking there gonna have to cut me open. Too much scar tissue. I have issue with surgery though. My body turns to cement inside. Last two C-sections I was impacted both times. AHHHHHH!!!!!!
This totally sucks. All's I have to say, is I better be feeling better and no more crohns !!!!

 

[NJZen]

Ahh well, they can certainly try first, my incision was a good six inches or more from above my navel down, which is pretty extreme and they needed to get at that same area so you never know.

Impacted as in stool? Could that be from the pain killers? I know I lived on MoM for a week or so afterwards, which was kind of ironic that I was taking something to make myself go after years of not being able to stop.

Yup had the vomiting for about 6 months as we tried different medications. Was not enough Prednisone in the world to make that stricture go away. By the time I had surgery I couldn't get anything down but yogurt smoothies, ensure, and well chewed saltines.

 

[ronroush7]

I had to be opened up. They tried to get me up and moving the next day. I was operated on in early April. I think it was June before I went back to work. It was six weeks before I could lift above 25 lbs. I walked at least twice a day. I had my Kindle and a couple of puzzle books. You will be fine.

 

[emilyt804]

I am terrified, I am scheduled to get my first bowel resection in two weeks. I've had Crohns-Disease for over 25 years and this is my first surgery. Have been on Remicade, Humira and now Cimzia.
I have no idea what to expect! I hope they will be able to do it lap and not cut me open

Does any one have any advice or experience with this???

Also I'm a smoker, I know I am really trying to quit

I had a bowel re-section in 2009. Everyone's experience is different, but talk with your doctor about pain control options prior to having surgery. I was able to be on a PCA pump (I think I got .8 of some unit or other of morphine) every six minutes for the first couple of days. The PCA was GREAT!

I've also had my appendix out. That was in 2008 and they did the pain relief via IV push. IV push morphine did not work for me *at all*. I'd get three to five minutes of minor relief and then I'd spend *hours* clock-watching until I could have my next dose. Even after the first 24 hours, which were brutal, I just cried and cried and cried. It didn't help that it was the weekend, and for a nurse to find a doctor to change my pain control order was apparently next-to-impossible.

So, talk about pain relief while you are still NOT in pain!

That said, I found my bowel resection to be no big deal at all. It helped that I was young and otherwise healthy (25 and about 114 pounds at the time of surgery).

The less you can weigh, within the limits of health, before surgery, the easier your recovery will be.

With abdominal surgery, you'll find you had muscles you didn't even know existed, because they will hurt. Try doing ten minutes of abdominal Pilates every day before your surgery. You can plank, or do push-ups, or side plank, or crab walk...whatever works for you.

After surgery, you will thank yourself for all the exercise you did before surgery.

I knew surgery was probably on the horizon for me, so I worked out just about every day between June and November of 2009.

The less fatty tissue you have in your abdomen, the better/faster your scars will heal as well. Don't ask me why or how.

I just know I was a bit out of shape prior to my appendectomy, and that was heck on wheels.

Best of luck! Planned bowel re-sections are SO much smarter and better than unplanned bowel re-sections. Please know that you are doing the right thing.

 

[emilyt804]

Bring Gas-X to the hospital; you will need it.

They don't tell you this, often times, but during laparoscopic surgery, they pump your stomach full of gas so that the camera/instruments can see and be seen better.

Gas pain is easily like half your pain with a bowel re-section.

 

[emilyt804]

Also, I don't know if your GI has talked with you about this, but try really really hard to get off your prednisone/other steroids before surgery because steroids impair the body's ability to make your wounds heal.

If you're on a little bit of prednisone and you can't kick like the last five milligrams, don't worry. But just try to get off it if you can.

 

[The Real MC]

Required reading

What to expect after surgery
Small Intestine Resection - Glad you did it?
What to pack for the hospital

 

[NJZen]

Also, I don't know if your GI has talked with you about this, but try really really hard to get off your prednisone/other steroids before surgery because steroids impair the body's ability to make your wounds heal.

Wow, that's interesting. I was on a ridiculous IV dose at the time, can't remember how much but it was an ungodly amount. It took me two months to step down.

 

[emilyt804]

NJZen,

Yes, getting down off the steroids is standard pre-surgery advice in Crohn's, when *possible*.

Possible is the key word here.

My mom's had multiple small bowel re-sections, so I've been around this super-fun (heh!) merry-go-round both as a supporting relative and as the patient.