Hi. Firstly i have a question for u. u say the doctor wants to make sure its not crohns related. Um my surgeon said that (I have UC) if it was crohns, since there is only a small difference in looks and sometimes cannot be detectedfrom a colonoscopy that as soon as he was inside of me, would be able to tell if i was for some reason misdiagnosed. could your surgeon not tell what was the deal?i am just wondering.
for me it took very little hospital recovery time. for the first surgery i was in for around 8 or 9 days, and for the reconnection of the j-pouch i was in about 5 or 6. usually once you start eating again, and have gone to the bathroom they pretty much let you leave. i had some nausia post op and threw up alot of bile on a couple occasions, but they reassured me that this was nothing unusual.
once home the recovering for me anyway was easier because i didnt have to worry about my bag leaking and my skin irritated and such.the only problem is, since not using my butt for about 7 weeks, and then begginning to go the bathroom frequently it caused a bit of irritation. but nothing a little lotion cant fix. actually I got a nice medicated lotion the surgeon told me to get called Calmoseptine ointment, which you can get at the same place you got your ostomy supplies. another trick would be to put a cotton ball "up there" after going to the bathroom as it obsorbs moistore and helps with burning. i found it also helpful the put some of the ointment on the cottonball for added comfort.
I am able to hold going to the bathroom. I know for some people the results may vary, like if they accidentally cut a nerve, or just because they say the sensation is different. but i havent found it to be a problem i think because having colitis made me used to going to thr br so much.at night,on a bad night i will get up 5 times, but on a good nite 0-2. I havent had an accident to date, and my surgery was in early october.
pouchitis is common, but not a huge deal. my surgeon told me that if you get it they give you flagil or another antibiotic and thats how they would treat it, but it is nothing to get extremely worried about.signs of this include:more frequent trips to the bathroom, pretty much a liquidy substance, and bleeding in the stool. also a fever and severe stomach pain.
I dont think there are any real major complications to worry about except maybe the precautions u could take for any surgery. but one problem i have faced is a stricture. that means that the j-pouch has narrowed, and it resulted with me feeling extremely sick and going to the bathroom about 25 times a day. first they will look inside of you to see how the pouch is doing, and if you do have a stricture they will knock you out like u were having surgery and then use a balloon tool thing and blow the pouch back up. after they did that to me i was in bed for a week and feeling rather crappy, but that was about a month ago and now i feel like a miiiiilllion times better.i go to the bathroom less frequently(on a good day 5-7 times). and i can actually eat without feeling extremely awful. last week i went to my surgeon who said he probably wouldnt ever even have to do that again. so it is worth it even though its pretty painful in the meantime.
other things i can tell you is stay away from salad and lots of raw fruit and veggies. a little lettuce on a sandwhich or some raw carrots or peaches is ok, but basically like my surgeon told me, if you eat a whole salad, you will "poop your brains out". ive found really rich things like peanut butter bothers me, but i can generally eat watever i please. i know that it is different for each person wat u can and cannot eat.
also my gastrologist said that things such as benedril(sp) will relax your bowels. i found that out a little to late, as i had been taking it to help me sleep. and i noticed the nites i was taking it i was having to get up more.and i havent taken it since she told me that a couple of weeks ago and ive gotten up 2 times at the most since then.
i can also say that it is easier to get weak and run down after these kinds of surgeries or just havin ibd ingeneral as im sure u already know. so what im trying to say is, eat healthy sturdy meals. either 3, or 6 smaller ones which are supposed to be easier to digest but i have yet to try that with school and all. but i would say it is better to eat good sturdy meals,because its not liek we have to worry about gaining weight. boy i have lost a ton, and ive always been skinny to begin with. also if you feel tired, rest if it is at all possible. if you dont there is a better chance of getting sick. also drink alot of fluids since you dont have a colon to keep the fluid you need extra. drinking a bottle of gatarade is a good idea, and lots of water.
burning can be a problem at first so you might want to avoid spicy foods like buffalo sauce and things with lots of spices. nuts,popcorn,seeds, and also sodas can cause burning. altho i drink sodas and i dont have a burning problem with them, so yet again its the individual who will have to find out.
thats about all i can think of right now, but if u have any other questions or anything just post them and im sure i can at least tell u how it was for me! haha.hope this helped at least a little! =]
--Jen