Low residue after surgery-question about pain!

[Mia E]

low residue after surgery-question about pain!

Hi there,
not sure if this is the right place to ask this or in the diet forum!
but anyway..:sign0085:

so i had my surgery 2 weeks ago and have been on low residue diet since. Initially my problem was diarrhoea, but things have become more solid and i have a lot of discomfort and dull pain in my abdomen, particularly intermittent sharp pain in the lower right side where I suppose is where they reconnected the small intestine to the large intestine.

i added carrots to my diet yesterday and had a slice of wheaten bread (the dietician in hospital told me to add fibre once things became more solid) but now i am scared to eat anything more in case it all backs up and damages my internal stitches/busts anything/aggravates it. maybe the pain is my bowel getting used to having solid faeces in there, and them moving around when everything is still healing from the surgery.

i suppose i'm scared of the pain in there and what it means, can anyone please share your experience? advice on where to go from here and what to eat?
thanks :smile:

 

[cecilialynn]

Hi I have UC so i guess it depends on what kind of surgery. when i had mine back in Feb i too was on a low residule diet. I was reconnected to my rectum. I no longer have a colon. They removed the ostomy bag and reconnected me. It was a couple of weeks before i even tried solids . Mostly ate soups, white bread ,white rice ,bananas, eggs etc. Its been 2 mths now and i am eating solids ,pizza, chicken, and lots of other foods , but only this wek am i starting to eat anything with fiber. Your pain may be from fiber foods. I hope this info helps in some small way. Otherwise get in touch with ur GI specialist. Good luck. On prednisone, calcium, vit D and multi vit.

 

[Switalski]

Mia,
I swear I can feel the anastimosis site at times, although I don't know if this is possible. I also have some pain on my right side that I think is referred pain from the belly button incision. As for the low residue diet, I was told upon discharge that I would be on it for a month. I have not tried raw vegetables or complex grains/fiber. I have had well-cooked (soft) vegetables and those have digested just fine. Otherwise, my diet is pretty much like cecilialynn's original diet. If you are worried about backing up or causing damage, you could talk to your physician about taking a stool softner. I took one each day while on pain meds and it worked just right.

 

[Jamie Everitt]

Hi Mia,

I had my surgery last week, and have been eating what ever I like, including grains etc. My surgeon did not advise a low residue diet or anything. I still have the very loose stools, but understand it can last up to 8 weeks after surgery.

My wound keeps leaking though, which sucks as it is all puss!

J

 

[Mia E]

thanks cecilialynn and Switalski, its reassuring to know that you stayed on the diet for that length of time..i think i was rushing it and worrying too much! yesterday i was so emotional too (im going to blame the predisone!) i think i just scared myself completely thinking of all the complications that could happen :runaway: .

switalski i'm so happy for you to say you feel like you can feel the anastimosis site, thats exactly what i am feeling. maybe its all in my head but im sure i can feel the food passing by it lol since i had a tendency towards loose stools i'm reluctant to take a stool softner, i'll see how the next few days go.

jamie its good to know the surgeons are happy for you to eat normally, that tells me that our guts, even when cut up and sewed back together are able to work and not bust lol

i think im going to still go easy on the food, perhaps keep adding a few well cooked veg but not rush it.

thanks everyone, i love this forum :ghug:

 

[lseibert]

Mia,

I just wanted to thank you for your post :cheers:, I had the same surgery 2 weeks ago today and have been wondering the same things you asked. I'm also having sharp pains in my right side and wondering if I can tear open where they reconnected my small to the large bowel?
And all the responses helped too!!

I am so thankful for this forum and all the great info I can get at any time!!.....:ghug:

 

[OnMyOwn]

Hi Mia & Linda - I wanted to let you both know that I am 8 weeks post-op (resection terminal ileum) and still feeling the pain at the anastimosis site. In fact, this was at the top of my list of questions for my surgeon when I had my followup appointment a few days ago. I was especially worried because my pain is in my lower right abdomen even though my incision is much higher (laparoscopic). He assured me that most of his patients complain of feeling pain/discomfort in the same area and have the same fears (I explained to him that I was picturing my newly sewn together small and large intestine unraveling).
Anyway, he said that he finds that people tend to feel a big difference in feeling more normal at the three month mark.

As far as diet goes, they told me that I could return to a normal diet after 4 weeks. At 8 weeks, I've pretty much stayed on the low-res diet, slowly adding new foods and seeing how it goes. Pain meds will slow things down. I definitely found the stool softener to be helpful in the first few weeks. Also, I found bananas to be a great food to eat.

Hope this helps and best wishes to both of you for a speedy recovery!

 

[Jamie Everitt]

Is everybody pretty much in agreement, that 3 months post op is the point at which our guts should be good to go? Earlier in this post, I "bragged" that I was able to eat whatever, but the last few days, anything rich in either carbs and/or fat, is giving me severe D. Also my insides gurgle and bubble all day and night, so loudly that my wife has demoted me to the sofa at night, as it keeps her up!

And it was all going so well...

J

 

[Mia E]

thanks onmyown, i just spotted your response today, it definitely good to know that its still normal for it all to feel this way up until 3 months. i think i thought it would be fixed by now, "it *has* been 3 weeks!" :ybatty: lol i cant imagine people going back to work at this stage, it definitely helps to have understanding employers.

jamie, i really empathise with you...i know that feeling where its all going well, then you're hit with reality again. when i started this thread i was worried about it all becoming solid. it is now a mixture of solid and D...its just had to predict how things will be. i join you in looking towards the 3 month mark with hope lol i suppose it is different for everyone.

jamie i know you were eating everything from the outset, what part of the intestines did they do surgery on? it might explain problems with high fat foods. im cautious with high fat too (although all the easter eggs still sitting from when i was in hospital keep tempting me to have a nibble every day! :yum: ) as i had the ileocecal valve removed.

all the best x

 

[Jamie Everitt]

Hi Mia,

I had 30 cm of ileum removed, as well as 2cm of large intestine, just to be sure. I have my follow up appointment in 12 weeks, I'm hoping that by then, I will be vastly improved.

I am finding, that anything other than lean protein, is causing me to feel very tired as well as "urgent"

Take care.

J

 

[lseibert]

Thank OnMYOwn,

I appreciate the insight of someone who is a little ahead of me in post-surgery!
Wishing everyone a speedy recovery!!

:hug:

 

[OnMyOwn]

Happy to share my story ladies! Best wishes to you both! I head back to work on monday. I'm feeling pretty good except that my stomach still feels like a battle zone. I carry a lot of extra weight in my stomach so the Dr says I may feel the scar tissue/adhesions for quite a long time. Small price to pay I guess.

Jamie - It sounds like we had very similar surgeries. I had 38cm of terminal ileum removed and 4 cm of large intestine. If you're feeling tired have your B12 levels checked. The terminal ileum is responsible for absorbing B12, which is a necessary nutrient. You may find that a B12 shot will help replace what your digestive system can no longer absorb.

 

[Mia E]

Jamie, I agree with onmyown- have your b12 checked!
I had very similar to you Jamie, 30 cm of small and not sure how much of large! I've read that with the valve missing there is a lot of adjusting to do.
Today I'm feeling rough! I think everyone round me expects me to feel a lot better and to be out and about, but I just feel crappy! I wana lie and st chocolate cos it is my comfort food, but I did that last night and I think it explains the D I have today this sucks!
Maybe I should be posting on the vent forum! Sorry guys!x

 

[Jamie Everitt]

I feel your pain Mia, it seems like 2 steps forward, one back all the time with recovery. My wound is now sealed, finally, but now I feel dizzy and tired a lot. My boss wants me back in work next week, which is 4 weeks pots op, but I'm worried I won't be ready.

I will be sure to mention my b12 levels later this week, when I see my dr about the dizziness.

Take care everybody.

J

 

[Mia E]

J, this thurs for me is 4 wks post op and I still have 2 wks sick line after then. I think it's important to look after yourself especially if ur still Run down and dizzy. Yor gp will write a sick line and advice for phased return so don't hesitate to take t if you need it! Another thing is the running to loo unexpectedly so keep that in mind when deciding to return! What's ur job?x

 

[Jamie Everitt]

Hi Mia,

Yes, that has been on my mind, luckily most of the time I am in my normal office, I manage an IT service desk, which is stressful, but physically easy. Funnily, I was just re-reading my recovery leaflet, which was provided to me by the hospital, and it states that if the D is still bad after a couple of weeks, I am to tell my GP and he will prescribe me something to help. I'll do this as well tomorrow.

Take care.

J

 

[Mia E]

All the best, let me know what he says!

 

[Jamie Everitt]

Well he would not give me anything. I do however have to take him a stool sample, nice! It's so annoying, I don't want to go out anywhere just in case.

Oh well, I guess all that can be done, is to make the best of what we have, and be as positive as we can.

Hope you are well.

J