- Joined
- Feb 8, 2008
- Messages
- 60
Hi everyone. I told you I'd post my experience of resection surgery once i felt up to it. Well today's the day. The surgery was a Ileocaecal resection. This is pretty long winded account but I'd thought I'd get in alot of detail for those of you, like me prior to my surgery, who want as much info as possible on personal experiences.
I had the surgery 2 weeks ago today. Once i got to the hospital i had the normal pre-op prep. i.e. blood taken, vital signs taken, chat with surgeon and the anesthesiologist etc. The anesthesiologist discussed with me what kind of pain relief i would prefer post-op. He gave me the choice of epidural or morphine via a manual clicker. I went for the morphine.
I was called early as they had a cancellation and so i prepared. Gown on, anti-embolism socks on. I was taken down to theater soon after. There's something strange about that journey down to theater, it's a bit lonely and gives you too much time to think about what's about to happen. The good thing is that it doesn't last long and very soon after i was out for the count.
I woke up in recovery and can't really remember too much. I was eventually taken up to my room. The whole process of surgery and recovery room took about 4 hours i was told. The resection had been a success, i was told. About 8 inches of bowel was removed along with my appendix. The surgeon also found that i had a Meckel's Diverticulum which is a rare congenital abnormality of the small intestine (google it for more info). He took that out too. The surgery was done the old fashion way, the size of the inflammation and stricture meant it could not be done laproscopicaly. I has a cannula in my arm that was attached to a fluid drip and the morphine clicker. I also had a catheter inserted, you know where, into my bladder.
I was told i could drink after 1 day and eat as soon as i felt up to it. I think it was about day 3 or 4 before i tried to eat anything though. The catheter was removed after about 3 days, not an experience i would want to repeat in a hurry. They had me up from the bed by the second day and walking, all be it slowly, by the third day. The pain was terrible when i tried to get up from the bed or chair, it pretty much brought me to tears it was that bad. By this time the morphine had been taken away and i was on tablet pain relief and prednisone for the remainder of my stay. The prednisone would live up to its terrible reputation later in the week but more of that later.
I was released after 6 days (Thursday). The scar was checked and looked fine prior to me being released and i was told to come back in 4 days to have the staples removed. I was given strong pain relief to take home and told to stop the prednisone steroids. And so i went home. A day past at home and the pain gradually increased and i started to notice the area around the scar dressing became red and my abdomen became inflamed on one side. On the Friday evening the dressing was stained and i began to smell something quite disgusting coming from the wound. I decided to change the dressing and upon its removal i saw that there was discharge coming from in between 2 of the staples. What was coming out smelt of nothing you can imagine. It was time to go to A&E (ER). As you have probably already guessed, the wound had become infected. The doctor in A&E layed me down and what happened next i would not wish on anyone. He removed several more staples and then started squeezing the area around the wound. I was told later that about 3 coke cans of pus came out, no i was not looking to see for myself, the smell i could not get away from however. I doubt i'll smell anything worse in my entire life. I was eventually back in the ward on IV antibiotics with stoma bag placed over the open part of the wound to collect any draining pus. I spent 4 more day in hospital waiting for the drainage to get under control and the results of swabs to come back. Luckily the infection was of the outer would and not of the bowel resection itself.
The surgeon told me that with an infection this bad most people would have had a high fever and the wound would have been inflamed and red whilst i was still in hospital the first time round. I however had none of these symptoms whilst i was recovering from the resection surgery. It was all down to the prednisone. They were masking all the symptoms of the infection. It was only when i was told to stop taking them that after a day the symptoms took hold. He told me that a similar thing happened to a women patient of his who was on prednisone for a lung complaint. He had seen her for a consultation. She felt fine and was sitting on the chair reading the newspaper. The prednisone was masking the symptoms of a ruptured bowel, she needed emergency surgery whereby he found solid faeces leaking into her abdomen. This drug really is both fantastic and terrible at the same time. I was in love with prednisone before this happened.
Anyway, i was released for the second time 2 days ago. I am now ready to start my recovery period. I now have a large wound half of which is closed and half open. I am told it will have to be left open to close in its own time. It will need to be changed and cleaned every couple of days. I still have pain when i try to get up but it seems to be improving day by day. I will keep you all up to on how my recovery goes.
Take care. Feel free to ask any questions.
I had the surgery 2 weeks ago today. Once i got to the hospital i had the normal pre-op prep. i.e. blood taken, vital signs taken, chat with surgeon and the anesthesiologist etc. The anesthesiologist discussed with me what kind of pain relief i would prefer post-op. He gave me the choice of epidural or morphine via a manual clicker. I went for the morphine.
I was called early as they had a cancellation and so i prepared. Gown on, anti-embolism socks on. I was taken down to theater soon after. There's something strange about that journey down to theater, it's a bit lonely and gives you too much time to think about what's about to happen. The good thing is that it doesn't last long and very soon after i was out for the count.
I woke up in recovery and can't really remember too much. I was eventually taken up to my room. The whole process of surgery and recovery room took about 4 hours i was told. The resection had been a success, i was told. About 8 inches of bowel was removed along with my appendix. The surgeon also found that i had a Meckel's Diverticulum which is a rare congenital abnormality of the small intestine (google it for more info). He took that out too. The surgery was done the old fashion way, the size of the inflammation and stricture meant it could not be done laproscopicaly. I has a cannula in my arm that was attached to a fluid drip and the morphine clicker. I also had a catheter inserted, you know where, into my bladder.
I was told i could drink after 1 day and eat as soon as i felt up to it. I think it was about day 3 or 4 before i tried to eat anything though. The catheter was removed after about 3 days, not an experience i would want to repeat in a hurry. They had me up from the bed by the second day and walking, all be it slowly, by the third day. The pain was terrible when i tried to get up from the bed or chair, it pretty much brought me to tears it was that bad. By this time the morphine had been taken away and i was on tablet pain relief and prednisone for the remainder of my stay. The prednisone would live up to its terrible reputation later in the week but more of that later.
I was released after 6 days (Thursday). The scar was checked and looked fine prior to me being released and i was told to come back in 4 days to have the staples removed. I was given strong pain relief to take home and told to stop the prednisone steroids. And so i went home. A day past at home and the pain gradually increased and i started to notice the area around the scar dressing became red and my abdomen became inflamed on one side. On the Friday evening the dressing was stained and i began to smell something quite disgusting coming from the wound. I decided to change the dressing and upon its removal i saw that there was discharge coming from in between 2 of the staples. What was coming out smelt of nothing you can imagine. It was time to go to A&E (ER). As you have probably already guessed, the wound had become infected. The doctor in A&E layed me down and what happened next i would not wish on anyone. He removed several more staples and then started squeezing the area around the wound. I was told later that about 3 coke cans of pus came out, no i was not looking to see for myself, the smell i could not get away from however. I doubt i'll smell anything worse in my entire life. I was eventually back in the ward on IV antibiotics with stoma bag placed over the open part of the wound to collect any draining pus. I spent 4 more day in hospital waiting for the drainage to get under control and the results of swabs to come back. Luckily the infection was of the outer would and not of the bowel resection itself.
The surgeon told me that with an infection this bad most people would have had a high fever and the wound would have been inflamed and red whilst i was still in hospital the first time round. I however had none of these symptoms whilst i was recovering from the resection surgery. It was all down to the prednisone. They were masking all the symptoms of the infection. It was only when i was told to stop taking them that after a day the symptoms took hold. He told me that a similar thing happened to a women patient of his who was on prednisone for a lung complaint. He had seen her for a consultation. She felt fine and was sitting on the chair reading the newspaper. The prednisone was masking the symptoms of a ruptured bowel, she needed emergency surgery whereby he found solid faeces leaking into her abdomen. This drug really is both fantastic and terrible at the same time. I was in love with prednisone before this happened.
Anyway, i was released for the second time 2 days ago. I am now ready to start my recovery period. I now have a large wound half of which is closed and half open. I am told it will have to be left open to close in its own time. It will need to be changed and cleaned every couple of days. I still have pain when i try to get up but it seems to be improving day by day. I will keep you all up to on how my recovery goes.
Take care. Feel free to ask any questions.
