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Proctocolectomy surgery

Tomorrow I'm having my temporary ileostomy made permanent. I'm kind of excited that I will no longer need to run to the bathroom when I have to pass mucous haha. I'm also a bit nervous about the recovery. I'm going to one of the best surgeons for the surgery and he will be performing it laparoscopically. I'm lucky that this surgery is not being done because of a serious medical issue I, having now, but rather as a preventative of cancer. I hope to chronicle my journey through recovery in some form, whether it be here or via blog. I hope everyone here is doing well, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you all
 
Hope everything unfolds successfully for you, Jeff, and that you have a quick healing period.

Will be thinking of you...

All the best,

Kismet
 
So I had my surgery and it went really well. He took out all of my colon and left a one inch stump so I heal quicker. I'm doing alright except for the gas in my stomach. It's causing me tons of pain. I was happy that I was able to make five laps around the ward. The worst parts are the catheter and the drain I have. The drain hurt quite a but, especial when they push on it. I've never had a catheter before and it is quite uncomfortable.

Thank you all for your kind messages. If you have any questions on how they did the surgery or how I'm coping don't hesitate to ask.
 
So I had my surgery and it went really well. He took out all of my colon and left a one inch stump so I heal quicker. I'm doing alright except for the gas in my stomach. It's causing me tons of pain. I was happy that I was able to make five laps around the ward. The worst parts are the catheter and the drain I have. The drain hurt quite a but, especial when they push on it. I've never had a catheter before and it is quite uncomfortable.

Thank you all for your kind messages. If you have any questions on how they did the surgery or how I'm coping don't hesitate to ask.
Glad to hear that you made it out ok!

The gas will pass quickly (no pun intended!) :ylol2: Just keep walking and doing your thing. Yes, the catheter can be a bother. You'll have it out in no time :)
 
Yeah my nurse is wondering why the docs haven't said anything about taking it out yet. It's super uncomfortable. I just can't wait for the gas to pass and to be able to eat solid food. I'm thinking either pizza or pasta from my favorite pizza place haha. It was four years ago when I had my first ileostomy so I'm not sure if pizza will be okay to eat haha.
 
Great news, Jeff! Glad the surgery went well...five laps is pretty impressive!

And yep, it's hard not to dream about all the foods you wanna eat post-surgery! Hope they take the stupid catheter out quickly so your comfort shifts.

Stay well and keep walking/moving!

Kismet
 
Pizza can be fine, depending on the topping. I eat homemade ones with tomato puree (no tomato skins or seeds), cheese, ham, tuna - basically avoid the vegetable toppings (no olives, capers, peppers or mushrooms, and you might want to avoid any spicy meat toppings too).

Hope your recovery is going well. :)
 
Thank y'all so much! I'm feeling quit a bit better. I just made 8 laps around the circular hall. They stopped my dilaudid unless I absolutely need it but I think I'm feeling better without it. I have some pain but nothing too bad.
 
I've finally been released and am now relaxing at home, waiting to have some good pizza haha. No, I'll wait a bit for the pizza. Thank you all for your help. I'm healing well and am looking forward to being completely healed.
 
I've finally been released and am now relaxing at home, waiting to have some good pizza haha. No, I'll wait a bit for the pizza. Thank you all for your help. I'm healing well and am looking forward to being completely healed.
Awesome stuff Jeff! You'll be healed up in no time! :drink:
 
Thank y'all so much. Last time I was in so much pain for about six weeks and I was so nervous that I would have the same issue now but it seems that since most of the gas has passed I'm doing much better. I'm having a difficult time standing straight due to the incision site, and the drain site which may actually hurt more. If y'all have any tips for standing upright I would be very appreciative to hear them. Thank y'all so much for everything!
 
I forgot to ask my doc but is buffalo sauce able to be eaten after surgery? I tolerated it just fine before the surgery, and I don't expect to be able to eat it right away, but I would like to know if I can start soon as it's a staple for my lunch (chicken wraps with buffalo suave, or BBQ sauce, depending on the day). Thank you
 
I don't see why not! Spicy stuff may make your output more watery, but preventing obstructions is the biggest concern with new stomas when it comes to dietary restrictions.
 
Thank you 2thFairy!

I'm really getting annoyed with this low residue diet. Every website I look at seems to be at odds with the next website. I'm just looking for something with flavor right now. I have a difficult time eating plain foods for more than a few meals.
 
I was offered BBQ while still in the hospital. I was the opposite of you, though, and only wanted bland food for the first month.
 
Haha, wow! That's pretty awesome! Well, the first time I had my surgery I only wanted bland food, but they haven't changed my stoma (just stapled off where they cut off my colon). The usable inside parts of me are exactly how I was before surgery. That part feels great. The only parts that hurt are the incision sites haha. I'm just wanting to make sure I don't overdo it.
 
I'm really getting annoyed with this low residue diet. Every website I look at seems to be at odds with the next website. I'm just looking for something with flavor right now. I have a difficult time eating plain foods for more than a few meals.
I still get confused with the difference between low fibre and low residue. I think there are a few things that are classed as low fibre but not low residue - dairy and coffee being two of them, if I remember correctly.

I was looking for low fibre recipes recently and came across this site: http://kelliesfoodtoglow.com/nutrition-and-cancer/help-with-a-low-fibre-diet/

It says lettuce is allowed to be eaten on a low fibre diet, but I've always avoided it because I'm sure it contains fibre. :confused2:

It has some low fibre/low residue recipes though, and some tips for making the diet more interesting and flavoursome.

I prefer plain food, I think I'd prefer it even if I didn't have all the digestive issues, I don't like much spicy food.

Edit: It seems I had the wrong idea about lettuce, after some googling it looks like lettuce is low fibre. I think my confusion was a result of the fact that many sources advise avoiding lettuce following ileostomy surgery. I have an ileostomy that blocks very easily, so I'm careful to avoid the foods that usually cause blockages, and I tend to conflate these foods with high fibre foods. It's very confusing!
 
I find that lettuce - like all leafy greens - comes through as lettuce! I don't seem to digest it at all.:eek2:
 
I find that lettuce - like all leafy greens - comes through as lettuce! I don't seem to digest it at all.:eek2:
Yes, I think that's why it causes stoma blockages - it's the foods that don't break down that clump together and cause a problem!
 
Raw spinach clumps very easily.
Shrimp is very fibrous and doesn't break down well, and the same for mushrooms.

I had trouble with bamboo shoots. Wasn't thinking about it and just ate some. It caused an obstruction. When it finally cleared, I was staring at this big ball of fiber. Ick!!
 
Thank you so much for the website! I'll be checking it out for recipes.

I also remember being told to avoid lettuce. They always told me a piece on a hamburger is fine but to avoid salads. I will probably always avoid lettuce, at least large qualities of it. Though I haven't had a problem with seaweed in the past.
 
Just to add; the times I've had blockages it wasn't a particular food that was at issue, it was the overall amount of unbreakdownable foods over a few consecutive days. I always avoided the most likely suspects of blockages - sweetcorn, mushrooms, etc. - but had been eating things like fruits with skin and raw tomatoes. I'd tried them in small amounts, in isolation (i.e. testing one food at a time, then leaving it a couple of days to see if there was a reaction). Then I made the mistake of assuming that meant the foods that I'd tested were ok. But they weren't ok when eaten in larger quantities and/or when a few of these foods were all eaten within a short time of each other (a few days in my case).

That's what happened with my first, most major, blockage. The second was less major, but again resulted from me seeing what I could get away with by gradually increasing the amounts of fibrous foods - I thought I'd get some minor symptoms and know when I was reaching the amount I could tolerate. But I didn't, I went straight from feeling fine to (partial) blockage. The third was even more minor, same situation - I was trying it again because I had a new stoma. My second, current stoma can tolerate a lot more than my first, but again it seemed the only way to find out was the hard way, though because I was by now much more careful, the blockage was less painful and passed much easier than the first. I'm being extra careful at the moment because my weight's so low I can't afford another blockage that will interfere with eating, which may also be something you want to keep in mind - when you're recovering from surgery, you need energy to heal, so a blockage could really mess things up. You'll have time to experiment with other foods when you're all better.
 
I noticed the same thing. My first blockage was due to me being severely dehydrated and still having inflammation in my stoma from surgery. I had my blockage just a few days after my surgery. Since then I get small blockages when I eat a lot of food that just barely don't block me when eating by themselves.
 
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