Wanted to give an update on my surgery, as reading some of your posts from your experiences helped me!
I had surgery Wed the 17th for stricture. Had about 12 inches total of instestine removed, mostly small but some colon as well. This is my first surgery ever of any kind so I did not know what to expect. It went very well for the most part. One of the worst parts was actually the morning of the surgery, BEFORE the surgery. The day before is clear liquids only, bowel prep, and anti-biotics. I guess the anti-biotics on an empty stomach REALLY did not agree with me. I was sooo sick starting at 4am that morning that I was scared they would not do the surgery. I was vomitting bile and dry heaving almost constantly from 4am til after I got to the hospital at 8am. Even after they gave me zofran and phenegren I still was not past it 100%...so luckily the team was ready to operate so we started early and they just put me out! lol. I remember the anesthesiologist telling me what they were going to do, right after I had climbed over to the operating table, and the next thing I know they are waking me up and I'm thinking...really? I'm done? You've already gutted me and put me back together again? lol. I had very little pain. I was just freezing so they piled all kinds of warm blankets on me. I think they had given me an intra-thecal (sp?)... that is a pain block in the spine I believe. I had it during one of my childbirths. Anyway, I was on a PCA with morphine after that. The worst day was Friday when I had to get up and move around more. It hurt like heck but it was mostly my fault... I got freaked out and tensed up then couldn't relax my stomach muscles and started screaming in pain (very briefly). They couldn't reach the dr to give me anything more and I was almost hyperventilating... I had memorized Psalm 91 before going into surgery and I started speaking it over and over and my mom prayed over me and the next thing you know I'm calm and feeling better! They did finally give me something for anxiety but I pretty much didn't need it by then. Since then it has been what I guess would be the usual when you've had abdominal surgery... you just don't realize what all you use those muscles for. I was able to go back to a liquid diet the next day after the surgery as I started passing gas, then on to full liquid and finally soft diet on Sunday night. They want you to have a bowel movement before you go home... that took about 4 days, then I came home on Monday afternoon and I go back Friday to remove the staples. Anyway, I am looking forward to eating some veggies again without ending up in the ER! I haven't had anything too daring yet but had some lasagna last night and tolerated it fine. I have been on prednisone at least 20 mg daily since July and my surgeon has told me to do 10 mg for 3 days then QUIT. I'm so excited about that!! He said we would talk to my gi specialist at a later date about whether I need maintenance drugs. ( I was on cimzia before the surgery and it did not help, as the damage had already been done when I started taking it).
I had surgery Wed the 17th for stricture. Had about 12 inches total of instestine removed, mostly small but some colon as well. This is my first surgery ever of any kind so I did not know what to expect. It went very well for the most part. One of the worst parts was actually the morning of the surgery, BEFORE the surgery. The day before is clear liquids only, bowel prep, and anti-biotics. I guess the anti-biotics on an empty stomach REALLY did not agree with me. I was sooo sick starting at 4am that morning that I was scared they would not do the surgery. I was vomitting bile and dry heaving almost constantly from 4am til after I got to the hospital at 8am. Even after they gave me zofran and phenegren I still was not past it 100%...so luckily the team was ready to operate so we started early and they just put me out! lol. I remember the anesthesiologist telling me what they were going to do, right after I had climbed over to the operating table, and the next thing I know they are waking me up and I'm thinking...really? I'm done? You've already gutted me and put me back together again? lol. I had very little pain. I was just freezing so they piled all kinds of warm blankets on me. I think they had given me an intra-thecal (sp?)... that is a pain block in the spine I believe. I had it during one of my childbirths. Anyway, I was on a PCA with morphine after that. The worst day was Friday when I had to get up and move around more. It hurt like heck but it was mostly my fault... I got freaked out and tensed up then couldn't relax my stomach muscles and started screaming in pain (very briefly). They couldn't reach the dr to give me anything more and I was almost hyperventilating... I had memorized Psalm 91 before going into surgery and I started speaking it over and over and my mom prayed over me and the next thing you know I'm calm and feeling better! They did finally give me something for anxiety but I pretty much didn't need it by then. Since then it has been what I guess would be the usual when you've had abdominal surgery... you just don't realize what all you use those muscles for. I was able to go back to a liquid diet the next day after the surgery as I started passing gas, then on to full liquid and finally soft diet on Sunday night. They want you to have a bowel movement before you go home... that took about 4 days, then I came home on Monday afternoon and I go back Friday to remove the staples. Anyway, I am looking forward to eating some veggies again without ending up in the ER! I haven't had anything too daring yet but had some lasagna last night and tolerated it fine. I have been on prednisone at least 20 mg daily since July and my surgeon has told me to do 10 mg for 3 days then QUIT. I'm so excited about that!! He said we would talk to my gi specialist at a later date about whether I need maintenance drugs. ( I was on cimzia before the surgery and it did not help, as the damage had already been done when I started taking it).