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Surgery update

Hi all well I survived surgery on Monday, all went according to plan, they removed 1 foot via keyhole and one slightly larger incision through my belly button. Any advice as to whether the belly button ever resembles normality would be good please? Also they've stopped my pentasa already and hoping to taper off pred within the next couple of weeks so pretty much the result I was aiming for. One last question they're waiting now to see if my bowels work so how long did it take you after surgery for this to happen as I don't want to get too panicky about it? Thanks again for any advice
 
Glad you are doing well after surgery. Healing takes time, but sounds like you are on the right road. Do not push it and left your body tell you when it is ready for normal activites.
 
Hey Archie glad you diong well,my surgery was on a Thur I had solid food on friday and pooped Friday night,don't freak out the first couple will have blood in them from the surgery,get up and walk as much as you can thats gets things moving.Good Luck

Surgery July 2010
Maintinance drug is 6mp.
 
Thanks for the replies, 5 iron it took me 5 days before going!!! but all in working order thankfully, what surgery did you have and how are you doing now, hope your keeping well
 
You asked about belly button scars. How long was your incision? My scar starts about an inch above and goes about 2 inches below the belly button. They used some kind of glue instead of stitches. It was really gross and I could not keep from picking at it. Is that what they used on you? For me 5 months after surgery the belly button looks interesting but not icky. Most of the color is back to normal but the shape is a bit funny. I am glad you are doing well. I hope they let you go home soon.
 
thanks for replying, yes it was a bit freaky at first as I hadn't even thought about the look of the scar or my belly button, presently I can't work out were my belly button was but it looks like they went 1' above and about 3'' below, I asked the surgeon to look at it and he said it was still there and will resemble one eventually!!! my husband just says i've got 3 belly buttons now so to stop worrying!!! I have about 10 staples in mine which will come out on thurs but the swelling has already started to go down.
 
Just an update on me:

Thanksgiving day was awesome for me, well the first half, then i went to ER in severe pain at around 9:30pm EST. CT showed an abscess where my Crohns was and there was a perforation. I was scheduled Dec13 originally to remove some of my small/large and appendix where the crohns disease was affecting me, but due to abscess i had it done Nov 27. Was supposed to happen at 11am EST. i was in pre-op getting prepped for it and then i got bumped due to someone in ICU needing surgery right away, It was only an 2 hour bump but anticipation killed me. haha. They actually gave me some sedatives to relax me for 2 hours.

Surgery went by quick. they were talking with me and then all of the sudden i remember waking up groggy and in pain, but pain meds were being administered to me right then. I had about 4 inches of my large intestine removed/6 inches of my small intestine, my appendix and then the abscess was taken care of too. I was able to walk around next day (Nov. 28), sat up in my bed, walked to the bathroom, this was after they took catheter out.

Nov. 29--I am starting to have a little more pain, but its due to my intestines waking back up and anesthesia wearing off. But im getting through it. Been on ice chips then they moved me to clear liquids for lunch and dinner...I had to pass gas before my diet change though; which happened that morning. first bowel movement was that night and it wasn't pretty...post surgery bowels did anyone else have bloody D? guess its due to all the incisions they made within my intestines..

Nov 30--they gave me grits this morning, more bowel movements still have bloody D :( incision area looks great and is healing great...i have been walking around my room and the hallway...they want me to walk around..They actually change my diet from full liquids breakfast/lunch to soft foods dinner...I had chopped turkey with rice..(it was OK)..haha...still dealing with the same issue with bowels...hopefully it will clear up tomorrow...

I'm hoping to be out of here by Thursday...i will update you all. thanks!
 
Hi glad the op is over for you I had to have open surgery last year very similar to you
and they took over three hours to intubate me because of subglottic stenosis which put me in intensive care in an induced coma because the tube was stuck in my throat.
That set me back a few days so everything did'nt start working for about nine days
and it was pretty gruesome so won't go into details about that but it righted itself after
about two weeks.I found it easier to walk about because it helped the wind and I had
a lot of pain relief for quite a long time.I got an infection in the wound are which took
a bit of a time to heal but these things happen.As for the belly button it the cut goes
round it and is about seven inches below and at first looked like a bottom but when the
swelling went down it looked fine.Now it's fading nicely.Hope you have really good luck
and you get out soon but take it easy and my doc said listen to your body and don't
push it,good advice x
 
Hope you have really good luck
and you get out soon but take it easy and my doc said listen to your body and don't
push it,good advice x
Thanks!

Update on my Dec 1: was the same kind of deal...on soft foods. Ready to get out. I slept horribly last night.

Today (Dec 2) is a great day! Surgeon came in, I'm going home. Waiting on Hospital doc to put in discharge papers, then I'm out of here.

thanks for the advice on listening to your body. One thing i want to eat is pizza and Italian foods; pretty much greasy stuff, but I don't think it will be wise easting that right away. I might have a slice of cheese pizza in a few weeks. We shall see.

Incision is not bad. There is no infection; thank God. I'm having a lot of discharge or something on my gown, eek. I am going to put gauze on it when I where my clothes, don't want that stuff on it. But hopefully it will stop doing that. I have an appointment with Surgeon on DEC.13 to get staples out. hope for the best!

Thanks again for everything.

Kayvan
 
I got my staples out today :) i've been able to eat quite well since the surgery, i'm not allowed fruit or veg or wholemeal bread but a lot of other things, also the bowels moving very normally now which i'm suprised at I thought it would've taken ages to get back in order. Hope you make a speedy recovery, i've definately turned a corner the last couple of days.
 
hi archie,blimey that has been really quick brilliant for you wholemeal bread is boring
anyway dont eat pringles.At times that has been all I could eat when flare has been
bad but we were talking about my diet and the staff nurse said that the reason I
have been eating them by the tub is cause I had been losing all the salt out of my body
cause of being in he loo 15 times plus and obviously I have overdosed very quickly
on salt with the pringles which is lethal for crohns and mine has come back where I
had the last op.Will never eat them again it scared me to death.Thats the boring bit
you keep well its good to hear good things are happening for people x
 
I got my staples out today :) i've been able to eat quite well since the surgery, i'm not allowed fruit or veg or wholemeal bread but a lot of other things, also the bowels moving very normally now which i'm suprised at I thought it would've taken ages to get back in order. Hope you make a speedy recovery, i've definately turned a corner the last couple of days.
What about anything greasy? i know its a silly question. Prior surgery, were you able to eat tomato sauce (spaghetti, pizza)?
 
hi,I cant eat anything spicy,dairy,eggs,chinese or anything greasy except chips but only
ones I cook myself I can eat toast and I have soya spread which I can tolerate but it
is a scrape.I did have a little piece of pizza after seeing the doc cause he said you are
always in the loo anyway so eat what you fancy and I did it was lovely but boy did I
suffer the next day.Cause I am on steroids and I have felt normal today I had some
chicken and rice which was bliss it's made me feel much stronger my diet is rubbish
I can't eat anything processed at all so as I said I cook everything myself and if it
makes me bad I don't eat it again it's trial and error really is'nt it. x
 
Hi my diet didn't really effect me unless i over induldged in the things I love e.g cream, alcohol, spicy food, pizza, but I was able to eat them in moderation. After the surgery i'm on a low residue diet so have to avoid anything good for the gut for 6 weeks to let it rest, I have been able to eat fish and chips and tomato based sauces, i haven't had pizza yet but was told to try and eat moist food and not dry food so i might wait a couple of weeks before i try it. I find it strange though not eating veg. I'm also drinking loads of water to keep everything moving along. Hope this helps
 
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