Surgery!

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Yup, your insides didnt get shaken up enough. Are they trying to make a martini outta you?

Hows the boob by the way? Behaving itself? :rof:
 
I don't feel feverish, but I don't have a thermometer on me. Usually I can tell if I'm having a fever before my temp. even goes up though.
 
2 weeks?? I thought it was 6 weeks off for major stomach surgery. Even a sedentary job can take it out of you. I think I'd call the doc I trusted most first. Hope it's nothing too serious
 
GI called. No appointments today. Might see him tomorrow. Waiting for call back from surgeon. Starting to freak out a little? She said the faintness is "concerning," especially since I don't think I'm dehydrated. Asked if I thought this warranted a trip to the ER... Don't know what to do!? Eeep.
 
Could some pain killers cause the fainting feeling? Are you still taking pain killers?

What did she say about the ER? It is definitely something to think about especially if you live and be alone after work.
 
LOSTnut said:
Could some pain killers cause the fainting feeling? Are you still taking pain killers?

What did she say about the ER? It is definitely something to think about especially if you live and be alone after work.
Click to expand...

My plan right now is to wait for my surgeon to call back... if I don't hear from them I'll head to the ER. I work two blocks from the hospital so I think I'll be ok until I'm off.
 
How often are you having bloods drawn?

When were you last tested for B12, Folate and Iron Stores?

Dusty. xxx
 
DustyKat said:
How often are you having bloods drawn?

When were you last tested for B12, Folate and Iron Stores?

Dusty. xxx
Click to expand...

I had to specifically request the B12 before the surgery, I think a couple months before. It was "slightly low," but they didn't feel the need to do anything about it. Not sure about the others, are they routine? My last bloods were before the surgery.

Yesterday was my last day of the "every other day" of Prednisone. I wasn't very compliant with it (I kept leaving the pills somewhere or forgetting to take them) so it was more like 5 mg every three days. I stopped my propranolol a couple of days ago in case that was the cause. Other than that not on meds.
 
You will have to request them. I would ring the GP and get a request form, do all the baseline and get him/her to add those plus your inflammatory markers.

I view of the fact that your B12 was already low the surgery you have had is not going to improve it. It may also be an indicator that the others are affected as well.

I would have bloods drawn monthly at this point and B12 is something that should be monitored if you aren't receiving or don't require supplements.

Why are you on Propranolol? If these symptoms have persisted whilst off it perhaps you should recommence taking it.

Dusty. xxx
 
I take propranolol to prevent migraines. I'm doomed to have migraines in the next few days because I'm going to start menstruating soon, so it's alright to stop it for a bit.
 
LOSTnut said:
In a case like this I used to call all of them just because I didn't know where it came from and could be the responsibility of either one.

And, sometimes it just takes too long for one of them to respond back.
Click to expand...

I agree-give everyone a call. Sending hugs and get well wishes!:hug:
 
Surgeon's office called. They say it's not surgery related. They say when someone calls with these symptoms it's usually blood sugar, ear infection, or blood pressure. They said to get an appointment with my GP and not to go to the ER. I still think a deficiency/anemia or anxiety is the culprit.

I am fairly certain it's not blood sugar. I have been sipping on a soda all day and making sure to eat while this has been going on. Ear infection is possible, as is blood pressure. I will check my BP at the store before I go home.

I am reassured!

Edit - Called GP. Despite the nurse making me feel like I was wasting her time, I have an appointment with them in 1.5 hours.

Is it a sad day when you know you will get better, cheaper, and faster care by NOT going to the ER?
 
Last edited:
Whew! Glad to hear it's not surgery related and that you're seeing someone soon. Might be an idea to take a few days off and rest up? Nag! Nag!
 
Grumbletum said:
Whew! Glad to hear it's not surgery related and that you're seeing someone soon. Might be an idea to take a few days off and rest up? Nag! Nag!
Click to expand...

I agree with that statement. Probably too much too soon and I am also glad you get to see the doc soon. At least they know what you've been through, well at least hopefully. Mine are all kinda in the loop with each other, which helps a lot to get answers faster ;)
 
Saw the GP. He thinks that I am just "out of fuel." He told me to drink more Gatorade and less water and soda, eat crackers and cheese and apples with peanut butter (like on a day to day basis). Referral to a nutritionist. I don't really believe it's possible for me to be dehydrated, I drink compulsively and my piss is clear. Whatevs. But needing to eat more/better makes sense. I was living off of nothing/Ensure before the surgery, and I have been having trouble introducing varied foods since. So hopefully that's all I need to do and I'll be feeling better soon.

Also had an EKG and blood draws to check. Thanks for the hugegantic bruise phlebotomist lady. :voodoo:
 
Thanks for all the advice everybody. Knowing me I would have let it go until I actually did pass out.
 
So great to hear it's not surgery related!

I hope the tests do show something so you can get on top of it...but that it is also easily treated!

Good luck, :hug:
Dusty. xxx
 
Good to hear that you have a course of action that will bring your overall constitution back to normal.
Try some protein shakes ... I loved them and they are loaded with the good stuff and you add the stuff that you like. Waaaaayyyyy better than Ensure!! :D
 
Bleh. Still feeling dizzy. Blood work back already, "Everything's normal." Also yesterday he told me to hold off on the propranolol for a while.
 
Dont cyber slap me, but I really think you need to take a week of 'me' time on the sofa and taking care of yourself. I'd happily come and help, but I think you're a bit far!
 
And no jogging!! Protein shakes, yeah, but that kind of shakin goin on might not be such a good idea for a few more weeks. Nag! Nag! Nag! :ylol2:
 
Hrm. Well I felt silly but I asked for today and yesterday off. It paid off because I had a migraine yesterday and am getting one now. Today I was able to finish a big project I had been working on, so that's nice.

Still dizzy. Today I went to the bathroom and there was a lot of blood in the toilet including two blood clots. This is not a typical symptom for me but it does happen once in a blue moon. My doc had asked about rectal bleeding when I saw him and I said no, is it possible it just took a while to show up? Or is this probably just coincidental? Bleeding would have shown up as the problem on my CBC, right?
 
Maybe some blood left over from the surgery? Glad you took some time off :) Dizzy and migraines, hmmm. Have you had a cold? Might be inner ear problem?
 
Are they similar in size and appearance to what you have had before? They are bowel and not vaginal?

If it has been ongoing problem it should show up in your CBC. I would imagine if it was problematic you should be showing signs of anaemia on your FBC.

Good to hear you have had some time off and I hope you can get to the bottom things soon!

Good luck hun!
Dusty. xxxxxxxx
 
I agree, Nicole; rest up and make sure things are okay. Take the time you need. Hugs! :)
 
Hiya, I'm just catching up on your thread now after a blissful week in the sun!!! :) :) it was well needed although the over indulging and extra vino has upset the plumbing a bit...

It took me 6 weeks post surgery to feel 'normal' again I had wee spells of mild dizzyness etc and still do. 2 weeks post surgery is still the recovery stage and your body is coping from major surgery so it's prob warning you to still take easy. Everyone said to me don't do to much which of course I didn't do as i'm stubborn then bang I got the worst migrane i've ever had couldn't see properly the works and it lasted about 3 days, it also coincided with me stopping the pred so not sure what caused it. Although I feel great since the surgery I still have my off days, of fatigue, nausea, sore tummy etc I also had an episode of rectal bleeding, which lasted about 2 months, however I saw the surgeon who had a wee look (delightful!!) and assured me it was nothing to worry about. Regardless I'm booked in for a gastroscope and colonoscopy on thursday. yeah!!

Anyways on a brighter note I am now able to run without any adverse effects except i'm just getting old and struggling a bit more than usual, oh and he checked my bloods and they were all normal so I really do have to blame my tiredness on old age!!!. Listen to your body if you need to rest then do and I hope it settle soon
 
Thanks so much for your response. I am four weeks postop and this started happening about a week ago. It's constant now and I hate it. I'm getting seriously depressed. Feels like I'm just never gonna be normal. I don't really buy the nutrition explanation and if it's an inner ear problem then it's probably something they can't fix.

I just want to feel normal (or even good) for a little while and I wish that wasn't too much to ask. Sorry, I'm just feeling really down right now.
 
Sometimes the doctors can give you something for inner ear problems, please don't rule that out. Both of my parents are deaf in one ear, and it happens to be the right ear on both. My mom had horrible problems with dizziness and ringing. She claims that they gave her something that helped with the dizziness. I'll have to ask her what it was.

As for feeling down, vent away. Surgery and recovery bring out the worst in our emotional state of being. We are here for you Nicole.
 
Bleh! My period is over a week late today (and no, there's no way I'm pregnant) so my body is just really confused/shocked. My joints are hurting like crazy so maybe my body is having a hard time getting off the Prednisone?

I know my BP has been low since the surgery and going off of Pred can lower it even more. Also dizziness is a symptom of Pred withdrawal. My body is in general very sensitive to meds.

Can you tell it drives me crazy to just not know WHY? XP
 
I was going to ask about your BP. Are you still taking the Propranolol? Maybe this is exacerbating the problem??

Dusty. xxx
 
Do you think it may be time to start taking something to bring the diarrhoea under control?

Dusty. xxx
 
I forgot you were coming off the Pred. I got migraines too last time I was tapering and felt generally bleh! Yep, not knowing is infuriating. You've been through such a big physical and emotional upheaval, it's bound to take a bit of time to recover.
Hang in there and hope you start feeling better soon. Big hugs x
 
I am sorry to hear that all this is getting you so down ... but it definitely is understandable.
Just relax, take it one day at a time and be assured it will go away and you will feel good!
And, don't be shy to take something for the depression. After all, such a surgery has a major impact on your life and it is hard to deal with the difficulties.

It will get better!

Hugs!
 
I'm feeling better today. Thanks for all your thoughts. I think I just needed to blow off some steam about it. I'm sure being emotional is another one of the effects of everything going on.

:ghug:
 
Hi Nicole - Just checking in to see how things are going. Sorry you've been having a rough time of it lately. Give yourself a little more time, you're still really fresh from the operating table!! I'm four months post-op and really just got my energy back and started feeling normal again about two or three weeks ago! Better to take it easy and not push too hard - you don't want to have a set back!!

Glad today was better, hopefully each day gets even better yet.

xo - Ames
 
This is the same surgery that I will be having on Friday, it will be my first. The way my surgeon described what was going to be done I just figured it would be called a resection but when I had the papers today to sign at my pre admission testing it said robotic right colectomy and I kinda freaked out! lol I knew it was going to be done with the help of the robot but the name of it made me automatically think of getting stuck with a bag in some way but after getting home and reading your post I realize that I am having the same thing as a resection lol So thank you very much for posting your experience! :thumright: Anyway I was just wondering how long your surgery took? I forgot to ask and now realize that it would be nice to know an estimate on how long the surgery will take. lol
 
My surgery was supposed to take two hours, but it took two and a half. I'm not sure if a robot would mean more or less time!
 
Don't worry I didn't know colectomy was a resection either. Mine was 3 1/2 hrs I didn't have any fancy robots though!!! good luck jenz. RU feeling any better diesanduhr??
 
I just remembered something and I want to document it. When I woke up from my surgery I wanted to talk to people but it was really difficult - it took a lot of effort. I presume this was because of the tube they put down your throat while they operate. It was easier for me to write what I wanted to say than to speak. This went away by the second day, but it was frustrating.
 
Holy dukes. Yesterday I went skating and the arthritis set in like nobody's business. I could barely walk by the end of the night. Had to quit halfway through. When I went to bed it was excruciating and it took me 10 minutes to be able to bear lifting my legs into the bed and pulling the blanket over myself. I ended up taking a Dilaudid. I have never had pain like that before! It seemed like every single joint in my body was inflamed. Even simple stuff like pulling the sleeves up on my sweater I had to ask my friend to do for me, it was too painful. Yesterday was the last 5 mg. I had been doing 5 mg every other day for two weeks and it has been painful the entire time. Hoping my brain starts to catch up soon.
 
The last 5mg of pred??

My word, that sounds horrible! How are you feeling today? I sure hope you were able to sleep.
:rosette2:
 
I wish I could wave a magic wand and make you ALL BETTER!!!

So long to the pred, and hello to everyday getting better for you!!!

:hug:
 
New record for me. Ate a bagel sandwich at 11:30, now it's 2:30 and that lettuce is in the toilet.

Joints are still hurting, but it's manageable. Going to bring it up with the GI next time I see him.
 
When do you see the GI?

You aren't on maintenance meds are you?

Perhaps some bloods and a visit sooner rather than later may be in order?

Thinking of you...:hug:
Dusty. xxx
 
The GI visit is September 16. I've had loose BMs since surgery, my surgeon told me not to worry about it (or the mucus). I am more concerned about the joint pain and that inflammation might be coming back to the back of my neck (which I haven't had since I started Humira).

I'm not too worried, I think the 16th will be fine. And no, right now I'm not on maintenance meds.
 
If you're happy I'm happy or less worried any way! :lol:

I hope things settle or at least don't get any worse until then!

Take care mate, :hug:
Dusty. xxx
 
Yep. My doc told me to try Benefiber. I think it worked a little but it gave me terrible gas/pain/bloating so I don't like taking it. I've yet to try anything else.
 
Sarah experienced the same issues with commercially prepared psyllium products.

Questran (prescribed medicaton) worked but she found it too unpalatable, turns out natural psyllium husks work well without side effects.

Dusty. xxx
 
The only ingredient in Benefiber is wheat dextrin. I've been meaning to try psyllium, just haven't bought it yet. I wanted to give the Benefiber a second chance (introducing it even slower) but it still gave me a stomachache.
 
diesanduhr said:
The GI visit is September 16. I've had loose BMs since surgery, my surgeon told me not to worry about it (or the mucus). I am more concerned about the joint pain and that inflammation might be coming back to the back of my neck (which I haven't had since I started Humira).
Click to expand...

The inflammation on the back of my neck has definitely been worsening since I went off the Humira. I have to think if my skin is this inflamed, what's happening in my guts. This strengthens my belief that I need to be on maintenance meds.
 
Have you had bloods drawn lately to check your inflammatory markers and B12, Iron, Vit D etc lately?

I believe in maintenance meds and think you may well need them too.

Dusty. xxx
 
I don't think my inflammatory markers have ever been elevated (even when I had that crazy abscess and needed surgery). They always tell me my bloods are "normal" (although almost all of my blood tests have low albumin).

I have a follow-up for my colonoscopy next week and I'm going to ask my GI about the skin inflammation as well as explain that I'm not really comfortable not being on a maintenance med.
 
I would hope your scope comes out clear. I can certainly understand why you would want to be on maintenance meds. I think you are being pro active and thats a good thing!
 
Good luck with your scope! I am sure you know all about them. What is your prep of choice? Your Gi should have some answers for ya, let us know what he/she says. We are here for ya!
 
Terriernut said:
I would hope your scope comes out clear. I can certainly understand why you would want to be on maintenance meds. I think you are being pro active and thats a good thing!
Click to expand...

My doc said the scope was clear, however there was an "erosion" near the surgical site that concerns me. I will see what he says/what the biospy results were next week.
 
diesanduhr said:
My doc said the scope was clear, however there was an "erosion" near the surgical site that concerns me. I will see what he says/what the biospy results were next week.
Click to expand...

All digits crossed. And that he listens to your concerns. You are a lovely lady, and you I want you to stay well!
:heart:
 
diesanduhr said:
My doc said the scope was clear, however there was an "erosion" near the surgical site that concerns me. I will see what he says/what the biospy results were next week.
Click to expand...

That is usually where disease will start to show up again, proximal to the anastomosis if you have Ileal Crohn's.

A low albumin can be a feature of IBD and is generally present when you have acute or long standing inflammation. Either way I would be questioning the GI as to why you have a persistent low albumin. Perhaps this is more a marker for you than the inflammatory ones.

Good luck with your appointment!

Dusty. xxx
 
DustyKat said:
That is usually where disease will start to show up again, proximal to the anastomosis if you have Ileal Crohn's.
Click to expand...

Argh, yeah. I really *don't* think its' a coincidence, like my doc is trying to say it is. :(


DustyKat said:
A low albumin can be a feature of IBD and is generally present when you have acute or long standing inflammation. Either way I would be questioning the GI as to why you have a persistent low albumin. Perhaps this is more a marker for you than the inflammatory ones.

Good luck with your appointment!

Dusty. xxx
Click to expand...

I figure it is either related to my IBD or just my chronic inability to eat enough protein. I'm a carb monster.
 
Unfortunately I'm thinking along the same lines as you Nic. :(

Yeah, it could be diet related or maybe a bit of both??

Dusty. xxx
 
Yeah, probably a bit of both. My GP's nurse told me I needed to "eat better" when my results came back. Upon googling that night I found low albumin is associated with Crohn's. Rude! :p
 
Nic....I'm cooking you a horrid english steak...tough as nails.

Now, picture a nice american filet mignon on your plate with a bit of bernaise sauce instead...

Surely you can manage a filet mignon? You cookie monster you!!! :ylol:
 
Ohhh steak yummm. I don't usually have as much trouble with sweets as starches. Potatoes are my favorite thing! Chips, fries, mashed, baked... And they are generally "easier", cheaper, and more portable than proteins, which is my greatest downfall. Whatever I can just open and eat is what I tend to go with. I sound like such a lazy bum.
 
Nic, what are we to do?! Starches arent so good for gut bacteria and we need you well.

Spinach??? Nice steak, chicken, come stay with me and I'll cook for you??
 
Biopsy results back: "No significant abnormalities. At this point I don't think you need any prescription medications for Crohn's disease."
 
No need for meds? Or no crohns?? :ywow:

You can come any time to stay! But I'm not exactly in a tourist spot...
 
Yes, I live in Washington State. I used to live all over western Washington (Woodinville, Redmond, Bothell, Renton...) but currently am on Whidbey Island. I went to school outside of Portland. I miss it tremendously.
 
I too live in wa. Where did you have your surgery done? I am having an ileocecectomy soon and am anxious about it and the post op pain. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
I had mine done in Kirkland... at uhhhh Evergreen? I think. My surgeon was Marion Johnson and she was an absolute pleasure to work with. I highly recommend her.
 
Thanks. I'm having mine done at Virginia Mason and It's an open procedure so I'm a bit nervous about the post op pain. The experiences on here range from super great to really horrible, so I'm crossing my fingers
 
Well I wish you the best of luck. I don't know how much pain you are in now, but I know for me recovering from surgery was a piece of cake in comparison.
 
1.5 year surgery follow-up colonoscopy. Ulcerations in terminal ileum. Very likely no longer in remission. Meet with GI in April, plan is to go back on Humira.
 

Similar threads

Maya142
Surgery questions and experiences
Replies
9
Views
2K
Maya142
Maya142
C
Can't turn around a flare - advice
Replies
15
Views
2K
crohnsinct
C
A
My History
Replies
3
Views
2K
ARSalerno3
A
thike1966
Hotel Crohn's Forever, The Return Of The Fistula
Replies
0
Views
525
thike1966
thike1966
N
Is a Small Bowel Series the most accurate?
Replies
4
Views
1K
NoraGretts
N

Latest posts

Back
Top