Swelling after surgery

[kjhngisd]

Hey folks.
I know that everyone's surgery is different, but I'm just looking for some general experiences.
My wife had surgery in mid-February to remove her sigmoid. She's been to her surgeon since then and just finished her last visit with him, complete with final sigmoid tests and everything looks good.
She's been to her G/I too and everything looks ok there.

But she's having a lot of bloating and swelling still. I'd say she probably has 2-3 inches of puffiness now. It's worse at night, but even in the morning it's obvious that the left side of her tummy sticks out more than the right.

She's also getting a little pain when she pushes on her tummy -- not anything bad, more like a general ache.

2 questions:
1. is this normal?
2. how long does it last? We expected some of it, but it's been 5 months now and we're getting concerned.

Thanks for any help
--kevin

 

[Jennifer]

I'm wondering if it might be a separate issue than the surgery but I could be wrong. I'd definitely give the GI a call and let them know what's going on. Or she may have fluid buildup for whatever reason in that area. Perhaps an MRI or even ultrasound might show what's going on. Hope you guys get some answers soon!

 

[PsychoJane]

I might be totally wrong with that but could it be a hernia? I've never had that so I can't say for the symptoms per say. I know they can be painful or not. I'm just wondering since it seems to be asymmetrical but I'm thinking that the surgeon would have noticed it... Also, could it be something related to adherence? I'm sorry I can't bring much more than that...
I hope you find answers soon regarding this!

 

[maria]

i would def get it checked.

 

[kjhngisd]

thanks for your replies. I'll pass it along. She's a little doctor-shy right now, but I'll see if I can prod her a bit.
I think the swelling on the left side is from her sigmoid removal. But I'm wondering about the rest.
Thanks again for your input
--keivn