Updates on Afidz' Surgery Today

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Jennifer

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
10,028
Location
SLO
One of our moderators (Afidz/Ashley) is having surgery today. A pretty major one. She's had multiple hernias after many surgeries that decided to combine into one giant uber hernia. Today she gets that fixed with the help of 2 surgeons.

Update #1: "This is Ashley's boyfriend. Surgeon #1 done, no issues or concerns. Surgeon #2 should be done in 3-4 hours." This was sent around 9:30 am (11:30am her time). As far as I'm aware no resection was done so that's good news.

Update #2: She is now in recovery and everything went as planned. :)

Update #3: She's in a lot of pain but sleeping mostly as she has a pain cocktail that's working for her. She was able to stand on her own for about a minute.

Update #4: I'm told that she might be sent home today. :( Bit too soon me thinks but it may be an insurance issue (lack of).
Edit: On a positive note she says that her stomach is "completely flat, its crazy." Still in a lot of pain but managing ok.

Update #5: She's not going home today. :)
 
That's great news that all is going well and no resection. Thanks for the updates, Crabby and Chicago! Afidz, get well soon! Keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for the best possible outcome for this surgery.
 
Thanks for the updates Crabby! Hope recovery is quick and glad no resection! Get well soon afidz!
 
Update #3: She's in a lot of pain but sleeping mostly as she has a pain cocktail that's working for her. She was able to stand on her own for about a minute.
 
I'm told that she might be sent home today. :( Bit too soon me thinks but it may be an insurance issue (lack of).
 
I know! D: Plus her boyfriend works so there wont be anyone there to care for her. She also has pets and they may increase her chance of infection or might even jump on her.

Edit: On a positive note she says that her stomach is "completely flat, its crazy." Still in a lot of pain but managing ok.
 
Yikes, that does sound way too early to be sent home! I don't know the details of what she had done, but something complicated enough to need 2 surgeons sounds to me like that requires more than a couple days recovery time. I hope she does okay. Thanks for keeping us posted, Crabby, and please keep updating us.
 
She had 2 incisions. One vertical and the other horizontal, like an upside down upper case "T." All her organs were put back in place and they used pig intestine to create a barrier between her organs and skin. The intestine was connected to her hips and under both sides of her ribs. Then they cut out some dead/dying skin to get rid of the excess and I'm assuming stapled her back together.
 
Wow, that does sound like a complicated surgery! So the pig intestine thing and attaching her intestine to her hips and ribs - is that to keep everything in place? Will that theoretically prevent her from developing further hernias? Sorry if I'm asking for too much detail, this kind of thing is fascinating to me. That sounds like a large couple of incisions though, so I really do hope she is okay with possibly going home this early.
 
Yes its supposed to keep everything in place. She used to have one connected to her muscles but things started screwing around and moved out of place and she got a hernia from it. I believe that's how she described it to me. :p Connecting it in those 4 points should help it stay put.
 
Message from Afidz:

"Thanks for everyone's support. I should be able to go back online soon. I'm too drugged right now to make sense. Pictures soon." :ghug:
 
Update: She's probably going home tomorrow. She's able to stand on her own and walk short distances, but getting tired very easily.
 
no word as of yet. will keep you posted. She did get a chance to creep into the chat room last night to say hello though :)
 
I'm home, sorry forgot to update I've been sleeping all day :p I will try to feet on later tonight or tomorrow sometime
 
Thank you everyone for the support, I am comfortably sitting on my own couch. my stomach is unbelievably swollen, and parts of it are rock hard. I am retaining a lot of water but that should eventually go away. I am happy that the surgery is over with and I can start to move on with my life
 
Glad you are home and resting. I pray that you heal up quick and are feeling well in no time!!!





afidz said:
Thank you everyone for the support, I am comfortably sitting on my own couch. my stomach is unbelievably swollen, and parts of it are rock hard. I am retaining a lot of water but that should eventually go away. I am happy that the surgery is over with and I can start to move on with my life
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am retaining A LOT of water. If I push down my skin, it molds to my finger and stays that way. I was retaining a lot of water before my surgery and the surgeons knew about it. I am very concerned about it right now. Does anyone think its possible to get an infection from water retention? I am also sweating non stop around the clock. Both of the incisions themselves look good, they aren't red or anything and it looks like they are healing well. However I did notice a little pinkness in one spot next to one of the incisions so that has me worrisome as well. I have a follow up on Wednesday, I might call on Monday and try to get in earlier.
 
I would definitely call on Monday and see if it is something that should be looked at/addressed sooner than Wednesday. Do you think it is concerning enough to try and make an emergency call this weekend?

However I always say if I am concerned, I'm calling them whenever I feel like it. Better to be safe than sorry.

:hug:
 
yea, I am, and its moved into my lower back as well. I called one of the doctors, i am going in tomorrow to see what is going on
 
I am exhausted. I'm lucky to stay awake 2 hours at a time. This surgery was by the far the biggest one I have had, and its definitely taking its tole on my body. Its going to take a long time to heal fully (there is over 2 ft worth of incision). Hopefully I start feeling noticeably better soon :)
 
nytqfr.jpg
 
It dawned on me last night how long recovery is going to take. Before surgery the general surgeon informed me that recovery was going to be long, but I never made the connection. Once I am healed enough I will have to start going to physical therapy or something to learn how to safely strengthen my core and and re build muscles that were destroyed from the hernia.
I am still in a lot of pain everyday. If I don't have the fan blowing at me, I get a fever, usually low grade. Before surgery, my skin on my abdomen had no feeling, I got used to it being like that. The plastic surgeon literally cut out all of the skin that didn't have feeling (it wouldn't heal properly) and stretched good skin that I had extra of (I somehow had extra skin from the past surgeries) over the center of my abdomen. This skin does have feeling. And it hurts. All the time. I can't wear a shirt half the time because it just rubs the wrong way.
Last night there was a little bit of fluid that leaked from one of the incisions. I don't know whether or not to be worried of infection. It didn't smell, and it was the same color of fluid that is draining into the JP drains right now. So part of me just thinks it was a little excess fluid that couldn't make its way to the JP drain and found another way out. I have a follow up with the plastic surgeon on Tuesday, but I am going to call her in the morning to see if she is worried about the fluid that drained out.
Sorry didn't realize I posted so much, I am bored out of my mind. Recovery is boring
 
I have seen a few of your posts on here and all i can say is wow you really have been through it! i think your doing well considering the extensive intrusive surgery you have had!! i hope your surgeon can give u some advice about the fluid but as long as it doesn't smell isn't hot and red or bloody i think it is prob what you said. i hope your recovery continues to go well! x
 
Big hugs to you, Afidz. I hope this process is all worth it and that you'll be better than ever once you've recovered. Hang in there!
 
I saw my plastic surgeon today, things didn't go as well as I had hoped. As she took off my bandage she found 2 small wounds. They aren't infected (which is great! ) The tissue just didn't make it through surgery and died. I am to pack the wounds until they heal. Hopefully everything goes ok and they heal.
 
Sorry to hear that afidz :( Never a good thing when things don't go as planned. :ybatty: Hope things go ok with the following and starts to heal properly for you. :hug:
 
Starting to worry about infection. I noticed a little bit of fluid build up when I changed my wound dressing today. Keeping fingers crossed, going to the doctor on Tuesday

EDIT: I think I am going to take pictures and post them after my appointment on Tuesday as long as the surgeon takes the dressing off and keeps it off. There is a HUGE difference between the size of my stomach and the coloring of my skin, I'm pretty excited about it. Now I just have to diet and exercise properly to fix the rest :)
 
Last edited:
Afidz, I had a "open wound" for about 6 months. I know what you are talking about, it's not fun. BUT it will heal and things will be just fine. Mine got infected but it all worked out ok. I was so glad the day that I didn't have to ut a dressing on it. You'll get there kid. Just hang in there.

Jim (Pops)
 

Similar threads

Papantoine
Neglect?
Replies
2
Views
582
Bufford
Bufford
Maya142
Surgery questions and experiences
Replies
9
Views
2K
Maya142
Maya142
K
This has destroyed my life.
Replies
27
Views
3K
kephra
K
F
Is this biopsy enough for an official Crohns diagnosis?
Replies
17
Views
757
my little penguin
my little penguin
L
Losing friends
Replies
1
Views
2K
valleysangel92
valleysangel92

Latest posts

Back
Top