Wish me luck :(

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kimmy86

Joined
May 30, 2011
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Location
Liverpool
hi everyone

Well I've waited an waited and finally go in for my 1st resection Sunday morning! i can't even begin to explain how absolutely terrified I am! just hope all goes well and I am not too much of a nervous wreck come the day :(

Xxx
 
Hi,
I just saw a second opinion and he suggested I go for a resection (my first one also). I am scared but also relieved to think I may have a new lease on life and starting with a clean slate! Im sick of all the medicine (thats barely working) and the extreme tiredness. Im looking at it as a positive thing.
Any words of advice before surgery? Thank god for this forum.......
 
Good luck kimmy86! I hope all goes wonderfully well and your recovery is speedy and uneventful!...:goodluck:

Good luck to you too indianhart! Do you know when your surgery will be?

Dusty. xxx
 
Wishing you all the best! Make sure that you have friends and family there for you during the week after your surgery. You might need people to drive you around, prepare food, and just be there for emotional support!
 
Thanks everyone the nerves are really kicking in now! Hopefully it'll all be worth it and won't be as scary as I'm thinking :( xxx
 
marjory2020 said:
Wishing you all the best! Make sure that you have friends and family there for you during the week after your surgery. You might need people to drive you around, prepare food, and just be there for emotional support!
Click to expand...

Are you able to get around and do things the week after or is it just bed rest? I am having my surgery done lapriscopic x :shifty-t:
 
I struggled to do much for myself apart from sit and lay down, for the first 8 days, then it got better. I have to say though, my surgeon told me that males under 40, suffer far worse after laproscopic surgery, than any other age group for both men and women, so I'm sure you will be much quicker than me. See, and you all thought man flu was made up...
 
Best wishes Kimmie!!! I'm 8 weeks post-op now and I can tell you that even though the recovery is rough it is nice not to be doubled over in pain or dealing with constant fevers.

My advice for your day before surgery (I'm assuming you have a prep day and going out and having fun is not an option) - 1) prepare your space for when you get home. It will be hard to pick things up off the floor, so think about making sure frequently used things are at arm's length 2) in the evening relax with a good movie or book - something that will suck you in and get your mind off the surgery.

As for your question re: the week after surgery, I also had a laparoscopic procedure and, like Jamie, found myself pretty useless for the first week or so. Partially because moving hurts and partially because I was just so tired! Even short activities will make you want to nap. Also, you will have a lifting weight restriction for a while. The first time I noticed this was when I went to lift a gallon of milk!

Consider asking the hospital for an abdominal binder. II didn't use it in the hospital, but found it to be helpful in getting me moving once I got home. It made less hesitant to try new activities like driving and visiting friends because the binder felt like it supported my stomach muscles and incision.
 
Onmyown

thankyou for the advice today is the day before me surgery I have never been this scared in my life! I have been told no food or drink after midnight that is all! no prep either thankfully :) am I ok to just eat normally today do u think? xx
 
also another thing worrying me I was told to stop my azathioprine 7 days before surgery I have done that but seem to have come out in a load of angry looking bruises all over my legs would this be anything to do with coming off the aza?
 
That is great that you don't have any prep! I had to have prep and clear liquids only before both of my surgeries, but I've seen plenty of others who had the same instructions as you. Jealous! :) I'm not a doctor, but I might suggest just not eating any heavy meals, especially towards the end of the day.

I completely understand how scared you are. I am 33 and this was also my first time being in a hospital or really even sick at all. After my surgery I realized how much pain I had actually been in before the surgery and it put it all in perspective. Now that I'm past the surgeries I'm still healing and getting my energy back, but overall I feel so much better. I can eat and enjoy life again! So, I won't say don't be scared, because I know that is impossible - but focus on how much better you will feel after your recovery.

One more piece of advice... as soon as they tell you that you can get up and walk around make sure you do so as much as you feel comfortable, even if it is just walking to the hall and back. It is a tough thing to do, but the sooner you get up and moving the sooner you will feel better!

You will be in my thoughts tomorrow. Check back in when you are feeling up to it and let us know how you're feeling!
 
kimmy86 said:
also another thing worrying me I was told to stop my azathioprine 7 days before surgery I have done that but seem to have come out in a load of angry looking bruises all over my legs would this be anything to do with coming off the aza?
Click to expand...

Before you go into surgery there should be a bunch of docs who come in and talk to you, get your IV going, discuss medication, etc. Be sure to mention this to them as well as any other concerns you have. I also agree with asking for a sedative!
 
Thankyou so much 4 the advice I will defo be asking for a sedative i think good idea :) I will update as soon as possible to let you all know how I get on that's if I don't run a mile at the last minute!! :( x
 
we're here :) If you need to 'talk' while you're waiting.. we'll be here.. we'll be here afterward as well.. waiting to hear how you get on :) (((((xo)))))
 
hi everyone :)

well I did it!! I had my surgery Sunday morning and have come home today at last. everything went well although I sobbed all the way down to theatre with nerves I was 1st on the list so they said they couldn't even give me a sedative before hand very scary. They didn't give me a catheter so I was out of bed the day of surgery as I was desperate 4 the toilet as they'd given me so much fluid during the op. still finding it painful and hard to get around but getting better slowly. they ended up taking about 15cm of small bowel my valve and a small amount of my colon as well as my appendix. considering the amount they removed my scarring is minimal im very lucky but the surgeon has chose to cut my incision right through my belly button I'm so worried I'll never have a normal belly button again has anyone else had this happen 2 them? any post op pics would be great to see! all in all I am still scared and hoping this gives me the relief I want 4 many years 2 come I am also very relieved it's over and happy to be home :) thanks so much 4 all ur support if anybody has any questions before surgery id luv to help and answer any questions u have so feel free to ask xxx
 
Congrats Kimmie!! So glad to hear you are home and doing well! My surgery was the same except I had a little more small intestine removed - about 30 cm. I went swimming today and realized that I was doing something that caused me a lot of pain before surgery, except today it wasn't painful! It made it all feel worth it.

Don't worry too much about your belly button. My incision did the same thing and it has pretty much returned to normal. That area will probably be one of the last to heal, so just be sure that once the rest of your incision has closed that you keep your belly button dry (i.e., dry well after showering) and that will help it heal. Mine has been getting a little irritated and the doc said just to put a little bit of gauze there to keep it dry.

After my surgery, I was worried that the scar would never fade, so my Aunt showed me her stomach (she had a full hysterectomy 2-3 years ago) and you could barely tell! And she is in her late 50's.

Rest up now that you are home :) Feel free to reach out anytime!
 
Post-Op Pic

Hi Kimmy! Glad to hear you are doing well! Everyday will get a bit better. I was 6 weeks post-op yesterday and I feel better than I have in a very long time. You asked for some post-op photos...here is mine as of this past Monday (39 days post-op). I didn't have stitches in any of them and the larger one on the bottom is the only one that had steri-strips. The two off to the right were for the laparoscope; the one on the bottom right also had a drain in it until the 5th day post op when I was released. I ended up having to have 2 resections, so the lower incision was to complete that resection and assist with the ileocolic resection. I'm not completely sure what the one right below my belly button was for; however I'm sure it was to assist the ileocolic resection as well. I was a bit of a mess by the time I went in, but I'm doing so much better now!
 

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glad to hear things went well for you kimmy! :thumright:
i had the same shock feeling when i first saw my belly button as it was completely gone and was just a straight line :yfaint: i couldnt believe that it would come back but it did!!
here's my scar now 4 weeks on. there is one at my belly button and then 2 small cuts at my bikini line and right side. if u click on my profile u can have a look at a close up view of the incision and pics at 1 and 2 weeks post op as well! i hope it helps! if you search you'll find other peoples pics because i have posted before and other people shared theirs (just not sure how to put a link to it in here!)

hope your recovery is going well, dont push yourself too much xx
 

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Thanks 4 the pics great to see how other scars look and how I will heal! well I am 1 week post op now have a great appetite hungry all of the time no problems with going 2 the toilet other than maybe the urgency 2 go a little more than I'm use 2. I still have a lot of swelling tho is this normal? Im still very tired and I'm finding it hard to sleep as sleeping on my back is the only option at the minute sleeping on my sides is just 2 painful. I worry about every little thing I do and eat so scared of complications but everything going smoothly so far :) can't wait until I'm out and about again xx
 
The swelling is normal; the area between my belly button and the lower scar is also mostly numb. The surgeon said not to worry though unless it had been like that more than a year! Guess we'll see what happens. I also had a lot of trouble sleeping for the first couple of weeks. It was actually easier in the hospital bed to a point because I could sleep at an incline. Between week 1 and week 2 though I was finally able to sleep on my side again, for short periods of time. Took me a few weeks to really comfortably be able to sleep on my side; sleeping is no problem now though. :) I was really worried at first also about hurting myself, my dogs hurting me, and really about everything. My back hurt because I was so tense! :p Looking back, all of that worry didn't help, just caused my back to hurt. Sounds like you will be out and about again soon! :)
 
indianhart said:
Hi,
I just saw a second opinion and he suggested I go for a resection (my first one also). I am scared but also relieved to think I may have a new lease on life and starting with a clean slate! Im sick of all the medicine (thats barely working) and the extreme tiredness. Im looking at it as a positive thing.
Any words of advice before surgery? Thank god for this forum.......
Click to expand...


I also think so.
 

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