On the healing side of a bowel resection - Bowel Disorders Message Board

DVCDon · 06-17-2008, 08:51 AM

Hi gang. Well, I made it through the resection last week. Was supposed to go in Wed @ 1 PM but, got a message to call the hospital immediately @ 7 AM and was asked to get there ASAP due to a cancelation. Got there at 8:10 and by 9 AM I got wheeled into the OR. The surgeon told my wife he took out a bit over a foot of the colon.

Sure was more painful than I anticipated and resting in a hospital is highly overrated. The hospital staff was excellant to me though.

I got home Sun and this is the first time I've been able to sit down in front of a 'puter.

I'm trying to control the pain during the day with OTC Tylinol and use the script stuff for night time. I go out for a short walk every hour (very short right now) as I got sick of walking in circles inside the house.

I finally had a "normal" bowel movement this AM. Up till now I've only had little mostly mucusy blood types. (I think some spelling is off here

)

Well, time to stop sitting here.

MrsQueeZ · 06-17-2008, 09:53 AM

Sounds like you are well on your way to recovery! Taking it slow, as you should. I wouldn't worry too much about the bm's at this point, as long as you are having some and it isn't too painful. The short walks are good, and it's OK if you aren't up to much of anything else right now. You will get bored, and it can be tempting to do too much at times. Your body will tell you when you've done too much.

libloom · 06-17-2008, 05:00 PM

Hey Don.....

Been waiting to hear from you...and glad you're on the other side! The worst is over...now onto recovery.

Your bm's will be funky for quite a while. I'm sure you're still on a soft diet. I lived on puddings, creamed soups, etc. for a while and couldn't wait to have some pizza!

They took over a foot of my colon, too....and, yes, forget getting any rest in a hospital. My room was right next to the nurse's station so forget it. Noise 24/7. I had excellent staff care, too, which makes all the difference.

Hang in there and keep us posted as it goes. You'll be feeling great in no time.

Best,
Linda

2000airedale · 06-18-2008, 07:28 AM

My husband (age 40) is still in the hospital with his bowel resection, which was done on Monday. He has had numerous diverticulitis attacks requiring hospitalization over the past 3 years. He had the procedure done laparoscopically, and he had 2 feet of his colon removed during a lengthy procedure. The surgeon said it was very, very nasty, and he couldn't save a centimeter of the sigmoid colon, so now his transverse colon is hooked up to his rectum. He may be discharged as early as Thurs., which I'm worried about, since he finds it painful to breathe , hasn't had a BM yet, and has had a fever on and off. Any suggestions or advice for the recovery period? Thanks!

libloom · 06-18-2008, 08:04 AM

Hi......

First of all, I think it's normal to run a low grade fever after surgery. What concerns me more is the pain when breathing. Have they done a chest x-ray? Is your husband up and moving around? As hard as it is, moving as much as possible is crucial.

As for recovery, don't worry about the bm's for now. Your husband's intestines will wake up and start doing their job....it just takes time. Besides, I'm sure he hasn't had any "real" food...other than a soft diet. While lap re-sections seem to be somewhat easier recovery-wise, the same amount of healing is going on inside and things get better on a day-to-day basis.

Good luck to your husband and keep us posted,
Linda