Hope you're all OK. My surgery is getting closer and I'm a bit nervous. Anyone that's had a bowel resection, what should I expect ? It's the unknown that mostly makes me nervous. Thank you.
it’s only natural to feel nervous, I had a right hemi colectomy 10 years ago. I was up walking the very next day. I found I had a lot of trapped wind right after the op and my surgeon suggested I chew chewing gum and it would help it break, and it worked the pain went. Apart from that I had no issues.
Hi DadPool40. I had a Low Anterior Resection and was impressed by how well I was looked after. The anaesthetist came and talked to me before the op and was very reassuring. The gold standard treatment is to get you up and about after the op and the nurses check your observations regularly and that your pain is being well managed. They will gradually remove the drips and catheter and will make sure you can go to the toilet before discharging you. Once home it’s a case of taking it steady and not lifting anything heavier than a kettle with a cupful of water in for the next 6 weeks. Try to do small walks when you feel up to it and build up from there. I sometimes had a dull ache at the bottom of my spine but the nurses just told me to take it a bit easier the next day
Hope it all goes well and you can get that tumour in the bin
Hi.I had a panproctocolectomy so a bit different but was up the next day with no pain relief after a couple of days.mind you it was done via a single port laparoscopy.
A bit of pain right after the op but I had a button to press to release pain relief. I think they monitor how much your using it when they decide to take it away. And I went home with tramadol but was advised to stop taking them a soon as I could because they can be addictive.
I was up and about quite quickly and back to normal life.
Hi, I know how feel, I was really nervous. I am typing this from my hospital bed, had the bowel resection op on 11th Oct, and am going home tomorrow. I must admit the first day was pretty painful, but obviously you get plenty of painkiller. I am now walking around slowly, but am improving every day. It will soon be over and done with, its the waiting thats the worse not knowing what to expect, but the way I look at it thousands have had it done and lived to tell the tale so try not to worry too much, just take it a day at a time....hope all goes well for you.
I had a left hemicolectomy in May '19 through keyhole surgery. Like you, I was very fearful of the unknown; however, the whole experience was a lot easier than my expectations. I woke with a drip for pain relief (Fentanyl,) & a catheter tube - both of which were removed 24 hours later. Then I just had paracetamol for pain relief, which gradually got far easier over the three days I was in hospital. You will be monitored throughout the day & night - continuous blood pressure readings & temperature checks & daily blood thinning injection.
Make sure you have lots of interesting diversions - mine was books & Codewords. The hours spent there are long & tedious. Even though the food was not good - I welcomed the diversion & ritual of meals. My ward at night was very noisy & far too bright....so you might find packing an eye mask & ear plugs useful.
They like you to take a short walk the following day - & try to sit outside of your bed most of the day (this helps to make you feel more normal.) Before you are discharged, they want to know if you have opened your bowels. (It took me two days before I could.)
It was a relief to be home. I had a friend to do my shopping for a week; thereafter, I did my own shopping, just carrying small bags. Don't lift anything heavy/ or strain yourself for 6 weeks, as this could cause a possible hernia. Similarly, don't drive for that length of time. However, I cooked & carried on as normal within a few days - but always being aware not to put any undue strains on my body. I also ate what I felt like eating. The fact that I live alone concerned me; but personally, I found the physical recovery process far easier than I had expected.I found the mental one a little bit harder - for me, this was the sheer speed of it all - the fact that I was diagnosed & admitted for surgery was just one month. I felt like I had been on a lightning roller coaster, & had been spun off into some strange realm - which was all rather disconcerting. These feelings diminished within time, but took far longer than the physical recovery,
I hope that your journey & recovery will be a smooth one.
