Qperation Over- and Home

56Dave 1 month ago

3 replies
102 subscribers
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Well, went into Gloucester Royal on the 8th October, came out on the 31st. Operation on the 9th. Had a spinal epidural - ileostomy after removal of the cancer. Consultant was 'very happy' withe the whole procedure. Spent a few days in intensive care then back into an open ward.

I can say that I never had any real pain - discomfort from the swelling, especially when I moved in the bed, but only very brief. Problem came with Stoma bag sealing. They tried all sorts, large, small, flat, convex, concave. had a skin infection from the leaks, which took tine to heal. I finally have a flat bag, with a belt, which seems to work. Finally discherged on 31st & home.

I was surprised about having no pain! What I did not appreciate ( although I'd been warned about this ) was how much energy it took out of me. After a few steps, I was glad to get back to bed & sleep, on the open ward, you were chivvied to get up & at least to sit in a chair for a few hours. I passed the mobilty tests OK, but it took me a day to get over it!

Hospital? I can't fault anything, apart from the two Olympic snorers on the ward. Food was standard big hospital - bland, tasteless and luke warm

Now I'm home - it's going to take a long time to get back to normal - if ever, Adjusting to a soft, low fibre diet is going to be a bit tricky ( I'm diabetic as well ), and everything has to be done in slow motion & planned ahead.

NDW

Dulac 1 month ago

Hello 56Dave,

Your account brought some memories back!

Bear in mind that the shape of your ileostomy might change over the next few weeks and - once things have settled down - you should be able to arrive at a more convenient solution to stoma leakage. There are lots of products out there from different manufacturers and once a solution is reached the rest will be a matter of routine.

I am also diabetic Type 1 and a conflict does arise. On the one hand you are told to eat pasta, mashed potato, white bread and that sort of food to help your internals recover and on the other hand you are told to reduce carbohydrates because of diabetes. I took the decision to concentrate on recovering from surgery first and then dealing with blood glucose levels afterwards. It worked out OK after approx 12 weeks and now I can eat most foods again, just in moderation. The only foods I really avoid are whole nuts, undercooked vegetables, beansprouts and fish bones. Anything else is just a matter of chewing properly. Over the 12 weeks body mass (I lost 3 1/2 stones) and muscle returned, together with strength and stamina. Don't feel guilty if you just sit and rest over the first few weeks; there is some repair work taking place within that you can't see. Oh, and if you have to lift anything then think first to avoid straining your abdomen.

Any queries or concerns, just ask and no doubt you will receive a response on these pages.

Dulac

56Dave 1 month ago in reply to Dulac

Dulac,

thanks for that! I've been diabetid for 24 yearsm and it's going to take time to find a good diet balance, especially especially without wholemeal bread, nuts - and the old standby baked beans!

NDW

Dulac 1 month ago in reply to 56Dave

56Dave,

I was diagnosed in 1964. You will be OK with wholemeal bread (without large seeds in the crust) as the basis for thousands on a raft, but perhaps not just yet. As for nuts, unsweetened smooth peanut butter works OK and a few salted cashews chewed to destruction pass through without a hitch. I make a mental comparison with an icing bag as to what might or might not be appropriate!

Dulac