Had an Elape procedure 2 weeks ago. Struggling with post op incontinence and pain in the perinium .not to mention my stoma. Not sure what the future holds
Hi DiNorm and welcome to the board. It’s very early days yet after such a big operation and everything will still be settling down. Please contact your Colorectal Support Nurse and Stoma Nurse if you’re struggling and ask them for help. It’s a lot of change to take on board all at once and something as simple as taking immodium or changing your type of stoma bag could make all the difference?
Im going to tag in superfly and Ewok to see if they can pop in with some advice. In the meantime if you type elape in the search box at the top of the screen then you can see some previous posts which may help you?
Morning DiNorm and sorry to hear you’re here. I had my Elape in October 2018. It’s a bit of a long recovery but you’ll get there and I’m living proof of that but it has been a life changer I’m afraid but everyone is different and there are so many factors which affect that. You must have loads of questions so ask away. I can’t give medical advice but I can share tips.
My experience post op was I was very tired for at least 6 weeks and then things gradually started getting better and I am in pretty good shape now 18 months on. I spent those first 6 weeks lying mostly on my sides and kneeling on chairs etc, but it does get better over time. If you can manage to do some walking each day and gradually build it up, I found that helped aid the recovery. Sorry to hear you are having a rough time of it . Do feel free if you want to ask me any further questions. Good luck with it.
Probably best to discuss with your medical team. I had district nurses visiting every day and they usually advised contacting gp to check UTI’s etc. Warm showers were good. Take things very slowly. Lying on your sides is what my consultant recommended with a few minutes sitting on a ro ho cushion every day. The ro ho was provided by the hospital. Hope that helps.
