What to expect from surgery

[la cuca]

Hi all
I wrote on this about a month ago. My fiance will be getting surgery soon. They will remove his rectum and give him a temporary colostomy before either a. they see if they can save the sphincter or b. give him a permanent colostomy. Can anyone tell me what to expect. I know the Drs. tell you things but I always feel like you get a surprise or two.

He's so upset that I can't seem to get him to ask the questions I need so that we can plan out his care. If it were me I would see an ostomy nurse but he refuses to do so right now, so I am caught between a rock and a hard place.

Some questions I have:
How long will it take him to be fully mobile? I know the surgery is incredibly painful.
Do you think he will need a nurse? (I work full time and will only get a week off/his mom is a bit too frail to help with lifting etc)
Do you all have any food reccs?
Any other ideas/insights.

[NICK THE BRIT]

Hello there, i can be of some assistance maybe. I didnt have a temp colostomy, but had a temporary ileostomy which has just been reversed. If he is in general good shape he shouldnt be too bad. I went to a guns n roses concert 3 weeks after my surgery. But he wont be advised to do any lifting etc for 3 months. He will be very sore and weak at first. But shouldnt be bed ridden or anything like that. Once the scar starts to heal over it would help if he did some gentle exercise like a short walk. He may feel the need to have a nap in the afternoon. My surgeon told me that but i probably only had a couple. Everybody is different though. As for the diet its probably best to introduce maybe food thats a bit bland at first chicken, mash potato etc and reduce the portions. But i was eating like a horse after a short whilst, chili con carne, curry, the works!

I wish him the best of luck.

Nick

[PGLGreg]

How long will it take him to be fully mobile? I know the surgery is incredibly painful.

I had LAR surgery for rectal cancer, no colostomy, 15 months ago. No pain to speak of. I was walking around 20 minutes a day as soon as I got home from the hospital and am now running an hour/day. I tried to resume sit-ups after a few weeks, but wasn't able to successfully for 8 months.