The Colon Club

Good Luck tomorrow Mike. I am sure you're going to do well. You are prepared, informed and in charge of your medical care. Keep us updated when you're feeling up to it. I'll be sending positive vibes your way. On a side note, the hospital I had surgery had gowns that fully covered you and opened in the front. I had access to changes if I needed as well.

Mike, Good luck today with prep. You will be in my thoughts and prayers for successful, no issues surgery.

Lee

Good luck tomorrow!

Good luck tomorrow! I was in the ERAS protocol. I think it really minimized the pain. Thinking good thoughts for you!

Mike, thinking about you and want to wish you well for your procedure today!

You got this!!

back

Welcome back.

I take it that it went well...

Start walking when you are able to do so. Hope you are feeling ok...

Hope you're doing okay. Post-op is never easy, wishing you well!

Hope you're resting well. I'm sure you're tired.

Possibility of stage 3 to stage 2 depending on path report.
I’ve learned not to get my hopes up though. I’m doing more so more pain and trying Tylenol. The nutrition stuff is trial and error. I want to write but don’t feel like the laptop because of the weight.

Good to hear you're doing pretty well. Possibility of downstage is a good thing too. Rest and keep us updated when you feel up to it.

Robino1 wrote:Welcome back.

I take it that it went well...

Start walking when you are able to do so. Hope you are feeling ok...

Totally agree on the walking- I did not do it enough after my first surgery (it was tough!) and the recovery took longer than it probably should have.. made sure I was doing laps and more laps after my reversal! That said, listen to your body though and take it easy though if needed - same goes with painkillers, etc. I used all the painkillers that were available. Do what you need to do to feel allright.

NHMike wrote:...Please feel free to ask me questions and offer advice as I'm sure that I still have a lot to learn and I'd rather learn stuff these days from others instead of learning the hard way.

I hope you are feeling better now and that you will be discharged from the hospital soon.

Meanwhile, in the 3 or 4 days that you have left in the hospital I would suggest that you ask questions of your surgeon as she comes by each day to check up on you. Try to find out the details of the surgery, as much as you can, while the surgery is still fresh in her mind. Next month or a year from now she may have forgotten the details and there may not be enough details recorded in your file about all of the things that happened during your surgery,

Basically, what you want to know is whether the surgery went according to plan or whether she had to revert to a "Plan B" somewhere along the way. For example, did the ureter stent procedure go as planned? Were there any problems with 'collateral damage' to any other structures such as the bladder wall,or the nerve sheaths serving the uro-genital area? What about the possible intrusion of the tumor into the muscle that she mentioned earlier? How long will you need to retain the temporary ileostomy? Did she have enough good tissue left in the rectal stump to make a good anastomosis? Was the junction made with staples, and if so, were there any problems with getting the stapler to work with radiation damage evident in the remnant tissue? Do you have any hemorrhoids remaining that will need later attention? How long did the surgery take? Did the surgery require blood transfusions? If so, how many units were needed? etc.

In my case, I asked lots and lots of questions and I got lots of answers that were not recorded anywhere else in my file. Basically, if you don't ask questions now you may never get the answers later on. Good luck, and hope to see you back on-line soon.

Overdid it yesterday. I need to force myself to rest more. Pain on the left side and tried Tylenol and may try something stronger.. ate 400 calories yesterday even though I can eat what I want. Time is a challenge for eating. They took out the catheter and wound seals. Sorry for not posting more. I will have to give myself shots for 25 days after leaving. I’m not great with needles and my wife has offered to do the sticks. This is to prevent blood clots.

Walking is good, but you do not want to overdo it. I never had to do injections, but I remember may daughter had ankle surgery right before we had to drive her down to North Carolina for school. The doctor gave us injections to give her to avoid blood clots since she would be sitting in the car for so long. I think we put them in her abdomen. I think it is easier to have someone do it rather than do yourself. Take care, hope you are recovering well. Eating can be an issue I remember. It's all so overwhelming at first, but you will get into a routine once you're home.