The Colon Club

That sounds like so much fun. Enjoy!

Today is my last day of Xeloda pills! Tomorrow I see the doctor for my medical clearance for my reversal surgery. Going to celebrate by having a beer tonight!

heiders33 wrote:Today is my last day of Xeloda pills! Tomorrow I see the doctor for my medical clearance for my reversal surgery. Going to celebrate by having a beer tonight!

So cool! I am really happy for you!

Claudia

Enjoy! Maybe this weekend you can really celebrate with some warm weather!

Susan

Thank you so much! I certainly will celebrate.

Today I had my flex sigmoidoscopy and gastrografin enema to prep for my reversal surgery. It all went pretty smoothly. After the sigmoidoscopy I had terrible gas and was expelling a little blood/mucus/stool. My surgeon and nurses all told me this was normal, and it went away after a bit. The enema wasn't bad - I actually told the radiologist I had been through radiation and surgery and had a little bleeding that morning, and he switched out the bigger tube for a smaller, softer one. I was really glad I asked! It was still uncomfortable, and some fluid leaked out onto my gown and the table, but overall not bad. Also there was a lot of fluid in my bag.

I am so grateful for this forum because: 1) I would never have known to ask for a smaller tube, and 2) I would never have known to bring diapers with me. On the way home via subway I had more gas pains and expelled some more of the fluid (I think mixed with mucus) so I was glad I had a diaper on. I also wrapped my fleece around my waist so nobody would see any leakage. It was definitely an adventure, and I'm glad it's over!

I also had a gastrografin enema and they used a thin cannule because of recent surgery. Good luck with the reversal!

Claudia

My PCP finally submitted all my medical clearance records to my surgeon today, for my surgery Monday (!). It was a little dicey because even though my onc said he wanted to do final blood work, when I met with him on Monday he said he didn’t realize he would need to send my blood off to the PCP for a coagulation study. My PCP didn’t say anything about that when I met with him. It’s a good thing I can manage things because if my docs were left to their own devices things wouldn’t get done! I love my docs but there are almost too many of them.

I had a bag leak at work yesterday and did an emergency bag change. This little bugger wants to keep bothering me till the end! Honestly, I know post-reversal will be hard, but I’m so ready to get this thing off of me. It has caused me so many headaches.

Those of you who have had a reversal, how many nights were you in the hospital? I’ve been told maybe two.

Wow I had no idea that all has to happen first. I am off for three more weeks, stretching it as I have like 60 days of sick leave and then it's spring break so schools are closed anyway.
There's a lot to consider with all this isn't there? No ne said it was easy but the challenges weren't described anyplace but here.
Susan

heiders33 wrote:Those of you who have had a reversal, how many nights were you in the hospital? I’ve been told maybe two.

It's usually a short stay for the reversal -- just until you pass gas and have a bowel movement. That varies from person to person but expect a stay of 2-3 days. Sometimes it takes longer for the bowel to "wake up," but after you're eating a solid diet it happens pretty fast.

I hear you on being glad your reversal is coming up soon. My stoma (I named it "Belly Butt") acted up a lot at the end too, so I was eager for the surgery!

Remember to do your Kegel (pelvic muscle) exercises to prepare for the reversal. Strengthening these muscles prior to reversal surgery was the smartest thing I did!

Quick reminder of how to do Kegels:

1. Tighten your buttock muscles like you are trying to hold back a bowel movement. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds.
2. Release and rest.
3. Repeat this exercise 10 times, 4 times a day.

Best of luck to you!
Juliej

I start my bowel prep tomorrow for surgery Monday. I'm dreading it because about a week after chemo ended my appetite came back with a vengeance. I'm hungry all the time! I wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Tomorrow is going to be rough. Time to find something to binge-watch.

I've been experiencing some waves of sensation in my feet, not painful, as well as pins and needles after I put too much pressure on them by walking around in thin socks and shoes. When I wear thicker socks it's not an issue. So today I went for a short run and workout at the outdoor gym near my apartment, and no tingling! I think it was because of my cushiony shoes and the fact that I was running on a track. I am pleased because it means I can get back into running after I recover from my surgery.

Surgery is at 10 a.m. on Monday. It got pushed back from 8:30 a.m. Hopefully it won't get delayed any more than that; I hate sitting around in the hospital in a hungry, thirsty fog.

My feet started tingling about a month after chemo. Hasn't disappeared but really doesn't stop me from running, thank god. It is just uncomfortable barefoot on hard surfaces, so I always wear slippers in the house or shoes. No pain, just the tingling. You'll be happy when you can get back to running, made me feel better.

heiders33 wrote:...Those of you who have had a reversal, how many nights were you in the hospital? I’ve been told maybe two.

I think it will be around two or three nights, since the surgery itself is normally a very short, simple, straightforward one. However, it might he longer if the surgery is longer due to a need to remove adhesions before doing the reconnect, or due to the need to also repair a parastomal hernia. These extra tasks might involve a greater level of bowel anaesthesia over a longer period of time and might cause your bowel to take an additional day or two to wake. up before they will approve you for discharge.

It helps to walk the halls whenever you are able to because it helps eliminate the bowel anaesthesia from your system.

Thank you so much for your replies! Now I’m mentally prepared for whatever length of time I’ll need to stay in the hospital.

heiders33 wrote:... My LAR surgery in September lasted almost six hours but was successful...

Just a note to say that if you had an open LAR surgery and it lasted almost 6 hours, then there is the possibility that you now have some adhesions in the abdominal area that will have to be taken care of before they get around to doing the reversal itself. This is because a long open surgery exposes the bowel to open air for a long period of time, and this is what tends to produce adhesions. Patients who have laparoscopic surgery instead will tend to have fewer adhesions because there is not so much rough handling of the bowel as in an open air environment.