The Colon Club

heiders33 wrote:My reversal surgery is done! My surgical site is very sore, but otherwise no pain. I had pain all over my abdomen when I woke up, but they gave me pain meds. My surgery lasted less than 90 minutes.

I’m very comfortable in my hospital bed. I’m right next to the bathroom which is good, and my roommate is quiet. I’m at Lenox Hill Hospital and the nurses here are all so great!

It’s SO weird to reach to my side and not feel a bag there.

Now comes the hard part - getting my bowels to wake up over the next couple days.

heiders33 wrote:My reversal surgery is done! My surgical site is very sore, but otherwise no pain. I had pain all over my abdomen when I woke up, but they gave me pain meds. My surgery lasted less than 90 minutes.

I’m very comfortable in my hospital bed. I’m right next to the bathroom which is good, and my roommate is quiet. I’m at Lenox Hill Hospital and the nurses here are all so great!

It’s SO weird to reach to my side and not feel a bag there.

Now comes the hard part - getting my bowels to wake up over the next couple days.

O Stoma Mia wrote:... There is a very important point that I think should be emphasized for all patients undergoing CRC surgery: it is the possibility of tearing of surgical site due to any unusual, vigorous activity that puts stress on the new incision. This condition is called an "incisional hernia" when it occurs at the site of the main LAR or APR incisions, and it is called a "parastomal hernia" when it occurs near the ileostoma incision site. These two conditions are to be avoided at all cost because they can cause considerable problems later on and can reduce the subsequent quality of life.

The good news is that incisional hernias and parastomal hernias can be avoided -- but only if the post-surgery patient takes extreme care not to allow unusual tension at the incision sites. This means, among other things:

• Absolutely no lifting of any heavy objects in the post-surgery period. It is important after surgery not to lift too soon as you risk damaging your abdomen. Even if the suture line is healed completely the muscles below take many weeks or months to heal. It is advisable to lift nothing heavier than a jug of water for three months after surgery. This means you may need help to undertake general duties such as cleaning (vacuum cleaners are heavy to move about), washing (wet washing is heavy to lift), shopping (food is heavy to carry), even caring for children or others may involve activities that may put strain on the abdomen.
• No lifting yourself up or pulling yourself up out of bed in the post surgery period. (Call the nurses if you need assistance in getting up out of bed.) Do not try to use the hand rail or overhead bar to raise yourself up, or you risk the possibility of tearing the surgical site.
• No coughing or sneezing during the immediate post-surgical period. If this is unavoidable, then I think you should insure that you have some kind of abdominal support to hold the surgical incision site(s) firm. Devices like abdominal binders might be appropriate in this case, if approved by the doctor. Or you could use a small pillow pressed against the abdomen for support. If you develop uncontrollable coughing and sneezing, then you could damage the incision site, causing delayed healing and eventual incisional hernia.

This is just my own personal opinion, and the reason I am mentioning this here is that there seems to be a constant reminder that we have to "walk, walk, walk" just after surgery, but there is rarely any mention that in order to get up to walk you have to first get out of bed, and the maneuvers that you use to get yourself out of bed could easily cause problems with your new incision.

heiders33 wrote:So I took a walk around the hospital and finally passed some gas and liquid stool! Now the floodgates have been opened, lol. Time for some solid food.

O Stoma Mia wrote:... There is a very important point that I think should be emphasized for all patients undergoing CRC surgery: it is the possibility of tearing of surgical site due to any unusual, vigorous activity that puts stress on the new incision. This condition is called an "incisional hernia" when it occurs at the site of the main LAR or APR incisions, and it is called a "parastomal hernia" when it occurs near the ileostoma incision site. These two conditions are to be avoided at all cost because they can cause considerable problems later on and can reduce the subsequent quality of life.