Thursday, May 19, 2011
One Year Later After Surgery #1
It has been one year since I have lost my colon. At first, people take that as a bad thing. "Oh, I'm so sorry you had to go through that." I'm not. It made me alive again. I never realized how unhappy I was until I didn't have to worry about my colitis anymore. I have never been so happy, and confident, and in love with myself and life. This surgery made me me. It was the best decision I have ever made. Yes, there were some setbacks, but that is part of the process. You learn more about yourself and what you can handle. You also realize who are your true friends. No one abandoned me. But a lot of people were awkward around me or couldn't get themselves to come to the hospital to see me. I am a different person. I still have my quirks but I appreciate them more. I am more trusting and willing to be vulnerable. I know what I want in life and never settle. Without colitis, I can finally focus on me. This surgery was a god send.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Recovery From Surgery #1
So, recovery from the initial surgery is kind of brutal. Besides the complications I had, I was very tired and just plain worn out. I would wake up at 10 then go to sleep at 9. I guess it's just really hard on your system to have this surgery.
My incisions did hurt. It would hurt to move in a certain way or to try to sit up. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT USE JUST YOUR ABS TO SIT UP. First of all, it hurts. Second, it can cause some major damage to the cut muscles and new incision. Push off from your arms, it helps a lot. Also, my incisions were split open so that made them more painful. However, I would like to say, that it didn't hurt enough to take pain meds. It would only hurt whenever I moved wrong but never excrutiating. When I was just sitting there, I really was in no pain.
I did have problems with dehydration. That was one of the major complications that caused me to go back to the hospital. I wrote a more descriptive post on it called Complications from Surgery #1. But, after I got out of the hospital, I was well on track to keep myself hydrated. I definitely still had symptoms of dehydration, but I knew how to live with and eventually got myself out of it. Symptoms of dehydration include: tachycardia (fast heart beat), headache, dark urine, increased breathing rate, loss of appetite (beware of this one), sunken in eyes, dry skin, and overall fatigue. It is really easy to get dehydrated, but since you have the bag, you will be able to see the consistency of your stool (gross topic, I know) which well help you determine if you need to take some immodium, fiber supplements, or eat thickening foods. I lived on gatorade. Actually, I still do. Well, I should say that, or powerade, or vitamin water. I find vitamin water works the best when trying to get rehydrated.
During recovery, I watched a lot of tv......I mean a lot. Movies, the world cup, VH1 reality shows. There wasn't a lot to do. You aren't suppose to be super physical during this time. It could mess up the incisions. This includes walking a lot, exercising, and household chores (like laundry). Do not lift anything that is more than 10 pounds or carry anything up the stairs. You need to build up your strength. So, you will probably lose a lot of muscle tone. That part really sucks.
Recovery lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, more on the latter. By the end of recovery, I had cabin fever pretty bad. I still remember the first time I got out of the house and I was very excited. Oh, also, you cannot drive while you are recovering.
My incisions did hurt. It would hurt to move in a certain way or to try to sit up. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT USE JUST YOUR ABS TO SIT UP. First of all, it hurts. Second, it can cause some major damage to the cut muscles and new incision. Push off from your arms, it helps a lot. Also, my incisions were split open so that made them more painful. However, I would like to say, that it didn't hurt enough to take pain meds. It would only hurt whenever I moved wrong but never excrutiating. When I was just sitting there, I really was in no pain.
I did have problems with dehydration. That was one of the major complications that caused me to go back to the hospital. I wrote a more descriptive post on it called Complications from Surgery #1. But, after I got out of the hospital, I was well on track to keep myself hydrated. I definitely still had symptoms of dehydration, but I knew how to live with and eventually got myself out of it. Symptoms of dehydration include: tachycardia (fast heart beat), headache, dark urine, increased breathing rate, loss of appetite (beware of this one), sunken in eyes, dry skin, and overall fatigue. It is really easy to get dehydrated, but since you have the bag, you will be able to see the consistency of your stool (gross topic, I know) which well help you determine if you need to take some immodium, fiber supplements, or eat thickening foods. I lived on gatorade. Actually, I still do. Well, I should say that, or powerade, or vitamin water. I find vitamin water works the best when trying to get rehydrated.
During recovery, I watched a lot of tv......I mean a lot. Movies, the world cup, VH1 reality shows. There wasn't a lot to do. You aren't suppose to be super physical during this time. It could mess up the incisions. This includes walking a lot, exercising, and household chores (like laundry). Do not lift anything that is more than 10 pounds or carry anything up the stairs. You need to build up your strength. So, you will probably lose a lot of muscle tone. That part really sucks.
Recovery lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, more on the latter. By the end of recovery, I had cabin fever pretty bad. I still remember the first time I got out of the house and I was very excited. Oh, also, you cannot drive while you are recovering.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)