I had toxic megacolon leading up to my first surgery, so it may not be the same scenario as yours; I had step 1 in November 2006, step 2 in February 2007 and step 3 in June of 2007, but that was after a major complication that necessitated an obstruction surgery. If you're in better health than I was I would think you would be able to have your process completed a bit more quickly than mine.

I had surgery in three stages. I first had my colostomy with an ileostomy in March 2006. Then a few months later I had my j-pouch construction surgery July 2006 and a still had a temporary ileostomy that was made out of a portion of the small intestine above the j-pouch. Then I had a 3rd surgery that only consisted of getting rid of the temporary ileostomy September 2006. This last surgery is the "Take Down" that you are hearing about. And honestly the third surgery really wasn't a big deal at all. I barely felt any pain on that one. All it consisted of was putting my temporary ileostomy back into my insides with the rest of my guts. I didn't have to be cut open for the third one. I'm happy I had it in three stages. It gave my j-pouch time to heal before using it. And now I only have about 5 bowel movements a day.

The pain with bending and moving around is very normal. A colectomy is a very big surgery! And is the biggest one of the 3 that you will have to go through. I had my surgery done laparoscopically with cameras inserted into my abdomen and I still had a hard time with that. It just takes time to heal, plain and simple. Go easy on yourself. Give your body that time it needs to adjust. I returned to my desk job 8 weeks after my 1st surgery, 6 weeks after my 2nd surgery, and only 2 and a half weeks after my 3rd surgery. But I can honestly say it took me a full year from my first surgery before I felt like doing ALL the things I did before, ESPECIALLY any physical activities.

I had three stages as well; was too sick for one or two stage surgery.

Recovery time varies, of course, but what you're describing sounds totally normal. (VERY) Generally speaking, 6 weeks is a minimum recovery time for abdominal surgery.

Do be very careful with any abdominal exercise at this point; for instance, be careful when getting out of bed. Rolling to one side and pushing up with your arms is probably better at this stage than simply sitting up.

Watch the walking as well. While walking is incredibly good for you -- and for recovery -- pushing yourself too much can cause problems. So take it easy and don't overdo it. At three weeks if you can walk 15-20 minutes a day, that's GREAT. Listen to your body; now is not the time for excessive exercise!

I was extremely sick going into my first surgery and had a 6-week hospital stay and a good 4 month recovery time. You are obviously doing much better than that, so congratulations!

And I totally agree with Endi; about a year from your first surgery you'll feel back to "normal".

Best,
Gin