Takedown tomorrow!

If you can get Calmoseptine down under that the best for butt burn. They should be putting you on an all liquid diet first, after hearing bowel sounds and then semi solids. You also need to watch out for dehydration so drink plenty of water and sports drinks. Ones with sugar in them aren't the best. So you might want to pick some of those up or better yet get some powder or tabs to mix in water to make them. Tomato or V-8 vegetable juice is good too as has lots of salt and vegetables. A few days after my take down the head resident had me order a big breakfast and then just take a few bites of everything. I handled it well so I guess that was a test.

I did have my first post surgery BM 12 hours after the surgery so that was good. I was out after 3 nights.

All the best for you. Please let us know how everything turns out

Don't forget chapstick. My lips always get so chapped in the hospital.

My stoma was sutured closed too like you are describing and aside from being a little sore, it wasn't bad at all and it healed beautifully. Actually, I had very little pain from takedown which was nice for a change! I went home on day 4.

Good luck and speedy recovery!

Stick to soft or liquid diet. I didn't and I may have rushed things along a little too fast and began vomiting, which is not good for a newly connected pouch.

My predicted 3-4 day stay turned into 7 days.

I think you have probably had your op already... but it sounds like you were well prepared. I was also in the hospital for four days, had my first BM about 36 hours after the surgery.

The one thing I would say is that although it's easier than the other surgery/surgeries, it's still surgery!! Everyone says how easy takedown is, I was surprised to wake up in pain and with a super swollen belly. Take it slow and be kind to yourself

You're not wrong Pluot, I'm very sore this morning, mainly around my old stoma site.

Its currently 8:41 Saturday morning, after waiting around for awhile I went into theater at around 3:40pm yesterday. I was brought back to the ward a little after 7pm. Whilst the operation only went for an hour I had to stay in the recovery room for two or so hours due to the terrible pain I was experiencing. It wasn't as bad as my colectomy (which involved an 8 hour stay) but it was still unpleasant nonetheless.

After getting back to my room I was fairly sleepy. I didn't eat any food however was told I needed to drink/pee asap, a feat I managed at around midnight.

I've been served some tea and some sort of watery soup this morning. Here's to joining the arse****ters!

can't say s h ! t on this site. That is something I find rather amusing hahaha.

Maybe its the meds.

ok so its 7am sunday morning, approx 36 hours after my takedown. A couple of hours ago i passed some gas and a little green bile stuff, apparently this is all normal and it shouldn't be much longer now.

I was really careful with what I ate yesterday. Only had soup broth, yogurt, jelly juices etc. Might try and ramp that up a little today.

Hope they let me out tomorrow!

Sounds like all is going in a positive direction as planned!

Yeah!

all systems are working.. and working.. and working lol

Glad all the crap is flowing as it should be

just put butt cream on. Think i overdid it, how much should i be putting on?

Should i be trying to hold at all now or just let her run..

and how often should i be applying cream?

I only used the cream as needed but I didn't have too much irritation. Apply it as a barrier before a BM and after if you are starting to feel irritated.

I used a barrier cream pretty religiously for months - maybe a year. I applied it after emptying my pouch, so it would be there when I needed it next. If you wait until you are in pain it will be a bit late, since the creams don't really do much to heal things once they are sore.

I haven't needed it in years.

I've had lots of stomach grumbles today and have probably gone 7/8 times. I still have a lot of burning on the way out, it seems like I'm still passing a lot of green stomach acid so I hope this will stop. 6pm now, dont think i'm going to get a good nights sleep tonight

Once released from the hospital stick to a very light and bland diet as that will help with cramping and butt burn... Also DO NOT skip meals as this will increase gas pains. Lastly, do kegel exercises multiple times a day as this will help in controling leakages from your anus. Good luck

Once you start eating some real food your output will get better. That acid stomach bile is the worst. Hope today is a good day for you.

just saw the my surgeon, he's given me the green light to head home this morning. I had a very light dinner last night, had a bm before bed then none overnight. I got up twice to try and go and a spot or two came out but nothing significant. I'm guessing this rate will increase once I start eating a decent amount of food.

I set a couple of alarms last night because I didn't trust my body to wake up if I needed to go. What did everybody else do in the early days?

Oh boy! Definitely didn't set any alarms. I'm a light sleeper, maybe other people are different, but I wanted to sleep as much as I possibly could.

I only had one big accident, and I don't think an alarm would have prevented it. I haven't gotten the hang of passing gas yet (some people can, I'm not there yet) and in the very early days I passed gas in a half awake/half asleep state. I was sort of aware that I was passing gas but not awake enough to remember that I can't do that. Immediately after I woke up and had pretty much had a full BM in my sleep. Really demoralizing but it never happened again.

With regards to butt cream, clean and dry yourself well after each BM and then apply the cream. You want it to already be there when you have your next BM, so it makes sense to just do it before you leave the bathroom. As Scott was saying, it doesn't really heal your skin so much as protect it, so you're better off doing it every time for now.

Don't set alarms! Get some much needed sleep...you will be fine! And if you do have an accident in bed, don't freak out...it's normal and all part of the healing process. Doesn't mean it will happen, but just in case...don't get too upset. Congrats on getting sprung and going home!

Been home for about an hour. Had something to eat and my first metamucil powder dose. I'll have to do some searching around here and read up how people take it. I had a gassy orange bm about 45 minutes after taking it, so i think it may give me gas!

If you haven't already get a portable bidet spray bottle, can order off the internet. Or have a hand held sprayer installed that gets it's water source from the toilet. Do something to clean like this after every BM. It is better than wipes.

You have not used your exit route for a while so it's not use to the bm's, there is more acid in your bm's thus causing more irritation and you will be going more frequently.

Sleep on a towel until you are sure everything is under control or use a cloth pad like they use in the hospitals. This will protect your mattress and cut down on worry.

Good Luck!

something like this?

http://bottlebidet.com/faq.html

Be advised, if metamucil gives you gas (which is very common) you can always switch to citricul, which is a fiber supplement that decrease gas. Worked like a charm for me!

I haven't seen that before in the shops, I'll give metamucil ago for another couple of days then have look around for it if I'm still having issues.

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bid...eywords=bidet+bottle

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb...%2Ck%3Abidet+sprayer

You don't need to get them from amazon. The one you posted had a hand held for $46 which seemed steep. I take the first one above with me when I'm going to be away from home on vacations etc. I have a basic white kitchen sprayer kind that is attached to my toilet water supply at home I use all the time. I didn't get it from amazon. I got the "kit" from a diabetes supply website for under $50 including shipping. It took my husband 10 minutes to install.

Many on here have the bidet seats which include warm water etc. We didn't have the electricity where it needed to be. The room temperature works fine for me, even in Midwestern winters. But I'm sure I'd like a bidet seat or a real bidet more.

The best thing to keep you clean is water. So jump in the shower, take sitz baths or whatever you need to fight the dreaded butt burn.

Thanks TE Marie, I'll investigate.

This afternoon I've been terribly constipated. Not exactly what I was expecting on day two to be honest. I assume its the Endone I've been taking for my pain.

Hopefully some tea and some soup will get things going tonight

Please call your surgeon as that doesn't sound right to me. The names of the pain medications are different in the USA so I don't know what you are taking. If constipated I don't know if they want you to take the metamucil. It comes in caplet form as well and I like it that what much better. Not the pill form but the clear capsule form, you can see the actual metamucil inside it and swallow like that without all the grit.

Good Luck!

I looked it up and see it is Oxycodone. I have a 2 pill experience with this so have no idea how it might slow your system down.

Things are passing through me a little easier now. I think it was a combination of of the pain meds, diet (I ate brown bread, bananas and cake yesterday ) and the metamucil. Today I'm going to try and go Endone free (maybe 1 before bed) and cut out the metamucil.

I was up three times last night, two times not a whole lot came out but I still felt like I had to go. At around 6am I got up and a decent amount came out, cleaned up went back into bed then felt I had to go again. Guess I hadn't emptied fully yet. This is my major complaint, I feel like if I could get everything out then I'd have to go less.

Lets see how today goes!

Even past ten years out I sometimes stand up and a minute or two later notice I wasn't quite done. Gravity and time and an empty space combine for a second shift. It's no big deal if you don't get upset about it. Patience is as important as the right combination of meds and foods.

Keep in mind you will have a new normal now in regards to emptying your pouch. It isn't going to be like pooping with a colon. I'm three years post takedown and I still have those times when I go, clean up, get up only to discover I wasn't really done yet. But that doesn't happen every time.

Take 2 prevacid a day for butt burn. I am 2 weeks post takedown without the least bit sign of butt burn. The prevacid not only keeps the acid from going up but from also going down into the pouch and causing butt burn. Just treat the pouch like a second stomach. I also take 1 imodium pill before bedtime. Like I said only 2 weeks post takedown and I only go once at night and about 3 or 4 times during the day with no leakage. Stay on your GI soft diet and keep you sugar to a minimum. Do not drink water because you have no large intestine to absorb it, I only drink powerade Zero just as the Clinic advised and I am doing great.

Mike

Try moving around / different positions, like leaning forward, head to your knees, leaning to the side or back, etc. to help you release all.

Strange, but my position now, is completely different than what it was a couple of months ago.

I think the burn is dropping off a little, I'm still fairly raw from wiping so much. Made a few calls to some local places about bidets today, still searching!

I understand I'll have a new normal, I just hope its a little better than now!

I'm still having problems getting fully empty. I've emailed my surgeon with a few questions, will be interesting to see what he comes back with.

I've been told to avoid bowel slowers for the first week or so. I'll start playing around with them later. Given I'm having troubles emptying I am very reluctant to use them though.

Anyways, got upset this morning. The ups and downs of three major surgeries in 14 weeks will do that. Keep on keeping on I guess!

I have to disagree with Mike H's statement about drinking water. It is critical to drink plenty of water. While it's true that water absorption without a colon is less efficient, it's also true that the water absorption you can still do is what's keeping you alive.

I think Mike H was trying to suggest getting water from beverages like Powerade instead of plain water. I disagree with that, too, but at least Powerade (like water) will do the job of keeping you hydrated.

Not drinking plain water is really only a prescription for people who have unusually fast transit/high output. If you're drinking water and you have unremitting diarrhea, yes, you should switch to a rehydration solution like Pedialyte. If you're drinking water and not outputting pure liquid, that's fine. It's a common misconception that the large intestine is the organ that absorbs most of your body's water. Even in a "normal" body the small intestine absorbs 70-80% of the body's water.

I wouldn't recommend adding Prevacid or Imodium or anything else right now... It sounds like everything you're experiencing is totally normal. Most people don't need to take daily meds to manage their j-pouch, better to adapt now and reach that point than commit to meds from the beginning (in my opinion, anyway). Long term use of PPIs like Prevacid can lead to B12 deficiency (which we're already at an increased risk of), bone loss, and even C. diff infection.

Until you get a bidet, I find the best alternative on the road is to take a folded stack of soft TP and moisten it with warm water, then pat/blot (not wipe).

I just had my takedown on Friday the 20th. I was out by Sunday afternoon. I haven't had more than 7 BM's a day, been feeling great but the site where they stapled the wound where the stoma was does hurt. It's just normal pain, not bad stomach pain etc.

The big thing in the hospital is being able to pass gas, that really helps with the internal stomach pain. I've had a good appetite, eaten a normal amount but def. need to purchase cream for my butt. It's quite sore whenever I have movements and it wasn't even when I was going 30+ times a day during my UC days. I haven't had an accident yet, knock on wood and have really enjoyed the no bag feeling. Best of luck.

The reason for butt burn now vs UC days is more bile in your BM's but treating it with prevacid or something like it should not be done without your doctor's advice. Dab with super soft TP, charmin ultra soft, water etc. It does get better.

Dehydration is horrible, trust me I've been there. You need to drink water or hydrating drinks that are not too sugary etc. You also need to compensate for alcohol and other drinks that dehydrate you.

We are all different and what works for some does not work for others. We are alike and different.....that is what is so frustrating. It's trial and error on a large part plus things will change as your pouch gets more experience learning how to do it's new job.

Best of luck to you all