As mentioned in an earlier thread, a couple of days post takedown (10/27), I had to be opened up with another midline incision (was really hoping to avoid that this time) to clear out an infected hematoma. After that surgery, I was on an NG Tube and nothing by mouth until the NG Tube was removed on Sunday 11/2. They had me on clear liquids on Sunday and moved me to full liquids on Monday.
On Tuesday, they switched me to a low residue diet, and my new plumbing got its first real workout. There was a lot of frequency, with liquid stool, but it didn't have the terrible urgency I associated with my one and only UC flare.
On Wed, it was like a switch flipped. My stool began to solidfy, and frequency began to decrease somewhat, and I was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon last week.
Since I've been home, I'm growing increasingly optimistic about my pouch and its function. I've been reasonably careful to stick to a low residue diet, and haven't begun to introduce any higher fiber or potentially problematic foods yet, but the new plumbing has handled everything I've thrown its way with aplomb.
I'm not really counting the number of trips to the bathroom, because it's frankly not that big a deal to empty, but I'd guess I'm currently in the 8-10 trips per 24 hours range. Generally, I tend to go to bed around midnight, and the last couple of nights, haven't woken up needing to go until after 5 am, and I'm hopeful this means that I'll see some sleeping through the night soon.
My stool is relatively formed, most of the time. In fact, the combination of low residue diet and NorCo for surgical pain probably has me too formed at the moment. I do experience some clustering issues, particularly first thing in the morning, and I haven't yet had the courage to try an off toilet fart (and my experience on the toilet suggests that it might be a bad idea). I'm also curious if urination will ever again be a solo act.
My only real pain issues right now are with the midline staples. The skin around them is trying to heal, and they're pinching and pulling something fierce. I'm not scheduled to see the surgeon again until the 18th, so I've put in a call to see if I can get them pulled sooner. The stoma site incision is healing well and the abdominal swelling is subsiding.
I have a very small issue with the dreaded butt burn, but careful use of wet wipes after going, followed by a generous dab of Calmoseptine seems to be doing the trick to keep any real issue with this at bay.
I got out a bit on Saturday and was able to attend a friend's wedding last night. I'm still scanning the sky, looking for shoes that might drop, but I'm doing it a whole lot less.
I expect the pouch performance to improve more as I adapt, but even if the way I feel today turned out to be my new normal, I'd be able to live a happy, active life. I'm looking forward to building back my upper body strength after 11 months of illness and surgery, and for the first time I actually believe I might get my life back, very close to what it was before all this started.
I know so many people here are having issues, and so many folks come here worried about what the future might hold. And I realize I'm still early in the healing/adaptation process, but sometimes, even with surgical complications, things can go right.
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