I thought it would be worthwhile to post about my experience with a recent bowel resection (2/4/2014) to help take away potential fear that someone about to go through something similar might have. I know I had anxiety not knowing what to expect and it helped to get feedback from some of you on this forum.
Pre-Admittance – I was admitted to the hospital the day prior to surgery for bloodwork and bowel prep. Bowel prep consists of drinking a gallon of a polyethylene glycol solution ("GoLytely")… one small cup at a time over several hours. This was not bad at first, but drinking a gallon of anything is tough. They gave me lemonade flavored Crystal Light to help as the solution itself tastes horrible. This was unpleasant, but I got through it.
Surgery – Day is mostly a blur. Prior to surgery, you get to hear all the scary disclosures about potential complications from the anesthesia. They gave me an epidural in the staging area for the OR… completely painless as they gave some medication through the IV prior. I remember going into the OR and being slid onto the operating table. As soon as my eyes began to open, I was in the recovery room and they wheeled me to my overnight room. I do not remember much… limited pain and a lot of sleep.
+1 Day – This was the toughest day. You become aware of the pain, but you have a pain button that you can push that administers pain meds through the epidural… it is effective. I also woke to realize I had a catheter which was my first experience with this and something I was really afraid of – truth be told, it was not too bad… it was not painful (they put it in while I was under). They tried to have me stand while measuring my blood pressure, but it dropped so low I almost passed out. Most of the day I spent sleeping.
+2 Days – Feeling a little better. Needed a helping hand to sit up in bed as it was too painful to do on my own… those pesky abdominals. Blood pressure starting to normalize. More time awake. Able to get up and move to a nearby chair with help.
+3 Days – This was an important day and I felt a lot better. They removed the catheter… uncomfortable experience but not painful. I felt comfortable enough to walk in the hallways to help stimulate the bowels. I walked a lot and it felt good to do it. By the end of the day, bowels showing signs of waking up… never been so happy to have gas. They moved me to a clear liquid diet.
+4 Days – Felt too good to be in the hospital and the nurses said I looked to good to be there. I was walking constantly in the hallways. Bowel function returned. They removed the epidural. They moved me to an unrestricted diet… I still used judgement and kept it really slow. They were watching for nausea and I had none.
+5 days – Released from the hospital. Feeling good but taking it slow.
The very next day, I felt comfortable enough to work from home. They sent me home with Percocet, but I have not needed to use many of them. Today (+8 days) I will likely not use any. Thinking back, I think the most painful part of the whole experience was removing the damn surgical tape… I got a free waxing. This experience also reminds me of the body's amazing ability to heal. Hope this is helpful to anyone about to go through this experience – feel free to PM me with questions.
Kevin
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