So, we get to the hospital and my surgery is scheduled for 11am, not quite as early as the first. We went through the same procedure as the first and I was wheeled up to the operating room. Just as I got there a nurse came running up and kicked me out. Apparently the nice snow storm was causing a lot of trouble on the roads and emergencies go first. So the nurse took me back down to the waiting room and long story short, I didn't actually get operated on until about 6pm. That was a LONG wait!
Once I got into surgery it only took the surgeon an hour to operate this time. He reconnected my small intestine, put it back inside of me and stapled me up. A little easier than the first operation. So, over the next few days I recovered in the nice new hospital. Erika liked this hospital a little better because the room I stayed in had a couch for her to sleep on rather than a very uncomfortable chair.
Although it was still considered a major surgery it was much easier than the first. I was up and walking the day after surgery and was anxious to get out of the hospital. I could go to the bathroom on my own. No catheter for the fireman. And best of all, no more colostomy bag! Or, I guess technically it was an ileostomy bag....Anyway I was feeling good and excited to recover. The 3rd day at the hospital saw a slower recovery than I hoped, but I was on solid foods and out of there by Friday...I think. It may have been Saturday. Anyway it was a shorter stay than the first. I slowly recovered over the next month and things were going great until a few days before new years.
It was a Thursday and we went to a friends house for a party. My stomach was hurting a little bit, but I didn't think anything of it. An hour after we got there my stomach was still hurting so I figured it was from being hungry. I ate some pizza and chips and dips, but nothin' doin'. I tried going to the bathroom, but the pain kept getting worse. I had erika take me home after I threw up in the parking lot. I thought that if I took a bath and rested all night I'd be fine. The bath was nice, but I didn't sleep at all. My stomach was in pain and got worse throughout the night without letting up at all. At 8am I called my surgeon because I was starting to worry. He thought that it might just be a flu bug going around that had similar symptoms. He prescribed pepto-bismol and to call back the next day if things didn't get better.
About 6pm on Friday Erika took me to the emergency room because I could move at all. We waited for a few hours before we could see a Doc. Once the Doc got to us he hooked me up with my best friend morphine and I started feeling much better. I had to get some x-rays and blood tests done to see what was going on. The Doctor found a thickening in my small intestine
which was causing a partial blockage. He didn't know exactly what was causing it so they admitted me to the hospital so my GI Doc could come and take a look.
We had to wait until 3:30am to finally get a room. I didn't mind too much because I was passed out most of that time on morphine. Poor Erika had to sit in the chair and wait. Her only entertainment being the crazy lady overdosed on drugs.
Over the next few days the Doctors ran more tests and decided to scope me on Monday. We were hoping to get out of there by that night because we didn't want to spend new year's in the hospital. The Doctor finally got a chance to scope me, from to top and the bottom, on Monday afternoon. He found 2 small ulcers at the beginning of my small intestine and at the end. He said there didn't seem to be anything in between so that was good. There were a number of things that could actually be causing the uclers and thickening - stress, post-surgery complications, infections, crohn's disease....At the mention of crohn's disease my heart almost stopped. Crohn's is basically the same thing as ulcerative colitis except it affects your small intestine rather than your large. The Doctor took some biopsies and would have the results in a few days.
Meanwhile I was put on antibiotics and acid-controlling drugs to help me heal. My stomach was still a little tender, but I was feeling fine. With some anxious prodding and pleading the Doctor at the hospital I was able to be discharged that night. Even though it was new year's eve I wasn't up to do anything too exciting so we ended up going to my parents house and hanging out there. It was nice and easy-going with no stress.
The next week I met with my GI Doc and my surgeon. Both of them looked at the biopsy results and said that they weren't worried about Crohn's as being the cause of my pain. What a relief that was! They kept me on antibiotics and I started to feel good again.
Since then I have been feeling great. No relapses. I do have to be careful about what I eat and go easy on lots of things that I love, but it's worth it. Erika makes sure I don't get crazy and eat tomatoes! Anyway, that's my ordeal up to this point. 2 steps forward and one step back is what I've been told so I expect some setbacks over the next few months. I can handle it with my family and friends at my side. The help we received throughout this whole thing was incredible!
Once I got into surgery it only took the surgeon an hour to operate this time. He reconnected my small intestine, put it back inside of me and stapled me up. A little easier than the first operation. So, over the next few days I recovered in the nice new hospital. Erika liked this hospital a little better because the room I stayed in had a couch for her to sleep on rather than a very uncomfortable chair.
Although it was still considered a major surgery it was much easier than the first. I was up and walking the day after surgery and was anxious to get out of the hospital. I could go to the bathroom on my own. No catheter for the fireman. And best of all, no more colostomy bag! Or, I guess technically it was an ileostomy bag....Anyway I was feeling good and excited to recover. The 3rd day at the hospital saw a slower recovery than I hoped, but I was on solid foods and out of there by Friday...I think. It may have been Saturday. Anyway it was a shorter stay than the first. I slowly recovered over the next month and things were going great until a few days before new years.
It was a Thursday and we went to a friends house for a party. My stomach was hurting a little bit, but I didn't think anything of it. An hour after we got there my stomach was still hurting so I figured it was from being hungry. I ate some pizza and chips and dips, but nothin' doin'. I tried going to the bathroom, but the pain kept getting worse. I had erika take me home after I threw up in the parking lot. I thought that if I took a bath and rested all night I'd be fine. The bath was nice, but I didn't sleep at all. My stomach was in pain and got worse throughout the night without letting up at all. At 8am I called my surgeon because I was starting to worry. He thought that it might just be a flu bug going around that had similar symptoms. He prescribed pepto-bismol and to call back the next day if things didn't get better.
About 6pm on Friday Erika took me to the emergency room because I could move at all. We waited for a few hours before we could see a Doc. Once the Doc got to us he hooked me up with my best friend morphine and I started feeling much better. I had to get some x-rays and blood tests done to see what was going on. The Doctor found a thickening in my small intestine
which was causing a partial blockage. He didn't know exactly what was causing it so they admitted me to the hospital so my GI Doc could come and take a look.
We had to wait until 3:30am to finally get a room. I didn't mind too much because I was passed out most of that time on morphine. Poor Erika had to sit in the chair and wait. Her only entertainment being the crazy lady overdosed on drugs.
Over the next few days the Doctors ran more tests and decided to scope me on Monday. We were hoping to get out of there by that night because we didn't want to spend new year's in the hospital. The Doctor finally got a chance to scope me, from to top and the bottom, on Monday afternoon. He found 2 small ulcers at the beginning of my small intestine and at the end. He said there didn't seem to be anything in between so that was good. There were a number of things that could actually be causing the uclers and thickening - stress, post-surgery complications, infections, crohn's disease....At the mention of crohn's disease my heart almost stopped. Crohn's is basically the same thing as ulcerative colitis except it affects your small intestine rather than your large. The Doctor took some biopsies and would have the results in a few days.
Meanwhile I was put on antibiotics and acid-controlling drugs to help me heal. My stomach was still a little tender, but I was feeling fine. With some anxious prodding and pleading the Doctor at the hospital I was able to be discharged that night. Even though it was new year's eve I wasn't up to do anything too exciting so we ended up going to my parents house and hanging out there. It was nice and easy-going with no stress.
The next week I met with my GI Doc and my surgeon. Both of them looked at the biopsy results and said that they weren't worried about Crohn's as being the cause of my pain. What a relief that was! They kept me on antibiotics and I started to feel good again.
Since then I have been feeling great. No relapses. I do have to be careful about what I eat and go easy on lots of things that I love, but it's worth it. Erika makes sure I don't get crazy and eat tomatoes! Anyway, that's my ordeal up to this point. 2 steps forward and one step back is what I've been told so I expect some setbacks over the next few months. I can handle it with my family and friends at my side. The help we received throughout this whole thing was incredible!
Happy to be out of the hospital again!
Blurry shot of the staples, kinda looks like jabba the hut's eyes
I was pretty swollen after the surgery
I like to make up stories and tell people I got stabbed playing superhero at night :)
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