Tag: stoma

I have a date for surgery!

I got a call from the hospital this afternoon, my surgeon had a cancellation so they offered it to me. The only issue I have is that it’s for next week so very little time to prepare mentally. I know I’ve been a little impatient about getting my stoma removed but now that it’s less than two weeks away, I’m a bit nervous. Not because it’s surgery though, it’s more what comes after; the pooping “normally” and what that entails. I’m sure I’ll be fine but I guess we’ll see.

End of year update (Minor TMI warning)

Just thought I’d do a little update before the new year.

I had my pre-assessment on Christmas Eve but still don’t have a date for the actual surgery. My mum said they usually do surgery within six weeks of pre-assessment because otherwise they have to do it again so I’m really hoping to get a date through soon.

I was hoping for it to be done by Christmas but I realise this time of year can get busy and I didn’t really fancy being in hospital over the winter holiday. This has meant I’ve needed to take some extra measures to make myself comfortable with my stoma; since getting out of hospital back in July, my output has been extra watery and really corrosive, meaning it burns through my convex bag within twelve hours.

I saw my stoma nurse a few months back and she gave me barrier rings which have helped a lot. However, even the rings aren’t enough to stop my output from burning through and damaging the skin around the blob so after speaking to both my GP and my stoma nurse again, I’ve upped my daily intake of Lopermide from a single table twice a day to two tablets twice a day. On top of that, I am also now taking a tablet of dehydrocodeine twice a day. All of this out together has helped to slow my system right down so the output is thicker and it doesn’t burn through anywhere near as quickly as before.

I still get the occasional day where I need to change the bag early because the output is burning the skin but those are few and far between.

Aside all that, I’m doing well, my weight is steady. I haven’t gained much since my surgery but I’m no longer underweight so, bonus! I’m still struggling with eating beg and fruit but I’m taking multivitamins which I feel are helping.

I’ve had blood tests done as well as a urine sample to see if I need another iron infusion before my surgery because I mentioned I’m very tired all the time. I don’t have the results yet but I’m hoping to get them soon.

Anyway, that’s about sums up everything that’s been going on with me recently. Thanks for reading and supporting me this year. I hope everyone has had a great winter holiday and I wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year!

Worst night in a long time

So, yesterday evening was spent with my partners Oma (she’s German) celebrating her birthday and we had Chinese, which I’m usually fine with. However, shortly after eating it, I found my output had beco. Every watery and the skin under the adhesive was super itchy. I tried to ignore it but by the time I got home a few hours later, it had become painful. I decided to change my bag, which would be the second time that day, and go to bed. That didn’t work; it was still painful and itchy and I couldn’t sleep. My solution was eat half a packet of mini marshmallows and to take a codiene tablet. This has worked so far but I need to make sure I drink plenty today to avoid a blockage.

I’ve been advised by both my GP and my stoma nurse to increase my loperamide intake from four single doses to four double doses per day (I’m not sure on the exact measurements). I started doing that yesterday lunch time and I’m assuming it just needs to get into my system but it seems to be taking its sweet time.

I’m very frustrated and tired but I’m trying to be patient and stay positive. My new blob is not making either easy. I hope everyone is having a good and safe week so far. Rant over.

Just a little update

Sorry for the radio silence recently, I’ve just not had anything to report. I’m still waiting on a date for my take-down, and even though I’m meant to be seeing my GI Tuesday afternoon, because of work, I need to move the appointment. It kind of feels like they want to wait until after Christmas but I would prefer it to be over as soon as possible. I’m getting frustrated with it and my bag and stoma cause a bit of anxiety because I’m having to wait.

I’m back to full-time now at work which has been going fine. My new manager (who started about two weeks before I went off for surgery in June) seems to e getting the hang of how our team works and our two newest colleagues are doing well which has made the atmosphere a lot less stressful and bitchy. This has helped me get back into the swing of things but I think because I know I’m going to be off again soon, I don’t want to get too comfortable. Despite having worked there for over four years now, I still feel like I need to prove my abilities to everyone because I have had so much time off. And I still feel this sometimes even after my manager explained how much he valued me as a member of the team. I’m sure it’ll all settle down once I’ve had my take down and have returned to work again, I just can’t help but feel a little inferior sometimes.

I haven’t had much to report recently; I’m still waiting on a date for my surgery, and I’ve been feeling pretty good since going back to fulltime work. I’ve shifted my hours a bit so my work days are broken up so I don’t burn myself out too quickly. Other than being quite tired after work, I’m doing ok.

Saw my surgeon this morning. My contrast enema showed my jpouch should work fine, no signs of stricture or other issues so I’m being put on the list to have my stoma take-down as soon as possible. I asked for it to not be before the end of October because I’m going to watch Wicked in the theatre then and really don’t want to miss it, so he said he’ll try for November. Finger Crossed!

Returning to work…

I went back to work last week but on a phased return basis meaning I’d work from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (with Thursday as a day off) for at least the first week. I thought that went really well last week so I decided to increase my hours abd stayed until four yesterday. Despite it being really quiet at work, the time went somewhat fast and I felt fine afterwards. Until I got home that is. Then it hit me just how tired I actually was. I had to miss D&d because there was no way I’d be able to consentrate for that long, and ending up spending the evening in bed watching Scrubs. As a result I only worked until two today. I’ve got tomorrow off but I can’t sleep in because I’ve got an appointment to see my surgeon in the morning. I’m going to go back to working six hours on Friday and Saturday but I won’t be increasing my hours any further for at least another two weeks; I don’t want to risk burning myself out before I’ve even get back up to fulltime hours.

Recovery update

It’s been two months since surgery so I thought I’d do a little update.

I haven’t had a partial blockage in a while now and I feel my appetite has returned so I’m eating normal food now in slightly smaller portions with the occasional snack in between meals. I’ve found a normal diet (including gluten and milk) is working fine for me at the moment but I suspect I’ll have to reduce my gluten intact later once I’ve recovered a bit more and my eating habits return to normal. My snacks are usually either crackers, PomBear crisps (I find crisps like Walkers don’t digest too well) or biscuits/cookies. My main meals mostly consist of chicken (breaded or in a non-spicy sauce) with some form of potato (chips, wedges, mash ect.) I can’t eat beans so I’ll sometimes have tinned spaghetti instead. Noodles and pasta are ok for me in moderation but I don’t cook a lot of it as it’s only me who’ll eat it. As for sweet stuff, pretty much anything is fair game so long as it doesn’t have any nuts/seeds or dried fruits in it. I sometimes binge on cookies or chocolate.

As for my walking, I’m able to walk just fine when I’m inside my own flat or at my parents as I know there are plenty of places to sit down if I need to. However,  when I’m outside, I’m a bit slower and a lot more cautious of the people around me (I don’t fancy an accidental elbow to the stoma). I’ve been using my walking stick for the last month or so but I don’t feel I need it as much anymore. I’m sort in a grey area of needing it and not needing it so I’m trying to go out with it in my bag in case I need it later, rather than using it straight off the bat.

In regard to my stoma, it’s been better since using the barrier rings my stoma nurse gave me. The skin looks and feel so much better and the bags feel like they could last an extra day if I needed them to which is ideal.

Lastly, I’ve got an appointment to see my surgeon about closing off the blob later next month so if all goes well, I’ll be stoma-free by the New Year.

Recovery update!

I managed to go out twice in the last five days! I’m back to using my walking stick but I don’t think I’ll be needing it for as long this time. I can walk faster and for longer now verses last year, but I still need the extra support when going out for a long time. The stick also acts as a warning to others that I can’t move that quickly and they may need to be careful when moving around me. It doesn’t always work though as I have had a couple of people (noticeably older people) who have felt it would be fine to just knock me with their bags. Luckily, I was stationary and with someone else when this happened but still.

(Side note: It’s odd but I have found that the people who are the most considerate and take note of my stick are around the same age as me (30) or younger. I don’t mean this as a slight against older generations, it’s just something I’ve noticed.)

Anyway, in terms of eating, I think I’ve been over-estimating my guts capacity because I have had stomach cramps on and off for the last few days. It was worse yesterday (Tuesday) but it seems to have gone for now. I’m finding that the cramps are most severe if I eat too much stodgy food (like bread, batter, pastry ect) and this makes me feel sick. I’m going to try and eat four small meals a day instead of two big ones (I don’t eat breakfast). For today though, I’m only having snacks every now and then because my gut is still sore.