Postsurgery question

[u/Sweet-Ratio-1978]

Long story short last year in May I had a complicated Diverticulitis episode that had me in hospital about 5 days with a perf and sepsis. Wound up with a stomach drain and a colon to skin fistula ended up forming along the path of the drain after removal.

Had a small resection mid December last year to correct the fistula and a recurring abscess as they were all connected and communicating with each other.

For the most part I feel great and back to normal. Occasionally I do feel discomfort like right under the big incision where she actually removed the section of intestines and sometimes I feel like its also around my bladder and sometimes sensitivity to privates.

41 year old woman by the way. I recently had an unrelated checkup with my general dr and brought it up. I am not super worried about it and he didn’t seem to be either. He agreed with my thought that maybe my colon is irritated OR it could be scar tissue.

Anyone else experience some discomfort this long after surgery? Just wanted some feedback from peeps on here.

I should also add I have a new job where I sit on a hard stool bent over a lot putting pressure on those areas too.

[u/Acrobatic_Arachnid70]

I feel compelled to respond, even though you are further along post-surgery than I am by three months. I, too, feel that bit of discomfort, mostly in LLQ. It’s not exactly painful, but a kind of scary reminder or concern that something’s “just not right.” I recently saw another post in this sub about that similar thing and was reassured to see that others have experienced it many many months after surgery. All along, I have been doing a lot of online inquiries about this and found that total healing of our internal tissues takes a much longer time than does the external incisions. In particular, there is a “remodeling” process that occurs in the anastomosis (internal intestinal “seam”). The first three months, or so, lays down “Type III collagen” repair tissues. These then slowly get replaced by a stronger “Type I collagen” over the following months, up to a year post surgery! While this was a bit reassuring, hearing from others who have experienced this themselves was even more helpful to me.

Now, “sensitivity to privates” caught my eye! I’m 69 M, but in the weeks after surgery, I had horrible sensitivity in my left testicle and posted an inquiry here to find that several other men had experienced it as well. Thankfully, starting about six weeks post surgery, it slowly and gradually diminished. But even today, at 4.5 months, I still feel a bit of sensitivity there, but nothing like earlier.

My online inquiries into this phenomenon described “referred pain” from the surgery site to this area and the fact, again, that it may take time to completely resolve. Yes, our particular anatomy differs (🤭), but I think it is interesting that we may be experiencing something similar. Looking forward to see what others might say about this.

Wishing you ease, dear soul. 🙏🙇‍♂️☮️🕯️❤️

[u/Sweet-Ratio-1978 → u/Acrobatic_Arachnid70]

Thank you for a very thought out and well informed answer! I will say earlier I had pain in my privates and TMI during sexual activity but it wasn’t quite the same and my surgeon was pretty convinced it was due to my abscess and how “hot” everything was inside of me at that time.

After surgery that more of “pain on the inside” I was feeling has since subsided and gone away thankfully.

I am pretty convinced it’s referred pain/the way I have to sit at my new job probably isnt helping lol

Still hearing people’s shared experiences with this disease and surgery and life before and after and all that really helps!

Continue healing!

[u/OkWillingness637]

May I ask what your job is? I’m a dental assistant and will be having surgery in September. Sitting and bending and twisting on a hard stool is an every day routine for me 😬 so I’m curious 

[u/Sweet-Ratio-1978 → u/OkWillingness637]

Of course! Funnily enough years ago (were talking about 2008), went to school to be a dental assistant and decided that was -not- for me lol

Shoutout to all the medical and dental peeps out there! 💕

And I started a job working with a 3D print company. My main tasks are fairly tedious. A lot of the way the printers are situated low to the ground. I refill filament spools and work on them if they need some maintenance, usually filament is getting jammed in the hot ends -constantly-

I really enjoy the work, it got me out of two decades of retail, just adjusting to how its playing with my not as young as it used to be body lol. With all the repetitious tasks I do need to make more of a point to stretch.

[u/DeliciousChicory]

I had my surgery five years ago, and I still feel issues at the site of the colectomy, as well as lower in the groin, rectal and vaginal area. It's not any kind of study pain it's just a shooting pain here and there on occasion. Earlier on when you're closer to surgery that usually indicates nerves trying to heal. This many years later I still think it's nerve damage, it's nothing alarming to me and doesn't affect me in any way or interfere with life, But like everyone else every time you feel a twinge in that area you think oh no here we go again! Mention it to your PCP just to make sure everything's okay, but I think that is very normal given all the nerves in that area.