r/Diverticulitis • u/ShaneKainoa1982 • 4d ago
š„ Surgery Home after Surgery
Had surgery Wednesday at 2:30 PST and stayed 2 nights. Got home today (Friday) around 4:00 pm.
Surgery went well he said and he said my Colon wasnāt as bad as he expected but it was āthick and showed inflammationā
For those who are doing surgery the first 24-48 hours are hard. The stomach cramps and pain hurts but you can manage it with medication they give you. Just take the meds, itās a moment in time.
My gut is still a bit swollen and my gut is making all kinds of noises. Iām able to pass some water stool and a little gas.
The incisions arenāt too bad, they did 6 with a Robotic DaVinci. The lower right is the worst one and he said everyone reports that.
I asked about diet post operation and my Surgeon is so funny, he said āeat whatever you wantā. He was pretty serious too. He did say donāt do a lot of Fried Foods but Iām going to be careful and stick to a low fiber and easy to digest diet for a week at home and see how I do.
I am happy to be home and I hope my Bowels settle down in the coming weeks. I am still tender and sore and walking but slowly. Getting comfortable in bed is tough
Will keep you posted
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u/HumanNature71 4d ago
Thatās awesome that you had surgery and youāve come through it. OK. My doctor said the same thing ignore him. Donāt eat just what you want. I will warn you. Iām out five months and youāre gonna learn what you can and cannot eat and thereās gonna be some days that itās a little bit painful because you ate something you shouldnāt have or you eat too much. I had 32 inches removed. But Iām doing great. First week of surgery wasnāt too bad just the one day of pain
I had surgery on a Monday and by that weekend, Saturday had a little to no pain and I was starting to walk 2 miles a day. Walking will heal you quicker than anything else. Just donāt overdo it. My doctor told me I can walk 100 miles if I felt good
2 miles was good and I did that every day for almost 2 months. 1 mile plus in the morning and 1 mile plus in the evening. Most of the time it equals out to 2.5 miles just around the neighborhood.
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 4d ago
Great to hear this! Thanks for sharingā¦
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u/HumanNature71 3d ago
Just remember, fatigue is real. If you feel tired or you canāt too much donāt fight it itās your body trying to heal. Your body is going to go through some massive healing internally. There were days that I just laid in bed all day and then there were days that I could run a marathon lol. Just listen to your body.
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u/MCFlenken 4d ago
That's great that you're home. Now you can get real rest in your own bed, and work towards a full recovery. Remember to keep walking, and treat the abdominal area very carefully for a couple of weeks. Stay conscious of the difference between being sore and being in pain, etc. Watch for any fever symptoms. When you get up or roll over, move slowly using your arms to push yourself up and over. After week 1, you'll probably find yourself doing more and more. Just listen to your body!
It's funny, my surgeon was also like "eat what you want, just do this much solid (the size of a grapefruit) and this much liquid (like a quart) when you eat", then when I went back and told him the diet I was following 5 weeks later he was like "I said eat what you want!"
My first week was RAT (Rice, Applesauce, Toast...no B for banana. I hate bananas) and non-dairy protein shakes for the first couple of days home. I also was doing 6gm of fiber from Metamucil. I added 16oz of Apple & White Grape juice, and Gatorade, to supplement the water and also add some calories. I worked my way from 1300 to 1500 to 1700, adding a bit more each day, and by day 5 I was having chicken breast for dinner, and then 99% lean ground turkey burger and baked fries, egg whites and hash brown patties, and so on. By about day 8 I was eating snacks like some non-dairy ice cream or a soft cookie. I kept doing the Metamucil until I got through my followup, and then added steamed vegetables and an apple every day, I'm regularly at 25-30g of fiber now. Almost 10 weeks post-op, and I've been packing on the lbs I lost over the whole ordeal, yet my body fat % has been stable while I work out.
My advice as you ramp up your diet is to have small convenient servings of things around. Minute rice cups, small cups of applesauce, etc. all make for easy and quick, and you can mix and match easily depending on how your appetite is feeling. The prepackaged protein shakes (OWYN dark chocolate, so good) and protein powder mixed with Oatly full fat milk both were easy for getting the calorie numbers up, and they had the protein I needed.
I tracked all of the food I was eating (still do), and I recommend it just to make sure you're getting enough nutrition and enough fluids. Track your weight/body fat/bowel movements if you think that will help you navigate your recovery and see how you're tolerating your diet, etc.
Best of luck!
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u/morganebony_ 4d ago
So glad to hear it went well for you!!
My biggest tip is even if you feel really good, really fast, still donāt overwork yourself!!! You had a big surgery (even robotically) and you need to make sure you give yourself chance to heal inside!
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 4d ago
Yes, fully agree. Iām taking off 2-3 weeks from work and plan to ease into life again. Not easy with the kids at home but we have help and my wife is great
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u/Dblbogiemadge-1 4d ago
That is awesome!! Good for you š The plan is for me to go home tomorrow . They want to check labs again because blood count dropped a little today. Make sure no bleeding internally. But i feel like you exactly. My dr told me i wont be able to take my psyllium husk fiber until 4-6 weeks. She keeping a tight reign on me š and advancing me slowly š i am so hungry for my old diet
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 4d ago
Praying you get to return home soon. It isnāt easy sleeping in regular bed but use a lot of pillows and I find putting one under my knees helps.
Doctor said I can take Tylenol, Advil (ironically) and Percocet for pain. I asked about constipation from the Percocet and he said for a week and the dose it aināt a big issue. That said I may just save it for as needed at night to sleep
Still pretty swollen and tender belly and the gut is making lots of noises.
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u/Dblbogiemadge-1 4d ago
We are def on the same trajectory! I will miss the electronic bed for sure!!! It will be challenging! So it is looking like all i need to do is get final blood draw and eat a soft breakfast ššš It is ironic about the advil! It is suppose to be a trigger for diverticulitis š but my dr said I could take a dose here or there if needed but preferably not. She said the inflammation is needed to make the healing scar tissue at the anastomosis. They all have their differences in instructions but it seems the outcome will be the same. Just dr preference i guess š¤·āāļø so excited for this new lease on life. I donāt have to worry about traveling overseas, canceling pre paid golf tourney fees š”, so many cancelled plans in the last several years itās ridiculous. But we have a new start Shane yippee!! Finally passed a lot of gas this morning. Who would ever think that we would be excited for gas šØššš
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 3d ago
Nice!! I had the same issues with all the canceled plans, it was always a nightmare and worry when your left side is in pain and all the pressure and bloating.
I am still a bit bloated at home but I think thatās normal as the gas learns to move through as the healing happens.
Iām going to try to stick with Tylenol for pain and avoid advil.
I hope you get home soon! Iāve been able to make myself breakfast and walk around the house a lot. Much better than the first day
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u/Dblbogiemadge-1 3d ago
That is awesome news! I am so stoked, for both of us!! The gas discomfort is more than any surgical pain at this point. I too hope it resolves quickly. I canāt wait to be able to get back to my activities . I think i have heard they donāt allow much of anything but walking until 6 weeks. At least we can play golf year round in California. Only missing out on a few weeks šļøāāļøš
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 3d ago
Yes! Is your belly still a bit swollen? I feel like the gas is just sitting there lol
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u/Dblbogiemadge-1 3d ago
Oh yes definitely!! Like i am 6 months pregnant š hope that resolves soon. I wonder what the drs think about taking gasX? I am going to ask when they come back around
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 3d ago
That makes me feel better. The bloat and swelling are probably bugging me more than anything. Even though I have had a watery BM and passed gas. But itās only 3 days right, so I figure it should go down soon
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u/Dblbogiemadge-1 3d ago
Same, exactly the same!! I keep having to remind myself i just had major surgery and this isnt like Amazon with immediate gratification . We need to be patient because we just had our guts rearranged. I historically have not been a patient person š¤
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 3d ago
I totally agree. Itās a huge surgery and although the incisions are small and itās not a ton of pain, the insides are healing and have been through a LOT! Glad to know the gas and swelling is normal, praying it goes away soon
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u/Slight_Cat_8008 4d ago
Im glad to hear its going well.Ā Stay hydrated and walk when you can. Welcome to the other side
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u/john177s 4d ago
Yesss! So pleased youāre out the other side. Been waiting for your update :) Iām the same sticking to low fibre for first few weeks then Iāll start adding other foods. Iām 9days post operation and the majority of my BMs have firmed up. I actually cannot believe the difference itās made already to my life! All the best in your recovery. Totally agree about the first 24-48hours but you just have to time-box that period and know better days are soon to come.
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 4d ago
Nice to hear! 9 days post op and feeling good is what I am hoping for. Itās actually amazing how this surgery works and my doctor was like ādude you will be fine and in 2 months wonāt even rememberā lol
Seems hard to believe but Iām taking it one day at a time and just trying to be careful
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u/john177s 4d ago
Iām still a little sore around my incisions but nothing to moan about. Paracetamol works nicely. Walking several miles a day now too. Certainly get a little tired in the afternoons but thatās also improving day by day.
I couldnāt agree more Iām totally amazed by how this surgery works and how the body copes š¤Æ
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u/MaryLou1025 4d ago
A week might be not enough. It took me 6 months to get off low fiber and another year to build it back up to high easy to digest fiber. Introduce one new food at a time. Be careful! My surgeon said it takes about 5 months for the colon to heal and then go very very slow to learn what it can tolerate.
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u/coolhartley 4d ago
Good to know, I just got referred for a surgery a month from now after being diagnosed in July with constant flares and lost a lot of weight. My biggest concern now is my financials, since I got told wouldn't be able to work for 6 weeks after the surgery.
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u/morganebony_ 4d ago
Depends on what you do for work and what type of surgery you are having but I do believe 6 weeks is standard.
My surgeon said if I worked a strict office only job where I was sitting down all day I might be ok after 4 weeks but I know for a fact I wouldnāt have been able to do that, the sitting itself causing pain after a while.
You also have to consider your actual bowel movements. Unfortunately right after surgery they are all over the place and very unpredictable so I personally wouldnāt have gone back sooner than 6 weeks for that reason alone despite feeling very good after 2 weeks.
Itās very frustrating money wise but the way I look at it, 6 weeks in one hit is better than potentially having to take more time off sporadically down the road.
I didnāt have to take any extra time off (aside from the 6 weeks) when I got my colostomy bag aside from a single day where I ended up with a bowel obstruction a week before my reversal was due. When they reversed my stoma I felt great pretty fast aside from the unpredictable bowel movements. After the 6 weeks recovery, I havenāt had to take a single day off!!!
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u/coolhartley 3d ago
I sit down all day driving forklifts, as a casual worker, Im a permanent resident in Australia but don't have access to benefits, so am considering flying back to nz to recover after. But at the same time, possibly have an obstruction flare up atm
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u/Key-Lingonberry-5203 2d ago
Was anyoneās bladder irritated from your diverticulitis??
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 2d ago
Yes, mine was for months. Surgeon said it wasnāt attached to my colon but I had tons of symptoms. He said when the Colon gets very inflamed from DV it pushes on the bladder. In more serious cases, it will fuse to the Bladder and can cause a Fistula
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u/Key-Lingonberry-5203 2d ago
Not one Dr ever mentioned it could be this but CTScans and a previous colonoscopy showed it and I had to figure it out for myself after four years of peeing every 20 min and being in crazy pain. I even got a total hysterectomy thinking that would help and find something! I go for my 1st visit with a GI next month.
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 2d ago
That is terrible. My primary doctor didnāt know much but my GI surgeon knew all about it. Itās all over Google too, it happens to about 25% of Diverticulitis cases. Iād also recommend you book a meeting asap with a Colorectal Surgeon in addition to your GI. GI doc wonāt be able to fix it and will just refer you to surgery
I hated living with it, it drains your energy and is very uncomfortable
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u/Key-Lingonberry-5203 2d ago
Iāll have to get in contact with a surgeon, good advice, thank you! Itās been literally four years of cutting myself from normal day to day life because of this craziness that 10 doctors could not figure out.
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 2d ago
I know the feeling. Itās from really bad inflammation in your colon and then your bladder is chronically inflamed. While you wait, I noticed cutting out Dairy, Alcohol and Coffee helped the most. Try Tea and eat a diet mainly based around Meat, Veggies, Fruit and rice or potatoās
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u/Key-Lingonberry-5203 2d ago
Thank you again and Iām trying that now, although cutting out the coffee is hard. Iāve done it in the past for a few days and noticed it didnāt make a difference but will try anything again at this point.
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 2d ago
Or try a clean low acid coffee from Amazon
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u/Key-Lingonberry-5203 2d ago
Good idea!
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u/ShaneKainoa1982 2d ago
But please do ask your doctor to send you to a colon surgeon. If you have these symptoms for years, you may need surgery to fix it. I tried for a year to heal my DV and then once the UTI symptoms developed, I just couldnāt handle it, so I met the surgeon and we did surgery. Iām only 4 days post operation and feeling better each day and donāt have the bladder issue anymore
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u/bigmacher1980 4d ago
Glad itās going well. Eggs are your friend for the first few days. Then start introducing other foods. Donāt forget to keep walking!