hi guys.
surgery was ok i guess. Am in a lot of pain but guess thats to be expected. had 1panic attack b4 the GA. Came round having seizures and crying (not panicking)after the op which was pretty scary. but i dont remember that much of that bit. They nearly kept me in cos i was pretty out of it and cudnt use my limbs very well. in the end seizing and shaking stopped after some glucose and tlc. had a drip for a while too-until my blood pressure went higher. i then went hyper and a little skippy.lol. i was sure that they had put a slipper up my bum!! i cant do much for myself, is pretty debilitating so am quite bored. im shocked by how much its affected me. i cant change myself very well, i can hardly walk-its weird. the day after surgery i had my first bowel movement and had salt bath afterwards.it wasnt as painful as i thought it wud be. but to be honest the pain is there costantly. the only time its not is if i dont move AT ALL. then felt real out of it after the BM. tried doing food and collapsed in the kitchen and had massive panic attack and stuff. so my other half had to carry me bk to bed and give me a glucose tablet again. was horrid :-( anyway i had sum questions for anyone whose had the surgery...
ive been to the loo quite a lot, and after i eat a meal my bowels hurt a bit. the stools are all pretty hard so need to take more stool softing stuff. is it normal to pooh quite a bit afterwards or is that my ibs flaring?
what pain meds did u have? i have paracetamol only. they gave me co codamol but stopped it as it constipated me too much. they cant give me ibuprofen either. what else can i have to stop the pain and is being in pain if i move normal for a while?
i feel very very very tired all the time. cant do anything and literally have to stay in bed all day. if i try to do much i get to collasping stage, again is this normal? im also finding big meals hard and seem happier with little meals.
and finally its sooooo itchy which again i assume is normal? ive not itched it though. does anyone know what the signs of infection are as i still have urine infection and just want to be aware. it looks very red down there but i cant see very well.lol.
sry for so many questions and thanks for all ur support. im so tired now i think i may go and sleep.
xx

Hey Gracie,
I'm glad we heard from you. I have been praying for you and was wondering how you were doing. I know you are glad to have the surgery out of the way. It sounds like quite an ordeal. I know GA can make you feel all out of sorts. I had GA when I had my kidney removed and it seemed like it took a month for me to feel "normal" again. I was always tired, sleepy, a bit irrational, emotional etc. as it worked its way out of my system. I tend to react more to medications than most people people. Perhaps you are like this too?
I can imagine you would feel all sorts of things afterwards, emotional and physical. I know right now that having the pain from the surgery makes it hard to know if you are better overall. I know the others will be on who have had surgery but I will see what I can answer until then. Let me make another post though because my computer has been kicking me off whenever I type a long response.

Lecia

ive been to the loo quite a lot, and after i eat a meal my bowels hurt a bit. the stools are all pretty hard so need to take more stool softing stuff. is it normal to pooh quite a bit afterwards or is that my ibs flaring?
I'm not sure about this. I would think with GA you would not be going to the bathroom as much. I don't think it is necessarily an IBS flare though. Did they give you stool softeners to take?
what pain meds did u have? i have paracetamol only. they gave me co codamol but stopped it as it constipated me too much. they cant give me ibuprofen either. what else can i have to stop the pain and is being in pain if i move normal for a while? It looks like they are giving you tylenol (acetomenophin) and tylenol with codeine. I could not tolerate the codeine when I have taken it in the past. It made me dizzy and grouchy and just way too altered. I wonder if they could switch you to darvocet. It is a mild narcotic but doesn't have as many side effects as codeine. I am curious why they can't give you ibuprofen. I would think that it would be better since it is an anti-inflammatory and I think it works a heck of a lot better than tylenol. What about naproxin sodium (Aleve)?
i feel very very very tired all the time. cant do anything and literally have to stay in bed all day. if i try to do much i get to collasping stage, again is this normal? im also finding big meals hard and seem happier with little meals. I think it is the GA. Yes, take it easy and eat smaller meals, just a little bit at a time. I would be careful with the diet as I am sure you are.
and finally its sooooo itchy which again i assume is normal? ive not itched it though. does anyone know what the signs of infection are as i still have urine infection and just want to be aware. it looks very red down there but i cant see very well.lol. I think itchiness is pretty normal. If you have a urine infection they have probably given you some antibiotics so that would also keep an infection from starting in the surgical region too. I would imagine it will be red and swollen. When I had my hemorrhoid surgery, my butt felt worse than before. It was swollen so much I couldn't tell if I was any better. I was too scared to even look!
sry for so many questions and thanks for all ur support. im so tired now i think i may go and sleep.
xx
Get some sleep! We'll talk later!

hi lecia. well they cant give me ibuprofen as im not allowed it, it doesnt go well with bowel trouble apparently. they havent really said wot diet i sud be having. they havent given me any anti biotics. am goin to maybe phone and ask for sum if the urine infection remains but will see.yeah i am very tired, ur right it cud be from the GA. like now im exhausted i just wanta go bk to sleep again. i will send u a message bk soon from ages ago btw--i havent forgotton honest. how r u?
xx

Gracie,
You need to just stay in bed and rest, if you can. For the next several days. I am serious. This operation has a 2-3 week recovery, which means for at least two weeks, you should be resting and recovering. That is how it is.
Everyones first few BMs are different, but as long as nothing extreme is happening during the BM, or just afterwards, then relax. It will get better each time. I know you have IBS and other problems so I can only speak in general terms about the surgery, and what I went through.
Yes, the GA will wear off slowly and may take a week just for that to pass. Thats another rreason to just take it slowly.
I was given what I asked for for pain..mepergan, a form of demerol. In the hospital was given even stronger pain meds.
You need something for pain. I would call him back and get something...

hugs gracie!
hang in there. you are in a transitional phase and i am sure you are on your way to recovering nicely.
as kim and lecia have said, please take it easy and do what feels right for you in terms of eating and comfort. your body will let you know when to take bigger steps.
right now, i think your body wants TLC and baby steps :-)

thanks guys. i felt terrible yesterday. constantly hungry despite pigging out, dizzy and headachy. was horrid. been a bit better today but the wound has started 'weeping' now-joy!! (sry gross i no!!) im finding it hard to rest. maybe have been silly today as i did do a couple things about the house.i think i have a tooth infection now too so this may not be helping. still only on parcetamol, feel a wuss fro needing sumthin stronger as the wound isnt that big..? is it normal for those who have had the surgery for it to itch like mad too? thanks for all ur kind words, i feel guilty resting as i feel i sud be helping round the house etc but then i guess its needed.
thanks again guys.
xx

DON'T feel guilty at all. If you don't take care of yourself now you will take longer to heal and possibly end up with complications. I know you think that it is only a small incision but it is in a very vulnerable area and you need to take it easy.
You should have had the surgery here away from your family and you could have just stayed with me so I could look after you!
Itching and some weeping are normal parts of the wound healing. Did you ask the doctor about anything stronger you could take for the pain? What about antibiotics? It seems like your resistance is down with your urine infection, tooth infection and surgical site. If you can have someone get you some oregano oil capsules and take those by mouth that will help you fight infection. But with everything you have you probably need antibiotics so you don't go septic!
Not to try to scare you but I just want you to take care of yourself and let the others just make do without you. It won't kill anyone if you are in bed for a week or so.
Take care-I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit family but hope to be able to check in.
Lecia