Just had surgery and have a few questions

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Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby CookieNinja » 08 Jul 2011, 20:34

Hi, I'm very new to this forum and am glad that such forums exist. First off, I'm 23 years old and today approximately 13 hours ago I had my laid out fistula operation. It is as you can imagine agony. Not near phobia causing agony like an abscess which I had on a wonderful christmas morning but enough to make me fearful. To allay these fears I've watched medical videos of the procedure, watched tv and read the news. I have several questions that I'd like to ask you kind folks. First off, the doctor prescribed metamucil, sitz baths and pain killers. Are there any more things I can take to make things more bearable? How can I change my diet to make things go better? How long can I expect to be out of work? I told them a week but should I extend it? It's lab bench work mostly and I do a lot of different tests at the same time so I end up running around the lab. I also work part time running rats in a university. This requires lifting cages and pushing heavy carts. So when would I be able to return to work? Will I be fired or laid off for taking so long? With regard to painkillers, percocet; how often am I allowed to take them? I don't know all this stuff because the doctor spoke to my mother before I woke up. How long will be my recovery in total? How long can I expect for the pain to subside? If the pain is to the point where I can't rest, what do I do? I know this may sound a bit disgusting but will my bowel movement be normal? When can I take a sitz bath? Is it preferable to lie down in a tub of warm water? Thank you very much with your help.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby adam » 08 Jul 2011, 20:54

Hey welcome to the site. I just enrolled here a few weeks ago. Everyone here is helpful especially the moderators. I had an abcess removed and fistula operation a few days ago. It was a painful procedure, but as long as it was done right, it's worth it, no? :)
All I think I can give you advice on is your diet. It would be good to have a HIGH fiber breakfast cereal every morning with water and not milk, and drink a glass of water right after. It will help make your bm's softer. Also don't drink coffee, tea or alchohol, stay away from any dairy, no fried food, no spicy food. Pretty much eat like a rabbit. Eat your bran, fiber, whole wheat, flax stuff. Like veggies, fruits, and it's good to make a soft veggie soup, maybe add some chicken in there. If you do this your bm's should feel better.
As for work, everyone's healing is different. In my opinion, one week is a bit rushed. Next week on Monday or Tuesday or even Wednesday see how you're feeling. You probably will have to tell them you need a few weeks. But really your doctor should have given you an estimate of when you can go back. But only you know when it's time Image
As for the cleaning, again, your doctor should have told you. We all have different methods instructed by our doctors. I was told to only shower, twice daily, with soap and water. Others were baths, others were just water. So it would be good to just give the doc a call, write your wuestions down before hand, and write down the answers.
I'm sure the mods and admins here will have more advice to give you.
Good luck! You're just about half way there! Make sure you're doing your job to keep it clean!
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby adam » 08 Jul 2011, 20:57

And also, drink lots of water! About 8 glasses a day! I drink 9-10.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby CookieNinja » 08 Jul 2011, 21:02

Thank you so much!!! I don't have any cereals at home but I'll ask my mom to pick some up. I suppose the doctor had to rush to another operation. After having the abscess drained, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I imagine it was for you too. I can't wait to go back to moving around.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby CookieNinja » 08 Jul 2011, 22:21

Just wondering, is pizza acceptable? I'm asian so is rice alright?
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby Guest » 08 Jul 2011, 23:06

Hi cookie,
Since you are taking percoset, It would be a good idea to take a stool softener like miralax while on prescription pain meds, since they are constipating. You don't want to get constipated! Your prescription bottle should say how often you can take the meds. I took vocodin and I believe I could take them every 4 hours....
It's good to stay away from dairy, red meat, anything that can cause harder bm's and I'm sorry but the pizza would be a no no right now. Some say white rice causes harder bm's and some say no problems. It's hard to say how it will work since we all are different, but most agree that whole wheat breads and pasta work better and also brown rice.
Hopefully others will come along who can add...
There are quite a few others in here lately who have had this procedure with much more knowledge about after care.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby Guest » 08 Jul 2011, 23:17

Pss.. there are some pretty good high- fiber cereals, oatmeal, and the fiber plus bars are pretty good. Just don't over load your system with tons of fiber and be sure and drink water if you are taking metamucil and eating high fiber. Too much can cause constipation especially without plenty of WATER. I could never take the metamucil. It caused huge bm's for me. Hopefully it will work well for you.
But I can't stress enough to you how important it is to not get constipated while on the pain meds. Even if you don't want to take the miralax long term, I would atleast take it until you are able stop the pain meds.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby CookieNinja » 09 Jul 2011, 03:18

Thank you very much for your advice Dawn.
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby CookieNinja » 09 Jul 2011, 09:27

Also, when will I be able to sit up without pain?
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Re: Just had surgery and have a few questions

Postby val » 09 Jul 2011, 11:10

Hi there,
I've had two fistula operations - the last one on 15th june. With regards to recovery, the first week is pretty awful, but does get steadily better. In my opinion, heavy lifting ect. is best avoided for as long as possible.
Definitely drink lots of water like everyone said. Miralax/movicol can cause kidney problems if you dehydrate.
Do you mean actually sitting on the wound without pain?It might be while yet! I'm nearly a month out from the op, but still have to be careful how I sit! It's not excrutiating pain though, so don't worry, it will improve.
You should be able to control the pain with the heavy pain meds- I took tramadol, with paracetamol and ibruprofen. Stay on top of the pain, take the tablets on the hours that you are allowed to, don't let the pain set in. You shouldn't need the heavy painkillers after about 4 or 5 days.
And last of all, but possibly most important - relax! It's a horrible thing to go through, but it truly will get better. Stressing can make it all worse.
Oh, and the first bm is the worst because of the thought of it - honestly the thought of it is worse than the actual pain! Once that's over you will feel a lot better!
You'll be fine, hang in there!
val
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