Had op on thursday. Went in at 7.30am, was down for op at 8.45am. Back in cubicle at 11.15am. Felt really sick and had massive sore throat. Nurse gave me something for sickness. Manage 2 cups of water, and half a sandwhich.Told i couldnt go home till i had a wee. Tried took 5 mins as muscle werent working.
Day 2, lots of pain. Dr at hospital told me to take senna the night i came home and 15 ml of lactulose from today for two weeks! Omg the cramps, every hour diarohrea, wouldnt stop!Rag gp was told i should have been told to take only if needed!! Hurt so much, am on paracetomal, naproxen and codeiene.
Day 3, woke up in lot of pain. Straight in bath, which helped a bit. Also couldnt wee untill i got in the bath. Have had meds this morning now back in bed!
Hi Sassy , sorry to hear about your bad experience so far . Some are lucky and sail through this without severe discomfort , others such as myself end up going down the hard road . Some people might be thankful for diarrhoea , as it means they dont have to pass a hard stool over a very sensitive area , but I think you may need to try and strike a balance between soft , and just liquid , as this wont be doing your stomach any good . I think quite a few people have some difficulty with this balance as some of the pain killers can cause a little constipation , so when you bring laxatives and stool softeners into the equation , it can be difficult . Might be worth easing off on the lactulose until the diarrhoea eases off , but dont hesitate to restart it when things settle , as you will still be grateful for the soft stools . Stick with the regular baths , as they do help alot . There are quite a few helpful suggestions from people on these forums , although what works for some doesnt always help for others . Good luck Sassy , hope your relief comes soon .
Thanks. Well just had bm which was soft not liquid, not as excruciating as the first bm but bad enough( breathed through it, straight into bath then painkillers!
Trying not to eat too many high fibre things. Have had wholeneal toast earlier and a few apricots. And a bowl of soup.
Feeling very tired!
Hopefully things going in the right direction for you now Sassy . If the tiredness makes you sleep , it can sometimes be a good thing . You've been through alot already , and I guess tiredness to be expected . Keep your chin up , it will pass , trust me .
Sorry it's been rough for you. I had the surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago and I can say the first few days are the worst. At the 3 day mark you should start to notice some improvement. One thing you should be aiming for are soft stools but not diarrhea. I was able to achieve this through lots of water, increasing my fiber and taking stool softeners. Also keep in mind that sometimes codeine can be a little constipating. The naproxen is probably a good thing since it will actually help with some of the swelling too. Eventually you will find it easier to get back to some normal activities. I hope the rest of your recovery goes well for you.
Ivemanaged not to have codiene all day today... untill tonight! Cant get comfy, have lived in bath today. Have had a look at it today looks very swollen( to. E expected), and the most painful bit is a pink ball.
See what tomorrow brings!
STAY STRONG!!! I'm on day 8 and I feel A WHOLE LOT BETTER. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes routine. I would recommend you just try to eat as much fiber as you can, drink water and stay active if you can. I know during the first week I just layed in bed all day. I would also recommend you take stool softeners as this will help immensely so that you don't strain. Hope you feel better soon!
I am trying! Was woken up at 4.55am by pain( sort of tightning pain the only way i can describe it!) Sat in bath for 20 mins, took some paracetomal, and msnagex to go bs k to sleep. Feel like crying!🙁
The pain always came in waves after my big op . Would stay for a few hours then ease off for quite a while . I did usually have this twice a day , but I couldnt figure out how to get relief , other than baths just like you are doing . I was given ora morph , and also the tablets , but they didnt seem to help much , other than make me drowsy . After a few weeks , they did give me a totally different pain killer , which did seem to take the edge off , but I couldnt be sure , as maybe this was just the whole thing starting to settle . Best you can do is make sure your stools are not hard , and keep yourself occupied as much as you can . Good luck .
Day 4.
Not a good start to day with pain at 4.55am and being in bath again shortlyvafter.
Pain about 3/4 out of ten for most of morning, with like pinching stabbing pains on and off. Then needed a bm, omg the spasms! Passed a large pebble really hurt. Bath, then hour later another.
Have taken some senna, really didnt wanna have to take the latulose again but think i may need to. Have probably ate too much stodgy foods as eating what i fancy in between pain.( 1 brown bread toast for brekkie, loads of water, beefburger sandwhich, few apricots, pear half an apple)!
Pain again , in bath again!
Sorry to hear . Sometimes it isnt going to matter what you eat , the pain will come regardless . But I do know the beefburger sandwich and toast would have caused me problems with constipation and a bad toilet visit . I'm afraid every time you eat the bad stuff for now , it will bite back .
After i posted yesterday the pressure and feeling of needing to have a bm was too much. Took 5ml( after the other day i reduced the 15ml down!). Was wolen at 2.30am with need to go. Initial pebble then whoosh! Thank god, ive never sweated so much! Had bath back to sleep then another bm, very soft and slightly watery.
I have been eating plenty of fruit, and drinking water, just cant get the balance.
Couldnt handle the branflakes this morning reverted to weetabix!
Sometimes the 'whoosh' can be a real blessing . I suppose you should be glad things are moving , even if 'watery' . Another day on , and another day closer to recovery . Keep your chin up Sassy .
It definetly is! Can i just ask whether what im feeling is what you felt. Feels like pressure as if u still need to go for a bm( i know i definetly don't need to!). I only go to the loo when i know im ready, so not to strain.
Have been good today not burgers or bread lol! Had jacket potaoto and baked beans, heard both high in fibre.
Its just knowing what feelings are normal after the op.
I had the problem of feeling like I needed to go after surgery, when I didn't. It was actually caused by the swelling from surgery. Then if you do any straining, it may make it worse. The good thing is, it gradually will go away.
Hi Sassy , yes it feels like there is a huge bm trying to get out sometimes , but you also kinda know that it isnt , and its just pressure on the sensitive area . Definately hard to really describe . I had an added complication , I just felt totally bunged up , and couldnt get relief . Then one day something gave way and there was a lump of flesh in the toilet . After that I seemed to improve quickly . Not recommended tho .
Glad to hear the eating habits more controlled lol .
Omg flesh!
Feeling a bit more with it today, managed to wash my hair for the first time in 5 days! Pain is ok, if the pressure, odd spasms and pinches, and gurgling tum wasnt there id be normal. Have had no codiene for 2 days,( laying off it completly!).I am managing on the paracetomal, naproxen, and baths!
You're doin good Sassy . Couple of weeks and it will all be history lol .
Omg i spoke to soon! ( im taking it im not suppossed to tske senna and lactulose together like i was told!). Took the senna and lactulose last night as i was consipated!
I just filled three toilet bowls full of bm, omg felt so ill sick and cramping. Bm full of blood. Just ad i was feeling normalish today!
I never took senna . Only stool softeners . I guess as long as things are moving ( no matter how uncomfortable ) , all you should need is the softener . I would think after 3 toilet bowls , your stomach should start to feel a little better . That doesnt mean you go back on the burgers 