Upcoming Crohns surgery

I was diagnosed with Crohns disease two years ago.  I am 41 years old.  I feel like I probably had Crohns long ago with suffering with IBS for at least ten years.  I now am scheduled for surgery on Friday the 28th.  They will cut out six inches of the small intestine.  Of course I have anxiety.  I am wondering if you are aware of your surroundings directly after surgery?  Can you speak with family members that are waiting for you and if so, do you remember it?

[verysickandtired]

what kind of surgery are you having?

[April2]

Hi there! I have had that surgery so hopefully I can set your mind at ease some. They cut out about 5 to 6 inches of my small intestine (the terminal ileum) because I had a mass that turned out to be fibrous scar tissue with ulceration. After the biopsy, they said it looked like Crohns. They're still trying to figure out if it is that since I apparently have a mild case of it.

After the surgery they will take you to recovery and once you've awakened then your family can see you. Usually you awaken pretty quickly after the surgery. You'll be coherant and able to talk but may feel groggy and sleepy.

With me, they had a catheter in so that I wouldn't have to leave the bed the first day. They also dosed me up pretty good with morphine. I was able to self medicate through my IV as needed which I appreciated. I did sleep a lot. Once they had me up on my feet the next day, I had to move pretty slowly and I couldn't go too far. I stayed in the hospital 5 days (my choice - they told me I could stay 4 to 5 days). They weaned me off the morphine before I went home and sent me home with some pretty good pain killers.

I was a bit surprised with how long it took for me to recover. But then I wasn't a very patient "patient"! :) I didn't like how slow I still was moving and if I did try to do too much or go too far I would feel it later! It took me about 6 weeks for recovery at home before I started feeling pretty normal again. So just take it easy. Don't try to do too much too soon or you could wind up back in the hospital! Let others take care of you the first few weeks. It is major surgery, after all! So be patient with yourself.

I did beautifully with the surgery. It's been seven months now and I feel great! I don't have the stomach pain like I did before the surgery. I did have some diarhea (diarrhea) and pain after the surgery but it didn't last.
I hope this helps in any way. If you have any other questions or would just like to talk, please feel free to write back. I wish you the best with your surgery! Take care & God bless!

[dommychrons]

hey .. i just had the surgery as well .. 2 weeks ago... they took out 3 f of my small intestine, and 2 inches of my colon... no bag...after the surgery i was in a bad mood.. i guess from the anestisia... and felt like i was going to vomit all over the place... but they quickly put that to an end when i told them with a shot of something... after a little bit of time i was relaxed... the place of incision was very sore and it was nearly impossible to lay flat... they next day i had to walk a tiny bit and it was pretty hard.. i walked hunched over and in pain.. i was on morphene for 4 days... 1 drip every hour plus the button to hit a few more times if needed... i didnt want to walk as much as they wanted me to cause it took a lot out of me.. but my advice is to walk as much as possible after the surgery to get rid of the gas in you and get everything moving again.. i had 1 problem and it was peeing.. i couldnt pee on my own which cause me to stay in the hospital a few more days then expected .. they put me on flomax and everything started working again.. although i do have a little burning sensation when i pee .. but the doc said that is normal for now cause i had the catheder put in me 3 different times... i was in the hospital for a total of 18 days... i was in bad shape when i went in , and had really bad nutrition. so i was in there before i had my suregery for a little while.. i had my surgery tuesday .. then came home the following tuesday... when i got home the pain seemed to get worse .. which will happen and is normal.. cause you want to move around more.. or atleast be up more then you were in the hospital.. but just take the pain killers they give you as directed ... if you feel like walking a little then walk and if you want to sleep then sleep you deserve it you will be going through a major surgery... everyday gets a little better but dont let the pain discourage you ... i am stil experiencing diahrear but my appetitie is back and i able to eat like a champion again ..  hope this will help any other questions feel free to contact me and ask