Colon Resection

[Markarch]

Hi All,
Let me start by saying excuse some of the spelling.             A while back I posted a situation about my wife's gallbladder.
Well the for 3 weeks after the gallbadder was removed the pain was at it's worst. So they started test after test...... most coming back normal some not. Liver enzemyes up and down after barium drink it was still in her system after 1 1/2 weeks hydascan,cat scans the obvious. They did find erosions in her esophagus and stomach. Finally after having a less than pleasant confrontation with the surgeon he agreed to do a exploretary lap and found the right side of her colon to be twisted,streched and wrapped around the hypatic gland. They removed the right side but of course not without conflict. As a result she aquired a large hematoma and I need to add she is on he 4th period or discharge in 6 weeks this last looks brownish or deep purple.
She had surgery on 6-27 how long can we expect the pain and discomfort to go on for. Or at least to reach a bearable state.
                                 Thanks in advance
                                          Mark

[kimbacat]

Hi Mark, so sorry to hear your wife is having so many problems.  abdominal surgery is tough.  but it sounds like she is not getting adequate pain control.  talk to the doc and have him address that problem first.  at one week, she should be able to get around on her own, although with effort.  her pain should be controlled enough that she can stand, walk, wash and do most of her dressing by herself.  it will take about 6 weeks to recover from abdominal surgery, but it takes 6 mos to a year for her to fully heal.  the first 2 weeks are the worst, but after that, she should see steady improvement.  some tips are:  use a firm pillow to hold against her abdomen when she coughs, sneezes, laughs, etc.  take the pain meds on a regular schedule to stay ahead of the pain.  if she has diarrhea, use a warm washcloth to wipe or use a squirt bottle to rinse the area.  the squirt bottle is nice cause it extends your reach and you don't have to stretch as far in order to wipe.  she can also use diaper creams or just plain old petroleum jelly to help keep her bum from getting irritated.  get up and walk as much as possible, even if it's just from the couch to the refrigerator.  gas is usually a problem after surgery and staying in one position lets it settle in certain spots and usually makes it hurt worse.  lying down all the time or staying in one position will also just make her muscles stiff and hurt worse.  eat small frequent meals so as not to tax her digestive system.  drink plenty of water.  when getting up out of bed (or up off the couch), this might help:  while on the bed, use your arms to turn your body so that your legs hang over the side (my bed is against the wall, so I used that as leverage).  bending your knees, push or slide off the bed until your feet are firmly on the floor.  slide off the bed into a squat and then stand up.  that method uses primarily your leg and arm muscles rather than your abdominal muscles.  

the stresses of poor health and surgery can really screw up our menstrual cycles.  I'm not surprised that she is out of sync.  and without fail, I ALWAYS get my period right after surgery (like I wasn't having enough problems).  but have her call her gyno to see what s/he recommends.

good luck, I hope this surgery resolves her problems.  take care