If you are wanting the surgery and this hasn’t been put to you by your Dr, from the 1st April 2009 choose and book has become a legal requirement. If you are not happy with the care and service you have or are receiving from your consultant / gp you can request to been seen private. You will get an option of 5 different hospitals, 1 of which will be an independent hospital (private) not bupa but still private. Your doctor then by law will have to arrange an app for you to see who you would like. If you have a another consultant in mind, they have to refer you to them. I was lucky because I was given the surgeon’s name by my sisters friend who had the same operation 7 years ago by the same surgeon.
Follow this link for more info: http://www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/patients
Monday, 13 April 2009
10th Post - Been out of hospital nearly a week
It is very hard to adapt to this stoma bag I think anyway, whilst in hospital the nurses were emptying it so the onus wasn’t on me, but last Monday seeing the stoma nurse (they are as nice as people say they are) I had to change the bag myself before they would discharge me.
It was bloody awful certainly something I wasn’t ready for and still aren’t now! The stoma nurse was brilliant as was Danny who was there throughout the ordeal (i’m so dramatic) but that is what it felt like to me. I found it really hard to look at it, never mind clean the damn thing.
My eldest sister was fantastic and she said the way to look at it is ‘this is your little friend, it is here to help you and you need to look after it, as it is you’ and to be honest when I do look at it that way, she is right it is afterall a part of me, it’s not something my surgeon has attached, this was in me and nobody else is grossed out by it or feels queasy by the sight of it, just me, but I know that I will be able to do change it but just not yet. Nobody is pressuring me to do it, which I think is the best way, because when I do decide to be brave and get on and do it, it is for me and nobody else.
It was bloody awful certainly something I wasn’t ready for and still aren’t now! The stoma nurse was brilliant as was Danny who was there throughout the ordeal (i’m so dramatic) but that is what it felt like to me. I found it really hard to look at it, never mind clean the damn thing.
My eldest sister was fantastic and she said the way to look at it is ‘this is your little friend, it is here to help you and you need to look after it, as it is you’ and to be honest when I do look at it that way, she is right it is afterall a part of me, it’s not something my surgeon has attached, this was in me and nobody else is grossed out by it or feels queasy by the sight of it, just me, but I know that I will be able to do change it but just not yet. Nobody is pressuring me to do it, which I think is the best way, because when I do decide to be brave and get on and do it, it is for me and nobody else.
Post 9 - Handy Tips
My Auntie is an occupational therapist and I went to her for some help, she told me about the 7 11 breathing technique. It’s really simple and can be carried out anywhere at all, breath in for 7 seconds and breath out for 11 seconds, that I found really helped with the urgency thing, as long as you do it as soon as you feel you are needing to go. I only asked her about this a few weeks before this operation but I really found it too help and they have proven that this does work to slow down your heart rate and it calms you down very quickly.
I’ve heard that whilst you are having your bag changed, to stop the stoma being active it you wrap it in a cold paper towel this stops the activity whilst the stoma is being cleaned. I have only heard that today, I will try it and update my blog to let you know if it works.
Also to eat 2-3 large marshmallows before the bag is changed helps stop the stoma been active for up to 30 minutes.
The stoma changes in size so it is important for the first few weeks to measure it, mine started of at size 30 but then went down to 30 across 25 and now today it is 20 / 25. We did get told in the hospital it would change size some get bigger and some get smaller that’s just the way it goes.
warm the stoma bag up, it does adapt to your body heat but this just makes it a little bit easier. Warm it under your arm for a few minutes or under a pillow or something but it does help to stick faster.
When cutting the bag if it is still not the correct shape, give it a gentle tug that will soon get it into shape. (with gloves of course)
I cannot get used to the smell, it makes me feel sick so olbasol is a good one to put on a tissue whilst emptying your bag or vix under your nose.
I have found so far, is to change your bag on a morning before you have eaten and drunk anything, that way the stoma wont be active and it will take minimum time to put on. If you change your bag straight after you have eaten, that I have found is a good time, because the food is not yet digested it will take sometime to pass through into your stoma bag.
Cavalon is a really helpful spray for the skin round the stoma, it is not uncommon for the skin to become quite red and sore due to it been cleaned daily or every other day depending on your preference. I was quite worried about the bag been changed in case it hurt taking the bag off, but you get this off with a non sting adhesive remover and it doesnt hurt at all.
You will probably get told this by your stoma nurse but in case you don’t. Your motion needs to be of a porridge consistency, which it may not be in the first few days if you are drinking more than you are eating. I was advised to take some imodium to thicken up the motion which within a day you could tell the difference. You can take up to 8 tablets within 24 hours, I have only needed to take 4 a day and it works well. If the motion doesn’t thicken up with the imodium, nothing to worry about, there is some more tablets you can take that your stoma nurse can tell you about.
Peppermint tea / water is really good for trapped wind and being bloated, because if you are unfortunate enough to get trapped wind afterwards, like me that I found was a good one.
Ask your stoma nurse to explain what laperimide does and how it works and why it needs to be taken when it does. This will make you understand it better and use it properly.
I’ve heard that whilst you are having your bag changed, to stop the stoma being active it you wrap it in a cold paper towel this stops the activity whilst the stoma is being cleaned. I have only heard that today, I will try it and update my blog to let you know if it works.
Also to eat 2-3 large marshmallows before the bag is changed helps stop the stoma been active for up to 30 minutes.
The stoma changes in size so it is important for the first few weeks to measure it, mine started of at size 30 but then went down to 30 across 25 and now today it is 20 / 25. We did get told in the hospital it would change size some get bigger and some get smaller that’s just the way it goes.
warm the stoma bag up, it does adapt to your body heat but this just makes it a little bit easier. Warm it under your arm for a few minutes or under a pillow or something but it does help to stick faster.
When cutting the bag if it is still not the correct shape, give it a gentle tug that will soon get it into shape. (with gloves of course)
I cannot get used to the smell, it makes me feel sick so olbasol is a good one to put on a tissue whilst emptying your bag or vix under your nose.
I have found so far, is to change your bag on a morning before you have eaten and drunk anything, that way the stoma wont be active and it will take minimum time to put on. If you change your bag straight after you have eaten, that I have found is a good time, because the food is not yet digested it will take sometime to pass through into your stoma bag.
Cavalon is a really helpful spray for the skin round the stoma, it is not uncommon for the skin to become quite red and sore due to it been cleaned daily or every other day depending on your preference. I was quite worried about the bag been changed in case it hurt taking the bag off, but you get this off with a non sting adhesive remover and it doesnt hurt at all.
You will probably get told this by your stoma nurse but in case you don’t. Your motion needs to be of a porridge consistency, which it may not be in the first few days if you are drinking more than you are eating. I was advised to take some imodium to thicken up the motion which within a day you could tell the difference. You can take up to 8 tablets within 24 hours, I have only needed to take 4 a day and it works well. If the motion doesn’t thicken up with the imodium, nothing to worry about, there is some more tablets you can take that your stoma nurse can tell you about.
Peppermint tea / water is really good for trapped wind and being bloated, because if you are unfortunate enough to get trapped wind afterwards, like me that I found was a good one.
Ask your stoma nurse to explain what laperimide does and how it works and why it needs to be taken when it does. This will make you understand it better and use it properly.
8th Post - The ups and downs of being out of hospital
Had a pretty lazy day today, the stoma bag leaked at 5.00am this morning so my mum and dad were trying frantically to get a new bag put on, but it was so active, it just kept pouring out for nearly an hour, my poor mum was going to work in the morning so she will have been tired out but never complained once. Finally got settled at 6.00am to wake up at 8.30 and it had leaked again.
I rang Danny and he came down within 10 minutes and off we went again. Everytime it was cleaned and dry and ready for the new bag to be fitted it would start again, like a naughty child or something, you have to laugh about it there is nothing you can do after all. So nearly an hour after cleaning it again it finally went on. We went to see my surgeon this afternoon, he was more than happy with my progress, the scar is so neat and tidy, it is weeping slightly but he wasn’t worried about it at all.
My surgeon did say that in case I was in 2 minds after having the surgery (which I wasn’t at all) there was a possibility that my bowel could have perforated and it had started to affect my appendix also which would have meant emergency surgery and no neat scars like I have got. It could possibly be 7-8 weeks when I go back in for the reversal which is fantastic as I thought it would be another 10 weeks. My surgeon told me he took 2 mtrs out of me which is 6 1/2 foot and i’m sure I have shrunk, some combat pants I wear usually fit me well but now they are dragging on the floor.
Oh well good excuse to buy some new clothes!!
I rang Danny and he came down within 10 minutes and off we went again. Everytime it was cleaned and dry and ready for the new bag to be fitted it would start again, like a naughty child or something, you have to laugh about it there is nothing you can do after all. So nearly an hour after cleaning it again it finally went on. We went to see my surgeon this afternoon, he was more than happy with my progress, the scar is so neat and tidy, it is weeping slightly but he wasn’t worried about it at all.
My surgeon did say that in case I was in 2 minds after having the surgery (which I wasn’t at all) there was a possibility that my bowel could have perforated and it had started to affect my appendix also which would have meant emergency surgery and no neat scars like I have got. It could possibly be 7-8 weeks when I go back in for the reversal which is fantastic as I thought it would be another 10 weeks. My surgeon told me he took 2 mtrs out of me which is 6 1/2 foot and i’m sure I have shrunk, some combat pants I wear usually fit me well but now they are dragging on the floor.
Oh well good excuse to buy some new clothes!!
7th Post - Emotional Turmoil
I haven’t had a big operation before and wasn’t fully prepared for it looking at things now, you can’t I suppose prepare for the emotional turmoil of this, the aftermath you are on a high and feel elated even though you are wired up to tubes and been fed through a drip, through all of that regardless the colitis is now gone.
From been on a high comes the lows which again I wasn’t prepared for 2 days before I was going home, I started to feel quite with drawn, very teary, vulnerable and overwhelmed. I was lucky because I had my family there everyday to see me and Danny was there the full day everyday, so I was never on my own and that is the way I wanted it. First day back home was again quite teary and overwhelming, but was so happy to be out to get some fresh air and be in my own surroundings. I really think that being positive is key, I think it really helps with your recovery time.
From been on a high comes the lows which again I wasn’t prepared for 2 days before I was going home, I started to feel quite with drawn, very teary, vulnerable and overwhelmed. I was lucky because I had my family there everyday to see me and Danny was there the full day everyday, so I was never on my own and that is the way I wanted it. First day back home was again quite teary and overwhelming, but was so happy to be out to get some fresh air and be in my own surroundings. I really think that being positive is key, I think it really helps with your recovery time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
