Why me?

Life don't seem fair to me. Yesterday, Saturday, I found I have a hernia to add to my problems. This just doesn't seem right, dealing with an ileostomy is enough for someone, but I now have to deal with a hernia behind the stoma. This is causing me problems getting the bags to stick, had my first bag failure today. This is not a nice way to start the day, trust me. So I am sulking, not sure what will happen now.

Op complete

Well the op has been done. Went down to the theatre yesterday at 8:30, came back to ward at 2pm after spending a few hours in the recovery area. I spent the day feeling like crap, I think I told someone I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Don't feel too good today either. My surgeon came up to see me and he tells me he looked around inside and could not see any sign of problems with my small intestine, hopefully this means that I have UC not Crohns although we can't be sure. I am on some liquid morphine for the pain, which is still quite high when the morphine and paracetamol wear off.

Saw one of the stoma nurses today and she changed the bag for me, I think I have to do it myself soon.

I am having to write this lot down as the computer system we have at the bedside, Patientline, won't allow me to log in to this blog so writing stuff down and I will upload when I am back home.

Rambling now so this will do for today.

Soon becoming a bag man

Well I have been to see the soma support nurses again. This time I have come away with a fake stoma attached to me and a bag on. This is to try to find the best place for the final stoma. Couple of problems so far, the ideal place is much too high, in order that I can get trousers to cover up the stoma and bag I will need to wear trousers the same way as that twat Simon Cowell, much too high up. SO I need to get it put a bit lower down when the op is done. I hope this is OK as I really don't like waistband being too high, really uncomfortable. Other problem associated with the height of the waistband is due to the amount of weight I have to lose. My 'spare tyre' means that my trousers try to slide down towards my hips, not a problem at the moment but it looks like they will stop bang on top of the stoma. Probably not a good idea! Then of course, if the are below the stoma then the output will fill the top half of the bag and be stopped from going towards the bottom of the bag, bit like people who have a gastric band fitted! OK for them but not a good idea to have a stoma sitting in the output I think, it seems that it is quite acidic, something your large intestine sorts out but as I will not be using the large intestine any longer that part of the process will not be taking place.

One possible problem that the stoma care nurse mentioned was that she asked me what operation I was having. I was a bit confused and I said a loop ileostomy, why I asked her. She told me that she saw a list of upcoming operations and I am down for a colostomy. This is a similar op but done at the other end of the colon. As the whole idea is to rest my colon by bypassing it that is not going to achieve anything! She told me to make sure that when I sign the consent form to make doubly sure that I am consenting to the right operation. I will probably check that I have a bag attached to the right-hand side of my body as the very first thing I do when I come round on Monday! Anything on the left is WRONG!!!

Pre-assessment tomorrow so fingers crossed I am fit enough for the operation, if not I will be really pissed off!

On another note, today is my sister's birthday, so happy birthday Alison.

life

I know that life will be a lot better once I have had the ileostomy and I am looking forward to getting to do stuff again so much. It is great that I have a date for the operation and it is not too long away. I just wish it was next week not the week after. I am in a lot of pain today, can't sit properly because of it. I don't think sitting on one buttock is too good for my back but is the only way I can sit to write this. Put all my weight squarely on my backside and I have to get up again. Yes I will be in pain immediately after the operation and I will have a lot of getting used to my new life, but at least I should be able to sit properly!
Went to see the doctor today as I have a cough and sinus problems, wouldn't normally go but if it gets on my chest I will not be able to have the operation so thought it best to check. OK at the moment though. Fingers crossed.

Been to see the surgeon

I have just returned from the hospital, seeing the surgeon who is going to operate on me. We had a good chat about the options, he said that they are still not sure if I have crohns or ulcerative colitis and the options are based on that lack of a firm diagnosis. I will be having a loop ileostomy as a temporary solution with follow ups to see if I am improving. If I improve then I can have the loop removed and I can be joined up back to normal, if there are still problems then I get the whole colon removed and I live with the ileostomy for ever. I have a date too, 14th May with a 7 to 10 day stay in hospital.

surgery closer

Yesterday was my nephew's birthday, he became a teenager. My sister and her family live in Surrey on the outskirts of London and we don't get to see them very often unfortunately. I hope they will be able to come over to see me once I have had my surgery and am recovering, the last time they did come over to see us we went for a 'walk', that is to say we got in the car and drove to our closest beach, wandered round for a bit then I needed to toilet in a hurry and the public ones were closed so had to go home in a hurry. That is the story of my life at the moment. Always need to know where the nearest toilet is just in case. However this is going to change; had a call yesterday from the stoma team, my nurse, Lynne, spoke to my surgeon, a Mr. Nelson, and he said he wants to see me this week and operate in two weeks. This caused a small amount of consternation but at last I can see light at the end of the tunnel and it is now not a very long tunnel. I have been looking at every day being the same nightmare as the one before and knowing that nothing is going to change for the good in 6 months time. Now this is now the case. In 6 months I will be through the op and should be fully recovered and living a normal life, within certain restrictions possibly, but a better, more fulfilled life than I have been living for the last 6 months.