How long was your stay?

keystone
keystone Member Posts: 134 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
My husband is trying to plan/schedule his reversal surgery in Dec/Jan. His surgeon is 1000 miles away. Could you please share how many nights your hospital stay was after your ilieostomy reversal?? Thanks trying to figure out just how long we will be away from home!

Comments

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #2
    Week
    My stay for the reversal was longer than the orignal surgery. My surgeon wouldn't let me go until passing gas and pooping which took me a week. Most are sooner but that was my experience. Good luck to your husband.

    Kim
  • keystone
    keystone Member Posts: 134 Member
    #3
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Week
    My stay for the reversal was longer than the orignal surgery. My surgeon wouldn't let me go until passing gas and pooping which took me a week. Most are sooner but that was my experience. Good luck to your husband.

    Kim

    Thanks Kim we are hoping to
    Thanks Kim we are hoping to corelate air flights but I know its going to be hard. Phils TME surgery he stayed 14 days due to an ileus. I'm not sure if that is common in the reversal or not?
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #4
    Chewing gum
    The colon goes to sleep to heal after surgery and takes a while to wake up. I read here years ago that chewing gum helps to wake it up sooner. When I had my takedown surgery, I also had a foot of my colon and my lymph nodes removed so my stay was to be 5-7 days. I think the chewing gum helped me get out in 5 days.

    Have some depends for him and it will take some time for parts to remember and relearn "things". Many here will be able to help if he has issues.

    Lisa P.
  • keystone
    keystone Member Posts: 134 Member
    #5
    scouty said:

    Chewing gum
    The colon goes to sleep to heal after surgery and takes a while to wake up. I read here years ago that chewing gum helps to wake it up sooner. When I had my takedown surgery, I also had a foot of my colon and my lymph nodes removed so my stay was to be 5-7 days. I think the chewing gum helped me get out in 5 days.

    Have some depends for him and it will take some time for parts to remember and relearn "things". Many here will be able to help if he has issues.

    Lisa P.

    I will definitly take gum
    I will definitly take gum along. We tried that after his initial surgery. We were in the hospital 14 days. I think we would have tried anything at that point. We talked about the "adjustment" after takedown the other night. Phil has absolutely hated his iliostomy and promises me he won't complain once its gone. From all Iv'e read...I beg to differ lol!How long did it take for your bowels to adjust half way normally?
  • marqimark
    marqimark Member Posts: 242 Member
    #6
    Walking

    Good to hear your husband is getting a reversal

    Getting up and walking the hallways of the recovery area speeds up the process.

    Still took four days to wake up my colon after resection.

    Mark
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945
    #7
    I was in 7 days. No
    I was in 7 days. No complications, that is just how long it took for the colon to wake up. I kept asking my surgeon, sounding like I was bargaining for less days as in, "hum, think I can go home today?" she just would smile and say, "7 days". And she was correct- finally was able to go potty and then discharged.
  • RickMurtagh
    RickMurtagh Member Posts: 587 Member
    #8
    The stay for my reversal was five days.
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #9
    keystone said:

    I will definitly take gum
    I will definitly take gum along. We tried that after his initial surgery. We were in the hospital 14 days. I think we would have tried anything at that point. We talked about the "adjustment" after takedown the other night. Phil has absolutely hated his iliostomy and promises me he won't complain once its gone. From all Iv'e read...I beg to differ lol!How long did it take for your bowels to adjust half way normally?

    Too long!
    I had a colostomy for 2 years and 2 months so I think mine might be one of the extreme cases, but the first 3 months were really tough!

    I won't say anymore until we hear how Phil starts out. His case will probably be much better than mine was.

    Lisa P.
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #10
    I was in the hospital for a
    I was in the hospital for a week too, like many on this board. Be overprepared for his first month or two home:extra Depends, sheets to sleep on etc. It was a two-step forward, one step (sometimes three steps) back thing for awhile.
  • Kenny H.
    Kenny H. Member Posts: 502 Member
    #11
    tommycat said:

    I was in the hospital for a
    I was in the hospital for a week too, like many on this board. Be overprepared for his first month or two home:extra Depends, sheets to sleep on etc. It was a two-step forward, one step (sometimes three steps) back thing for awhile.

    It was 1yr ago today I had
    It was 1yr ago today I had my ostomy surgery. Mine is permanant and have adjusted to it well. Only stayed in Hosp 5days for it all.
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #12
    scouty said:

    Chewing gum
    The colon goes to sleep to heal after surgery and takes a while to wake up. I read here years ago that chewing gum helps to wake it up sooner. When I had my takedown surgery, I also had a foot of my colon and my lymph nodes removed so my stay was to be 5-7 days. I think the chewing gum helped me get out in 5 days.

    Have some depends for him and it will take some time for parts to remember and relearn "things". Many here will be able to help if he has issues.

    Lisa P.

    Gum?
    I'm afraid to ask where it's inserted and how it's chewed!
    Does blowing bubbles make noise and wake up sleepy-butt?

    I guess the chewing stimulates the bowels and starts the peristalsis?
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #13
    PhillieG said:

    Gum?
    I'm afraid to ask where it's inserted and how it's chewed!
    Does blowing bubbles make noise and wake up sleepy-butt?

    I guess the chewing stimulates the bowels and starts the peristalsis?

    Gum ???
    After my rectal resection,in complete desperation to get out of the hospital, I asked the surgeon if there was anything more I could do to speed up my bowels other than walking. He suggested chewing gum. He said other patients have sworn by it; although, he believed it was just a placebo effect. That's all I needed to hear. I sent my son down to the gift shop to buy some gum. I chewed old,hard,nasty,crumbly gum for two days until my jaws hurt - no results. That's just my experience. Maybe, if the gum was fresher??? I don't know. lol

    Keystone, my prayer are with both you and your husband.
    Karen
  • khl8
    khl8 Member Posts: 807
    #14
    Kenny H. said:

    It was 1yr ago today I had
    It was 1yr ago today I had my ostomy surgery. Mine is permanant and have adjusted to it well. Only stayed in Hosp 5days for it all.

    I was in for 2 days, I was
    I was in for 2 days, I was allowed to come home before I pooped but I did pass gas in the hospital. My surgeon knows me well enough and trusted me to keep an eye out for my gut. And I was home about 30 minutes and pooped at home. So all was good.

Discussion Boards