Surgery #2?!

So last Wednesday, I finally had my pre-op appointment that I have been patiently waiting for since… well, my last surgery. Everything went very well and I learned a lot about what is going to happen. I am the first person getting surgery on Friday the 19th so I have to be at the hospital at 6am in order to be ready for surgery at 7:30 am. I was constantly being reminded that this is the hardest surgery I will go through out of the three.

So this is whats happening…
They are removing my rectum and rearranging my small intestine inside my body in order to create the "J-pouch" which is basically a fake rectum. In order to do this, an incision about 2-3 inches will be made about 6 inches down from my belly button. Since my last surgery never required a cut this large, Im sure it will be much more painful than the 1/2 inch cuts I had last time. Also, this surgery will take a bit longer to do because of all the rearranging of my intestine inside of me. My last surgery took about ~5 hours from when I went into the OR and by the time I woke up in the recovery room. I will still have my ostomy after this surgery, however, its going to be a little different. As of now, the end of my small intestine in the part that forms my stoma on the outside of my stomach. Since they will need to use that part as the end of my "fake rectum" they will be making a cut in the middle of my intestine where my new stoma will be made. There are a few differences in this, like it won't stick out as much from my skin like it does now, so it could potentially be a bit harder to take care of and maintain. I was told that I could be in the hospital for a maximum of 7 days depending on how fast I can recover. Im hoping that it will be similar to last time and hopefully I won't be in there for more than… 5 days? My goal is to be home by Christmas Eve.

Starting on Thursday of next week I will begin my clear liquid diet. This means that I am only allowed to eat/drink things like… clear soda, water, jello, chicken broth, popsicles… etc. Basically anything that if you hold it up to light, you can see through it. Im assuming that I will continue eating clear liquids after my surgery and eventually I have to go onto a low residue diet again for 6 weeks after my surgery.  I also am not allowed to lift anything more than 10 pounds for 6 weeks.

As next week approaches, I will become more and more anxious about getting my surgery. I keep getting asked if I am nervous or scared about it and honestly, Im not either of those. I am just extremely anxious that the day I've been waiting for since July is almost here. I am not looking forward to waking up in the recovery room and experiencing what will be the worst pain I have ever felt. Last time, all I could do is hyperventilate uncontrollably from the pain and I'm assuming this won't be any different.

I am very thankful for all of the support I've received from friends, family, acquaintances, and even past nurses. Its going to be a tough winter break for me, but with everyone helping me and sending positive vibes, I will be able to get through this just like last time.

-- JKL