Four weeks, twenty-eight days. Admittedly, I did write my last update – you can read it here – abit later than I’d originally planned but still, to think it’s been a month since surgery is just mind blowing. During these last two weeks I learnt a heck of alot more! Some brief highlights: I got myself off the Oxycodene after fourteen days. Big win moment. I was sleeping in a more regular pattern…
IBD
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Life Lately | Wound Care
DISCLAIMER: This post discusses the care of surgical wounds. No photos of any wounds are present in this post. The thing with surgery is you are left with scars. Scars mean wounds. And wounds mean wound care. For each of my bowel surgeries, I’ve been left with wound in the immediate post op period. My Right Hemicolectomy left me with four laparoscopic wounds, one of which was in my belly…
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Two Weeks Post Surgery
Seems like only yesterday I was counting backwards from four to be put under for my Proctectomy. But here we are, fourteen days post op and it’s been a weird and wonderful ride. I spent eight days on the ward, learning to manage my pain and my wounds. I am very grateful for my stoma being created at a different time, I doubt I would have been so able to…
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What’s in my Hospital Bag?
It’s been almost three years since I had a planned admission to hospital, and a little over a year that I’ve had without an admission at all. So, planning and packing my hospital bag was a quite daunting task. What would I need? How much would I be able to take with me? How was I going to keep myself occupied when I didn’t have visitors? Did I have enough of…
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Why? My Proctectomy Explained
Background: In 2016 I underwent two operations for my Crohn’s Disease. The first was a Right Hemicolectomy in May, followed by a Subtotal Colectomy with Ileostomy in August. My first surgery was to remove a stricture that was causing all of my then IBD symptoms. It had been unresolved by medication, so a joint decision between myself, my consultant and surgeon was made to remove my terminal ileum and about 20…
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How To Prepare for Surgery
I am a week or so away from another surgery. A planned one for a change! It has been almost three years since my first surgery and things are different this time around – I know what to expect, how the pre op appointments work, the process of a surgery and recovery but how exactly do you prepare and organise yourself for a major surgery? Here I’ll be going through step…
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Pre Operative Assessments: Stoma & General Surgery – 14.03.19
I last had a pre op for major surgery back in May of 2016 ahead of my Right Hemicolectomy. Reading it back, everything is very much the same – not long before the operation is here, pre op drinks at the ready, all vitals taken and history given. What was different this time was already having a stoma. I initially thought my stoma pre op was a mistake – surely…
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Life Lately | Endocrinology
Pesky Ovaries! I’ve mentioned before, following some investigatory blood work, my GP had referred me to a Endocrinologist for some more answers and possible treatment for my PCOS. Background: I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – since I was 16/17 when I had a very large absence of periods, as well as ‘weight gain’ and some hirsutism. This was, back then almost 15 years ago, treated with the…
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Life Lately | The Triple
The Triple Hi there, hello, welcome. They say things come in threes right? Well, that’s definitely true for me and my health. And this year has begun to already feel like the mother of all triples. These last ten days or so have been feeling like a triple, all of it’s own. Propranolol At the end of February, I was struggling to get into work. I was becoming more symptomatic with…