4 months post op!!!!
I started writing this blog when hubby was about 3 months post op but had to put it to the side for a while, thats the joy of trying to occupy 4 children with sometimes very little sleep during the summer holidays. It’s crazy to think that its about 4 months since hubby had his ileostomy reversal and we was able to sort of start to get on with life, well that’s when he is not spending his time on the toilet.
Recovery has been slow and at the beginning it was bloody tough and challenging, all the extra washing and trips to the shops for the toilet roll while surviving on little sleep and fulfilling all my mum duties as well as making sure hubby was ok was hard work. Generally every 7-10 days is when we usually have one or two bad nights or early starts because of someone’s bowels not playing nicely, after several years of dreaming I can finally say that I’m enjoying my early morning cuppa in peace, something I lost the privilege of when I became a mum its just a shame that its about 4.30am and most recently a lot earlier.
At nearly 18 weeks post op despite the odd occasional crap day or night hubby is doing amazing, he has gone back to work and is back running even participating in park runs. For the first time in about 10 months we are living life the best we can while cancer still hovers in the back ground.
At 3 months post op we had a couple of really bad weeks and unfortunately these impacted us from doing things that we had planned, hubby is in remission but cancer still hangs around some days like a big dark rain cloud. Just like the rain cloud you cant make cancer go away any quicker, it may stop you from doing something you had planned but You don’t let it stop you from living your life.
When sitting back and thinking about the recovery journey so far I think with hand on heart it was about week 13 and maybe even 14 that I would quite happily of thumped cancer in the face if it was a person. The past nearly 18 weeks have seen hubby run to the toilet ex amount of times, go through a forest and some of toilet roll and has increased my washing and not forgetting the lack of sleep its almost like I have a new born baby in the house again. These parts of the journey are challenging but I can deal with them, the parts that are tough and emotionally draining are when hubby is continually running to the toilet and spends more time in the bathroom then in the lounge watching tv on an evening, this then results in hubby laying on the sofa trying to settle his bowels as well as being to exhausted to move, watching this and the pain and discomfort is heart breaking. It’s strange though because as much as this hurts and cuts me up inside, you just get on with things hubby needs me and that comes priority, thank scooby doo these nights are pretty much next to none.
Hubby was told that he may have IBS and was advised to try a fodmap and probiotics which he did during week 13-14 if I remember correctly. The fodmap is easy enough to understand and does not really seem to be helping in my view but OMG!!!!!! The probiotic tablets that I think he only took 3-4 off caused extreme toilet dashes, pain from the continued toilet visits, extra washing and an extremely unsettled and tired hubby. It was like someone had pressed the rewind button and hubby was preparing for his first colonoscopy to see why he was so ill. During these two weeks we had roughly 3-5 really early starts thanks to hubby’s bowels and stomach, at one point I also thought we was not going to get any sleep as he started to dash to the toilet as we was going to bed.
Recovery for an ileostomy reversal is not just recovering from an operation, so much more is involved and it can become challenging and incredibly draining. In hubbys case because of the position of the tumour he had his rectum completely removed and a new one made from his colon. This means that he more or less has to learn the motions of his bowels and the difference between a fart and wanting to go toilet, on top of this the large bowel has to learn how to do its job again as for the past 7 months its been this thing inside Rogers stomach looking pretty….. its taken some time but hubby is getting there, at the beginning he was continuously running to the toilet so his surgeon told him to up his dose of Imodium.
So let’s talk Imodium!!!! This tiny tablet can be amazing but at the same time it can also cause misery, this tablet may be tiny but it does its job. Hubby has been taking this tablet on and off since his first operation, for days it can be brilliant then just like that hubby can be in all sorts of discomfort and has a bloated feeling in his belly. This is another part of the journey that is so challenging and draining both physically and mentally. This tablet can be taken several times during the day with food if needed, but hubby found out that his stomach/bowels don’t really like this tablet to much, this tablet is all trial and error and 7 months on its still just that. This week for example hubby took the Imodium until Thursday I believe as he felt his motions was slowing down and then just like that my Sunday started at 2.45am with a cuppa and chocolate biscuit, I have no idea what time hubby started going to the toilet but it was bloody early. Imodium tends to be one step forward and 3 back thing Hubby takes one-two tablets daily but he has to be weary as every so often his stomach goes solid causing discomfort, it does not take long though after stoping the tablets for the bowels to start again.
Recovery from an ileostomy reversal is a challenging learning curve, 4 months on despite all the sleepless nights and hours spent in the toilet hubby really is doing amazing. His energy continues to increase and he is doing more and more, sometimes probably to much but he is a male so there is no telling him. I look at him and see this strong and amazing individual that I love dearly, cancer will always be hanging over us but it wont control us. We are still in the recovery period and will be for some time yet but we will continue to take what is chucked at us while making us stronger by the day.
After all Rome was not built in a day!!!!!
