So now I have no colon and this bag attached to my stomach...great. The last 10 days I was in the hospital this time around is very fuzzy and I don't remember much. I do remember being in a lot of pain. Thank God I had a private room this time around. It was such a blessing to just deal with all this without a stranger beside me. My parents and/or brother were always there with me except for at night of course.
My brother was a huge blessing. He's 5 years older than me and we're really close. But what he did to help me in the hospital was amazing. He was studying to be a nurse and is a CNA...he helped me change my bag and clean the stoma because I hated doing it. He would stay late with me and watch tv and just make me laugh to keep my mind off of everything else. He continues to be there for me and don't know what I'd do without him.
Leaving the hospital was probably one of the hardest things to do. I was scared to go home because of all the pain I was having and the fact that it's like a security blanket. You're in there for so long, becoming dependent on nurses to help take care of you...now you're home depending on yourself and family members. I was happy to be home and in my own bed but it was quiet, too quiet. I was used to people coming in and out taking blood or checking my vitals. I barely slept at night during my stay. It was no different once I got home.
The pain is again indescribable...different pain than what I had originally but pain nonetheless. I had a long incision right below my bellow button and above my pelvic area. Of course it had to get infected and become even more painful. This infection required a visiting nurse to come everyday to clean it and stuff it with gauze to stop the puss. That was an extremely painful process in itself. The nurses were also there to guide me in changing my bag to make sure I was doing it right and that I was comfortable doing it. I didn't do it myself for the first few times. I had the nurses do it because it was gross.
I'll never forget my first experience with the visiting nurse. My parents will probably wonder why I mentioned this if they ever read it :) I was waiting for my nurse to come and I was using the bathroom. Well all of a sudden, I'm peeing and everything gets white and I get really dizzy and extremely hot. I start freaking out because I can't see squat and I feel like I'm going to faint. I hear the nurse come in and I hear my dad and brother talking to her. I start yelling for my dad or brother. They all come in the bathroom and there I am, sitting on the toilet leaning against the wall with my eyes closed moaning that I feel sick and can't see anything. My brother rushed and got me some water and the nurse came in and sat on the floor and began talking and taking vitals. This was our introduction...bet she wasn't expecting that. Haha, never saw her again after that day.
I was dehydrated. One thing you MUST be careful with when you are living without a colon is your electrolytes and potassium and all that good stuff. I never drank enough water or anything when I was healthy and now I was being forced to drink A LOT throughout the day, which I was clearly having a hard time with. Fluids, fluids, fluids are most important. Water, Gatorade, V8 juices...anything with a good amount of potassium in it will do just fine. I try to drink enough but I know I'm not. I've only have one other incident like this one and it was about a week ago...hey, I'm trying.
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