How to Recover from Crohn's Surgery
Follow all post-op care., Take all medications., Go to all follow-up appointments., Check the site of the surgery., Change the bandage., Be patient as you adjust to your stoma., Learn to care for your stoma., Check for signs of infection., Know how...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Follow all post-op care.
After you have surgery for Crohn’s disease, your doctor will give you very specific instructions for care afterwards.
These instructions should be followed exactly as outlined by your doctor for optimal recovery.Ask your doctor to clarify anything that is confusing or unclear.
If you have questions, make sure to ask your doctor so you can follow the correct postoperative care.
You may need to have a relative, friend, or home healthcare nurse help you with post-op care. -
Step 2: Take all medications.
You will more than likely be given various medications to take during your recovery.
Your doctor may prescribe pain medication for the first days right after your surgery.
You may also get antibiotics if you have an infection or there is a threat of infection at the surgery site.
Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed to help reduce inflammation due to the Crohn’s disease.Follow all medication guidelines your doctor gives you.
This includes how much and how often to take the medication, when to take the medication, and what foods and drinks you should or should not take with the medication.
You should also find out how long you are supposed to take the medication. , Due to the nature of surgeries for Crohn’s disease, there is a high possibility of complications stemming from the surgery or a recurrence of the disease.
To make sure you are recovering properly, go to all scheduled follow-up appointments, even if you feel fine.You need to follow up with your gastroenterologist and the surgeon. , Following the surgery, the doctor will monitor the incisions made during the surgery.
When you go home, you will have to clean the surgery site properly and monitor it.
You will watch it to make sure it doesn’t change to an abnormal color, like dark bruising or black skin.Keep the incision site as dry as possible.
You should also watch the wound site for any problems with the drainage.
The wound may drain, but any abnormal amount of drainage or discoloration should be brought to your doctor’s attention. , You will have to change the bandage on the incision site when you leave the hospital.
To change the bandage properly, start by washing your hands.
Remove the bandages by pulling them away by the edges.
After throwing them away, wash your hands again.
Open the new dressing by gently pulling open the top.
Remove the bandages by grabbing only the edge of them; do not touch the inside or middle.
Tape the edges of the bandages to your skin, then wash your hands.Don't rip open the package or touch the dressing.
The dressing is sterile and should remain that way.
Your doctor or nurse will give you directions on how to clean the surgery site.
Make sure to follow them.
Never put any type of medicine or ointment on the incision unless instructed to by the doctor. , Some Crohn's surgeries make it so that you have a stoma, which is an opening in your abdomen that allows waste to leave your body and be collected in a pouch.If you now have a stoma, it may take some getting used to.
It often takes up to a year to get fully adjusted.
During this time, you will work closely with your stoma nurse as you learn and adapt.At first, the waste from the stoma may be liquid and unpleasant smelling.
This should change after a few weeks.
There might also be some noises as gas passes through it, which should also lessen as time passes.
You may feel like you have to go to the bathroom, but as your body adjusts to the stoma, that should change.
You may experience some discharge from your anus at first.
You may have a one- or two-piece ostomy bag.
Depending on where the stoma is located and the bag used, the bag may need to be emptied four to six times daily and changed twice a week, or they may be emptied about two to three times daily and changed each time they are emptied.Your doctor will give you specific instructions — make sure you follow them closely.
To help relieve pain, you may try to pass mucus produced by your rectum out of your anus.
If the mucus doesn't get expelled, it can dry into hard balls inside your rectum.
Sit on the toilet and gently contract your muscles like you are trying to go to the bathroom.
This can help you pass the mucus.
There may be exercises, medications, or other lifestyle changes to help your pain.
Talk to your doctor about what is appropriate for you to do based on your condition., If you have had surgery where you now have a stoma and ostomy bag, you will have to learn how to care for it.
You will have a stoma nurse at the hospital who will teach you the proper way of cleaning and changing your stoma and ostomy bag.Your stoma will be red in color, much like the tissue inside your mouth.
It will be swollen right after your surgery, usually between six to eight weeks.
There will be stitches around it which will naturally dissolve after a few weeks.
It will also bleed a little after the surgery, which is normal.
It is not normal if it bleeds heavily or fills your ostomy bag with blood.The hospital will provide you with your stoma and ostomy materials at first.
By the time you leave the hospital, you will be able to change your ostomy bag normally.
You will also be able to shower a few days after the operation. , Your surgical site or stoma may get infected.
Any abnormalities in the site, such as additional swelling, abnormal pain, or discoloration may mean that there is a problem.
Signs of infection at the surgical site include redness, swelling, abnormal pain, and increased warmth around the incision site.
Drainage should be clear and slightly bloody and lessen each day.
Any abnormal colored drainage, or more drainage than usual, may be a sign of infection.
A fever of over
100.4°F (38°C) may also indicate infection.Abnormal signs that may point to infection or problems with the stoma include increased swelling, redness, or pain, or discolored or abnormal discharge from the stoma site., After you have surgery for your Crohn’s disease, you will probably have to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Some surgeries require you to stay in the hospital for up to 10 days.
When you go home, it may take one to two months to recover fully.Ask your doctor if you have to have surgeries in multiple stages.
For example, a proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is generally done in two stages with two different surgeries.Multiple stage surgeries mean there will be a longer recovery time. -
Step 3: Go to all follow-up appointments.
-
Step 4: Check the site of the surgery.
-
Step 5: Change the bandage.
-
Step 6: Be patient as you adjust to your stoma.
-
Step 7: Learn to care for your stoma.
-
Step 8: Check for signs of infection.
-
Step 9: Know how long the recovery process takes.
Detailed Guide
After you have surgery for Crohn’s disease, your doctor will give you very specific instructions for care afterwards.
These instructions should be followed exactly as outlined by your doctor for optimal recovery.Ask your doctor to clarify anything that is confusing or unclear.
If you have questions, make sure to ask your doctor so you can follow the correct postoperative care.
You may need to have a relative, friend, or home healthcare nurse help you with post-op care.
You will more than likely be given various medications to take during your recovery.
Your doctor may prescribe pain medication for the first days right after your surgery.
You may also get antibiotics if you have an infection or there is a threat of infection at the surgery site.
Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed to help reduce inflammation due to the Crohn’s disease.Follow all medication guidelines your doctor gives you.
This includes how much and how often to take the medication, when to take the medication, and what foods and drinks you should or should not take with the medication.
You should also find out how long you are supposed to take the medication. , Due to the nature of surgeries for Crohn’s disease, there is a high possibility of complications stemming from the surgery or a recurrence of the disease.
To make sure you are recovering properly, go to all scheduled follow-up appointments, even if you feel fine.You need to follow up with your gastroenterologist and the surgeon. , Following the surgery, the doctor will monitor the incisions made during the surgery.
When you go home, you will have to clean the surgery site properly and monitor it.
You will watch it to make sure it doesn’t change to an abnormal color, like dark bruising or black skin.Keep the incision site as dry as possible.
You should also watch the wound site for any problems with the drainage.
The wound may drain, but any abnormal amount of drainage or discoloration should be brought to your doctor’s attention. , You will have to change the bandage on the incision site when you leave the hospital.
To change the bandage properly, start by washing your hands.
Remove the bandages by pulling them away by the edges.
After throwing them away, wash your hands again.
Open the new dressing by gently pulling open the top.
Remove the bandages by grabbing only the edge of them; do not touch the inside or middle.
Tape the edges of the bandages to your skin, then wash your hands.Don't rip open the package or touch the dressing.
The dressing is sterile and should remain that way.
Your doctor or nurse will give you directions on how to clean the surgery site.
Make sure to follow them.
Never put any type of medicine or ointment on the incision unless instructed to by the doctor. , Some Crohn's surgeries make it so that you have a stoma, which is an opening in your abdomen that allows waste to leave your body and be collected in a pouch.If you now have a stoma, it may take some getting used to.
It often takes up to a year to get fully adjusted.
During this time, you will work closely with your stoma nurse as you learn and adapt.At first, the waste from the stoma may be liquid and unpleasant smelling.
This should change after a few weeks.
There might also be some noises as gas passes through it, which should also lessen as time passes.
You may feel like you have to go to the bathroom, but as your body adjusts to the stoma, that should change.
You may experience some discharge from your anus at first.
You may have a one- or two-piece ostomy bag.
Depending on where the stoma is located and the bag used, the bag may need to be emptied four to six times daily and changed twice a week, or they may be emptied about two to three times daily and changed each time they are emptied.Your doctor will give you specific instructions — make sure you follow them closely.
To help relieve pain, you may try to pass mucus produced by your rectum out of your anus.
If the mucus doesn't get expelled, it can dry into hard balls inside your rectum.
Sit on the toilet and gently contract your muscles like you are trying to go to the bathroom.
This can help you pass the mucus.
There may be exercises, medications, or other lifestyle changes to help your pain.
Talk to your doctor about what is appropriate for you to do based on your condition., If you have had surgery where you now have a stoma and ostomy bag, you will have to learn how to care for it.
You will have a stoma nurse at the hospital who will teach you the proper way of cleaning and changing your stoma and ostomy bag.Your stoma will be red in color, much like the tissue inside your mouth.
It will be swollen right after your surgery, usually between six to eight weeks.
There will be stitches around it which will naturally dissolve after a few weeks.
It will also bleed a little after the surgery, which is normal.
It is not normal if it bleeds heavily or fills your ostomy bag with blood.The hospital will provide you with your stoma and ostomy materials at first.
By the time you leave the hospital, you will be able to change your ostomy bag normally.
You will also be able to shower a few days after the operation. , Your surgical site or stoma may get infected.
Any abnormalities in the site, such as additional swelling, abnormal pain, or discoloration may mean that there is a problem.
Signs of infection at the surgical site include redness, swelling, abnormal pain, and increased warmth around the incision site.
Drainage should be clear and slightly bloody and lessen each day.
Any abnormal colored drainage, or more drainage than usual, may be a sign of infection.
A fever of over
100.4°F (38°C) may also indicate infection.Abnormal signs that may point to infection or problems with the stoma include increased swelling, redness, or pain, or discolored or abnormal discharge from the stoma site., After you have surgery for your Crohn’s disease, you will probably have to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Some surgeries require you to stay in the hospital for up to 10 days.
When you go home, it may take one to two months to recover fully.Ask your doctor if you have to have surgeries in multiple stages.
For example, a proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is generally done in two stages with two different surgeries.Multiple stage surgeries mean there will be a longer recovery time.
About the Author
Jacob Reynolds
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