Time for an update. The last four days have been a revelation to me in all sorts of ways. I took a great deal of comfort from all the posts on here from those who had gone before... and was somewhat scared by some of the comments from others who had posted of their personal experiences so I thought I would add my own experiences to the melting pot.
I was surprised that the only pain relief prescribed by the Docs was to be 2 Ibuprofen and two paracetamol four times a day so purchased half of Boots annual delivery of Co prodomaol and more Ibuprofen to deal with the anticipated agony. Hmmm. Waste of money as they are all still in their boxes unused and I am now down to half the allowed dose from the docs as the actual pain has been very manageable ...so far. I must have been one of the lucky ones with regard to trapped gas in the shoulders etc as that didnt happen. There was and still is a huge amount of gurgling and rumbling from my tummy which is and has been quite painful but that is getting better. The advice on Dulcoease and Lactulose was heaven sent. I have been taken them since day one and was gratified that the movement prompted by them worked and whilst still not back to "normal" it has not been the excruciating experience I was expecting. Definitely one for those that follow to put top of the list.
The new look plumbing system I left hospital with whilst functional was a huge disappointment in its functionality. Having been advised to try to drink Britain dry to ensure the bladder etc was flushed through and working at its best capacity the capacity of the normal leg bag proved woefully inefficient to perform its function. The drive from my Hospital to the bosom of my home takes about 45 mins normally but my wonderful Angel of Mercy took pity on me and the usual Grand Prix drive along the A30 was reduced to a more sedate, less bumpy afternoon amble with the accompanying tailback probably reaching Cornwall by the time we turned off on to more rural roads. At this point, taking a moment to relax I observed a rather large bulge within my copious new trousers. The smutty minded of you can go and stand in the corner. Hopefully that will follow in time but this bulge was at the side of my leg which on examination revealed the 500ml supplied bag was clearly not suitable for the current output of the new plumbing system. Throwing all the newly gained knowledge of how to empty the said receptacle is a aseptic way with regard to hygiene contamination and sterility, a turn off the main road into a farmers field entrance and a painful exit from the car to a vertical position to allow my medical team, Sarah, to put her skills to the test and release my efforts directly to the ground. I suspect the lesser of two evils as the bag was full to capacity and clearly would have resulted in excess internal pressure for the remainder of our journey home. I apologise to the unknown farmer whose grass may have been killed for evermore but my need exceeded an area of grass in the scale of things.My level headed nursing team (bless her cotton socks) calculated that on my current fluid intake my expulsions would also exceed the capacity of the larger super de luxe night time receptacle which would also reach capacity during my newly extended sleep cycle. With true devotion to her patient, setting her alarm for the middle of the night did reveal the night bag was full and needed changing which was accomplished almost without waking me. Another lesson learnt.
I have been exercising as recommended with slow gentle walks of a few yards, a few times a day and have built that up to three wanders of about a 100yds a day. The initial efforts could be described as the stagger of a drunken docker on a Saturday night have now been replaced by the slow but purposeful wander of an aged gentleman on a mission. I am now able to walk standing rather than slumped over and lift my feet rather than shuffle. All good things. However, my capability for sleep and laying flat on a bed semi comatose for hours has come as a bit of a shock. Perhaps my expectations of my resilience and fortitude were misplaced. I seem to be able to "go for it" in short bursts of a couple of hours followed by a similar period of rest. Finding the happy medium between the two whilst still elusive will follow in time.
One minor hiccough ( those, ordinary coughs, laughs and sneezes have a new meaning in pain now) was my choice of clothing for the return from Hospital and my new layabout chavy look for lounging about at home. I took the advice and went from a large size in both underpants and tracksuit type trousers to an extra large. Hmmm. Slight mistake. I seem to have the girth of a Hippopotamus now and would suggest a XX large would have been more suitable but I may be at the forefront of a new look in fashion if not in comfort.
Like all of us, its not an experience any of us wanted and the chosen treatment recommended is a difficult decision to accept and take forward. Despite any appearance of bravery or acceptance I was whilst calm and accepting, a nervous scared gibbering wreck inside for what the procedure and its implications were for me. Its certainly not a bed of Roses but....from my current experience it hasnt fulfilled my terror filled thoughts so far.
I am hugely grateful for the tips and support from the members of this forum and hope that my musings of a few days with more to follow are a crumb of comfort to others who join us on a difficult journey. Together we are able and willing to help each other!
Recovering Dick