I spent some of my time in the hospital recalling special parts of this incredible journey that was thrust upon me. I thought of people like Tor, Daniel, Anna, Michael, Liz just to name a few, who had it not been for what had happened to me could have been in the same situation. Hearing of my symptoms and then my first surgery, prompted them to go to their own doctors and almost half were diagnosed with diverticulitis. Catching it in time they were put on medication and treated thus avoiding surgery. I also think of the many people on here and on other various internet sites who read my story, and just as my friends did, went to their doctors and were fortunate as well. My voice became their salvation. Then there are those who had to endure the same pain and ultimately the same surgery as I did. Many emailed me thanking me for keeping my journal; some called it the 'journal of hope'. To all of those people and to the countless others out there I say thank you. I also want to say thank you to those who have helped me during this difficult time. Through their own kindness they shared their own journey with me, supported me when I thought I would give in to my fears and pain and held my hand along the way. Thank you all so very much. When I woke from my surgery on Monday the only thing I remembered was seeing the clock; it was 5pm and the rest of the evening was spent sleeping until I woke up on Tuesday morning. Surprisingly I was only on pain medication for the first 2 1/2 days; after that I didn't need any. I was in very little pain; just discomfort and was able to walk the day after the surgery. I finally looked at the area on Wednesday and to my surprise it looked great. I was expecting to see a mess but all I had was the original incision stapled and a small area where my stoma once was which had 3 staples. My stomach was much flatter with just a hint of swelling which will go away eventually. On Thursday I started on liquids and by Saturday was on solid food and then released. While at home I take 4-5 small walks per day to help with the gas as well as eating 6 small meals with plenty of liquid. Basically it's the same diet after the first surgery. Eating to much can cause pain and I don't want to go there again. During recovery it's important to rest, drink plenty of liquids, eat small meals and chew your food very well. As long as your doctors directions are followed and you use common sense, you'll be just as good as new again. I am also wearing support briefs which seems to help me. Other than that, I just want to say good luck to all of you. If any of you need me, please email me and I will help in any way that I can. My email is: ralph_steve@bellsouth.net I wish all of you the very best and my hope for all of you is to learn from your own journey. In the end, you too can be someone's Voice.
Replies
Well, here I am again. I went into the hospital on May 15th to have my, what should have been, minor surgery for my hernia. A 30 minute procedure turned into a 1 1/2 hour operation. Due to a lot of scar tissue and the size of the hernia, the 2\" incision didn\'t happen. The surgeon had to cut me from side to side and my overnight stay lasted 4 days.
Still, with this set back I was in very little pain afterwards and actually feel pretty good. I left the hospital on Monday, the 19th of May and return to the doctor on the 27th to have the staples removed. For the next six months I have to wear a man girdle as my insides heal and my body and the meshing become one.
Now, I am hoping my journey is Finally over and I can put all of this behind me. Say a prayer.