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Originally Posted by megansmomma  I have not posted previously but would like to offer a little knowledge regarding a colon/bowel resection since I have been following yet not posted prior. First and foremost it is great to hear that Claire is up and walking about. This surgery is a very difficult surgery and very painful to recover afterward. I've had plenty of surgeries in the past which have included at least twice a blood transfusion and also a blood transfusion for sever anemia. The bowel/colon (same thing just 2 names) is a very dirty organ of the body because not only does it have fecal matter but it also has digestive enzymes. Whenever working on the colon there is always a risk of complications that could include blood loss, transfusions and also leaking from where it is reattached to each other. It is also a very bloody surgery and you are watched very closely afterward. To hear that Claire was given blood (yes this is a blood transfusion) is not uncommon after this type of surgery. Unlike say a hysterectomy (which I also had 2 yrs ago) the chance of transfusion is much less vs bowel resection. A hysterectomy is usually done with a Pfannansteil incision which is the same as a C-section. When you have abdominal surgery it is a mid line incision which is straight up and down and from my experience much more painful when comparing the 2 surgeries. Adding the need for a blood transfusion would make her even weaker. During and after any surgery they always watch blood loses and if your body is not able to regenerate on its own then a "bag of blood" is given. From my experience after each of my transfusions it made the world of difference in how I felt. If your body is not running on the full volumes (which should be around 12) all of your organs start to scream from lack of blood and oxygen. But as soon as you get the volume back into your system you feel markedly stronger and more full of energy. 
It is a very good sign that her surgeon is watching her very closely and monitoring her blood volume. The scan that she had was probably a barium swallow to check to make sure there were no leaks in the resection. This is a GREAT sign that the surgery was successful if they gave her the I also had this swallow test and it was disgusting  On the upside now that she had the swallow test she will be able to eat real food 
I didn't mean to hijack Claire's thread but felt that I could explain some of the things that everyone is so concerned about with her recovery. I'm pretty much a walking surgical experiment as well as working in the profession and I hate to see when others are confused. Please let her know that there is no need to rush going home if her pain is not controlled. Last year after I fell and broke my arm the Ortho tried to send me home same day but I ended up staying for 4 days because my pain was not under control. There is no reason for a patient not to speak up if they are not well enough to leave and pain cannot be controlled with oral medication. I insisted and they took me seriously as I am not a cry baby by any means. If there is something that doesn't make sense please just ask. I have a LOT of personal experiences with all kinds of different surgeries~including a spay  |
Thanks so much for your input. Claire does have a vertical scar with lots of staples. She didn't have a barium from what she told me. Just a CT. She is doing so much better and I'll explain more in my next post. Again, thanks for sharing the info.