Doydie, I've read yours and your dear husband story. Please forgive me for commenting on your thread. My heart goes out to you.

My father in law had his has left leg amputated at the knee and then later he developed Parkinsons, he won't sleep on a normal bed anymore due to falling out of it so many times, he prefers to be much closer to the floor. So now he is on a box base 6 inches above the floor and his mattress on top of that.

Just a thought, but I wonder if just those few extra inches might help you both out in this recovery phase. Hernias after so much stomach surgery are frequent if the muscles are under strain and rising from the floor after surgery is strenuous for him and additionally very hard on you and your health. Or can you hire one of those hi-lo line beds similar to the hospital ones that with an electric switch allow you to raise n lower the height as he gets in and the out of bed and lower it to his preferred lowest height for sleeping. Hospital hire beds if recommended by your doctor are usually covered under Medicare or your insurance. He may be used to them seeing as he has been in and out if hospital so much?

PamelaJune, no apologies needed. Problem is that this is the way my husband insists on. The frame is downstairs in a storage room. His ileostomy is 8 weeks old now and no hernias. He even sits in the floor to empty his ileostomy bag! I wish I could get him to understand. My daughter and I have thought about her just ambushing him and while we are at a doctor's appointment that she put it on the frame. But I know my husbands anger and temper. He would try to take it off himself. Sometimes husbands aren't so dear.

I know only to well Doydie.... Maybe the hospital hire is an option while he is adjusting to his latest bout of ill health, then he knows it's only for a short period. Of course if he's like mine that's an unnecessary expense and fuss.

The prescription we were given was an antibiotic. It was no problem to take it to Walgreens. In fact that that 'dear' man of mine surprised me. He had me drop him off at the old mall that is pretty much used only for walkers now and then I go to Walgreens. He walked about 2/3 mile while I left.

This hospital has a huge emphasis on being quiet. so the main elevators afar away from the patient units. So I have a walk from the parking lot to the main entrance, back to the elevator and then to his room. If I go down for lunch the cafeteria is close to the main entrance. So there is a lot of walking. Plus they encourage him to walk in the halls and I go with him then. So when I get home, I am dead tired. It is a relief knowing he is being cared for and yet another problem has been taken care of but Momma is tired. He is home now and I have to encourage him to do things for himself.

doydie,
Just thought I would mention my Ventral (abdominal) incisional hernia did not show up until almost a year after I had the surgery.
But; don't want any anger temper tantrums tho.

Just hate for Charlie opening himself up to one more biggie. And I mean biggie, my incision for the hernia repair surgery is larger than the original rectal/colon surgery(almost 4 years ago) which then then led ,a few months ago, to the middle abdominal muscle separating.



Gerry

Mine too, my wretched hernia took well over 12 months to put in an appearance, but it began so I was told just weeks after surgery. Apparently I put too much effort into going up and down stairs - I had no choice we lived on the third floor with only a staircase up or down. If only I had wings...

Gerry & Pamela - Yikes!!! Were the hernias painful? I'm sure hoping that I avoid one. I don't do any abdominal work such as sit ups or core strengthening. I keep things pretty mellow in that area. If I am going to do more physical work like vacuuming, I put my abdominal binder on to help support the muscles. I'm hoping that will help prevent a hernia.

Doydie - So glad Charlie is home. He will eventually do things for himself again. He's been through quite a bit physically as well as emotionally. Trauma to our body can really take a toll. I'm still amazed at how long it takes the body to calm down after it has experienced a traumatic insult such as major bowel surgery.

Is he taking some sort of probiotics with his antibiotics? There is one called Florastor that is supposed to help prevent c. diff. My GI recommended that I take it all the time, but I haven't started it yet. Since Charlie just recently had c. diff, maybe checking with his surgeon, GI doctor, or his PCP about whether or not that would be good for him to prevent another infection. C. diff is awful to have as you know. Charlie doesn't need anymore troubles.

Hang in there! I know you are tired. Hopefully you can now rest a little better having DH home and not having to walk the hospital just to get to his room. I've been keeping you both in my prayers.

tkrik,
Actually I meant to write hernias (3); 1 at pelvic area, 1 near navel and 1 epigastric; (above the navel; below the breastbone. My rectal/colon surgery was done almost 4 years ago; but the surgery to repair the hernias took place this past November.

The hernias caused discomfort (bulging); but not painful. There is possibility hernias may strangulate so surgical repair should be done. If this happens, it is then emergency surgery (or worse).

These hernias occur from straining after having had abdominal incisions due to abdominal surgery. (Thus the name Ventral Incisional Hernia ; Ventral meaning abdominal.) Hernias can occur in the area of ileostomy or colostomy as well.

When possible, straining at area of incisions need to be avoided. As Pam mentioned in her case "if only I had wings".

I'm sure Charlie and doydie are glad to be home and on the mend. doydie has done more walking these past few days.


Gerry

I am proud of Charlie. I had to drive across town today to pick up a prescription that couldn't be called in. So he said for me to drive him to the mall, then go to my doctor's office and then drop the script off at Sam's and then pick him up. He was one tired cookie. He did call me while I was at Sam's and ask where I was. I could tell over the phone he was short of breath. But he had just sat down. I also warned him to expect about a year for him to completely recover. It pains me to watch him at times. He has aged so. What with his Parkinson's then the ulcerative colitis and now two major surgeries and then this abscess and rediculously high fever, he has been through the ringer. But he looks like an old man and he is just 68. He had always said he wouldn't live to see 70. I had really had to talk him out of that thought. But now I wonder.

doydie,
both of you are so tired and beat. He has been through a lot of big surgery which really takes a lot out of you. I was through quite a bit with my cancerous rectum removal/couple of feet of colon removed not quite 4 years ago. then the abdominal hernias/surgery. The incision was larger than the cancer surgery. Then abdominal muscle separation a few months ago.

Guess what???? I thought I would not be here today; but here I am writing to you and not quite the "girl" I once was; but have a husband that still gets around pretty good; like you; and so I/we need to keep up. (hubby and I are going out to lunch tomorrow.) Before you know it; Charlie will start to make big improvements and the tired old look will start to brighten up But, he's got to get over this not making it til he's 70; I did !!!!!!! So will he and then some.

Prayers with/for both of you.

Gerry