From Crohns disease to a bowel transplant being a patient isn't easy - 210112

I went to bed with the feed on and as usual got up about 4 times in the night. Finally I fell in to a deep sleep around 4am and didn't wake up until just after 7am. As I woke I could tell that all was not right in bowel transplant land. I looked down and could see that my stoma bag was totally full. A full bag contains about half a litre of liquid so I figured that I had better get to the bathroom pretty quick. Thankfully I just stepped in to the bathroom when it happened. Yes you guessed it the bag burst and the bathroom floor and me were covered in crap. Yes brown, very runny and smelly crap. For a minute I didn't know what to do. Everyone was asleep so I decided that I would sort it out myself.

Half way through clearing up I felt rumblings again in my stomach and started to feel sick. Again that what should I feeling engulfed me. I decided to get on the loo quick and just made it before more stuff came out then it was a quick hop a couple of paces to the sink so that I could be sick. Oh the joys of recovering from a bowel transplant.

But wait there is more. Finally with the bathroom floor cleaned, toilet cleaned and bleached and sink all sick free it was time to climb out of my pyjama bottoms which by this time were rather wet. I cleaned myself up and then it was time to change my bag and the stoma base plate. As usual I got all the wipes and bag ready and cut the base plate to the right size. I took off what was left of the bag and then carefully removed the base plate. Then it happened again. With nothing to protect me the stoma started pouring out liquid and I didn't know what to do again. Grabbing my pjs I just let the liquid cover them, there was nothing more I could do.

So the rest of the day was actually plain sailing after that. I had stomach ache for most of the morning but that again was probably just the end of the feed still in my system but by mid afternoon everything had settled back down. It did help that my football team won for the first time in ten games, at least that took my mind off of stomas, bowels and crap.

By lunch I was able to eat a little and even had a few of my son's chips tonight. I know I may regret it but hey if you fancy it then why not!

So what happens now. Well I start the new feed tomorrow night so let's see how that goes. I am trying to put in 1.5litres of water in to the bowel each day but unfortunately I haven't got passed about a litre before I start to bloat out badly. Tomorrow night I will get back in touch with the dietitian and see what she suggests.

Tonight though I am determined to get some proper sleep. I shouldn't really complain though, my wife is totally shattered. She has been out every night taking and fetching my daughter from her Les Miserables performance so tomorrow she deserves a lie in. Only problem is that one son works at the stables from 7.30am and the other at Sunday school at 9.45am so bang goes the lie in. I will though make sure she rests tomorrow. It's no good me complaining the whole time when others around me are equally shattered. I just wish I could do more to help. I definitely feel a bit frustrated tonight that I have to heap so much work on my wife while I recover.

Till tomorrow x

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