Meet the New Guy -- KP

You know I really don't know where to begin and that's why I've been a little lagging in blog land, that and dealing with you know that post surgical recovery thing. I have a lot I want to document about my time in the hospital but I'm just not up to it yet -- physically or mentally.

So I thought I'd bring you a brief little detail about my new stoma buddy -- KP. Most people name their stomas and I'm no exception. My temp ileo was Stubby. I even named the drainage Sump Pump I had this past surgery while in the hospital - Osama Sump Laden. It was an evil little thing, burrowed into my abdomen and a real hassle:)

Anyway... KP and I will need to become very good friends, BFF really since we are now joined at the hip for life -- literally;) Currently KP has had a catheter inserted into him since I came out of surgery. I'm allowed to let him breathe for 10-15 minutes a day, but he's pretty sore and unhappy from having a plastic tube shoved in him all day so we are showering every other day. The point of the constant drain cath in KP is to let him heal. I have to irrigate the tube with water ever four hours to make sure things stay cleaned out and moving through the tube.

I'm not going to lie this constant drain has not been fun. I have to make sure everything that goes in can come out the tube the size of a pinky. I have to wear a poo catching bag and I have to maneuver around the tube -- make sure it doesn't fall out, that it's in the right place and when I irrigate it that I don't spray poo everywhere. (Oh yes it's happened people, pretty funny actually.)

I go to see the surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully constant drain faze will be done and the work of stretching the pouch begins. As much as I want this constant drain out, I'm nervous about having to intubate and empty the pouch every three hours (I will increase the time between every week by half an hour.) I'm scared I won't be able to get the cath in (I've had a few almost stressful situations getting it back in after my showers this week, which makes me that much more nervous, which really doesn't help because I need to be relaxed to get the cath in.) So you can see this can be maddening and just a bit overwhelming.

I will say that thanks to my mom and my husband I've remained very zen during these times and within a little bit of moving and breathing gotten it back in. But it's different every time, maybe a different position, is it lubed enough, do I have the tube pointing somewhere to catch the poo if it comes flying out once I get it in.

I'm rambling now but you get the picture. I'm still in a lot of pain and mentally very weepy. My mom went home yesterday and that was hard too. I'm so thankful, that's not even enough, for what she's done for us and just having her here is always such a comfort. But she has a life and I CAN do this.

It's just a matter of getting through these next 6 -8 weeks. It won't be easy, but it will get better as I get more practice and used to the idea of it all and as the surgery pain finally subsides. (Apparently the debilitating pain I've been feeling the last couple of days is my muscles finally reacting to the refractors that were holding me open during surgery, who knew.)

Ok, that's all I have for now. We will try and be better about updating. But for all of us (me, the hubs and my mom) things have been just about surviving each moment and making it to the next day. Thanks as usual for all your love and support. I WILL master this and I still believe 100% that this was the best decision.