Hello I am due to have open heart surgery in a few weeks. I have IBS with diarrhoea and urgency. Am so frightened of soiling myself while I can't get up to the loo.
Sorry if tmi
but had bad experience last year in hospital on bed rest needed to go thought it was a wee but no the other and missed the bed pan
Soooo humiliating. Will take immodium before op and wear tenalady but expected to go to intensive care after so won't be in control
Anyone been through the same and any advice?
Thankyou for reading
Honey x
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honey1958
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My best idea is to call the surgeon's office, and ask to talk to the nurse. This can't be the first time they've encountered this problem. I hope this helps.
Thankyou for your reply. I have my preop on 11th October and will certainly mention it. Hopefully it's a situation they have dealt with before. Just so embarrassing pooing yourself is like the last taboo!.x
always discreet do pull up pants for about £10 a pack or Aldi do them for £3.99. You can go in with adult pull ups for the win. This may give you added security around maintaining your dignity. Hope it goes well for you lovely ☺️
I too have to go for heart surgery and while you may have to go into icu you will definately be going into the cardiac care unit which is basically icu for heart patients assuming you are in the uk.Please don't worry. Yes its embarrassing but these nurses are not fazed by toilet problems of patients they have seen it many times and they are trained for it.
I have known nurses who have had to look after geriatric patients on normal wards who have diarrhea running down their legs and into their slippers and even some patients scooping it up with a hand and flicking it in nurses faces. (Sorry)
So your toileting needs are not intentional they are a natural occurance as a result of a syndrome.
It maybe difficult for a few days as you will be connected to monitors but the nurses will bring you a commode and help clean you if you really need it.
Last time I felt embarrassed so said I can manage but just needed help getting out of bed and disconnecting a few leads etc and I always made sure my deodorant spray was about to spray the room or you could use perfume or take anbairfreshner with you.
With regards to the diarrhea you will no doubt be starving yourself ready for the operation so try Sking your gp for some strong laxatives and take them the day before to clean you out and only have some broth soups and plenty of tea etc until the fasting comes along and try for soup when you able to eat after surgery and the tena is a great idea as it will hold everything and make life easier for you and the nurses. In fact the nurses will appreciate your thinking.
Please don't worry as you will no doubt worried and stressed about the surgery.
Good luck and I hope you have a speedy recovery. My friend had open heart surgery last year with covid still about and he's like a new man now with a thrive for life
Yes in UK. Gosh those poor nurses having to deal with the dementia patients flicking their poo!Good ideas about taking air freshener and having a good bowel clearout before.
Yes told I will go to ICU for a day or so
Encouraging news about your friends Improvement
What heart surgery will you need? Mines mitral valve repair or replacement
I may have to have the left ventricle copied by a 3d printer along with an artificial heart pump with two 12 hour batteries that go in a pouch on my tummy and have to be replaced daily. Thats only if my heart gets worse which could happen very quickly if it does. I would then have to go on transplant list. For now I have to have a icd defibrillator implanted to give my heart a jolt if the scar tissue in my left ventricle decides to beat erratically or too fast so I my heart will get a jolt to make it beat slower and normal (hopefully) or incase I have a cardiac arrest.
Hopefully I dont get those problems especially the cardiac arrest as I wouldnt of thought a tiny implant with a small battery that needs charging wirelessly by putting the charger sitting on my chest would give me a big enough jolt.
I am told that I wouldnt even feel the jolt as its inside my heart via tiny wires so I wouldnt even know if my heart started playing up and it jolted me anyway.
Like I said hope everything goes smoothly for you and you dont have to much anxiety about your ibs.
I have IBS with urgency and was hospitalised recently with a broken hip. Don't worry, they will put you in adult nappies. If you soil them they will just deal with it. Nurses are trained to deal with this and aren't phased at all. Theyve sedn it all. Please don't worry or feel humiliated. I had to wear adult nappies for a week because I didn't want a catheter. You soon get over these fears when you are unwell and need assistance. Good luck with the Op.
I can’t offer you any advice. But I thought I’d just like to say, I sympathise with you and I feel your pain. You’re not alone in your struggle. Speak to the nurses and explain your concerns. They’ll be supper helpful and they will hopefully put your fears to rest 🤞
Good luck with your operation and good luck with your recovery.
IBS has got to be one of the most debilitating diseases ever. The amount of worry it causes is immense. And the symptoms and what they do to you are in my opinion little understood.
Thankyou for your support.I will have to be completely honest at the pre op. Its specially hard to discuss in front of my partner. Not exactly sexy is it!
I am a retired nurse. Try not to stress. We are all well used to this sort of situation and it’s part and parcel of the job. No one worries in slightest. We always say leave your dignity at the door, collect on way out. As regards taking immodium prior to surgery, take care. Before discharge they will want to know if bowels have moved more than likely - it’s a bit of an obsession 🙄. The other thing is you don’t want to be spending time on toilet bearing down post heart surgery I wouldn’t think. Good advice given from others re pad and pants will help put your mind at rest too.
Many years ago I had the same fear going into hospital and took Imodium but was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Following surgery I was put on a drip as very dehydrated and the Nurse was concerned that I was not re-hydrating quickly enough. I was kept in longer than expected as I could not leave until my levels were normal and had urinated. By time I realised (was forced to admit) how daft I had been, I told a nurse who wiped the floor with me saying it was stupid and dangerous to take any medication without advising the medics and also that they see and deal with these kind of problems on a daily basis. It's best to speak to the pre op and also the Nurse or Doctor in charge of your treatment.
They have seen everything, trust me. And they know anything can happen. Make sure to follow any prep they tell you because what you eat and what is inside you during surgery is also important as it can effect anethesia. Also being honest with your concerns with the medical staff is key to making a very stressful situation a bit less stressful.
I would recommend LowFodmap diet for the few weeks leading up, it controls 70% of IBS diarrhea dominant. It changed my life 🥹 Monash University have all the information if you Google them, they also have an app which show you which foods are safe (low fodmap). Best of luck with your surgery, all will be OK 🙏P.s. failing that, just plain baked chicken breast and white rice 3 days before and up to surgery day. Plain as in not even any stock/sauces/herbs/spices etc
Hi, there is absolutely no need to be worried, or embarrassed. The nurses & medical team will have seen it all before.The important thing is that you try to relax before the procedure. As a retired nurse, & have cleaned up all sorts, I would like to reassure you will be treated with compassion & dignity.
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Wanting Surgery Desperately
CONSTIPATION HELP
Middle of night pain
Constant fear
Diarrhea during the night
