mrslmw

I just want to thank everyone for their comments. I have resigned myself to not seeing him for some time, though to be honest I still don't understand why this surgery would require such an extensive wound and take so long to heal. How come they sewed me up from the inside out when I had a C-section and again when I had a traditional, (non lady partsl), hysterectomy, yet that's not what was done here? Heck, they took a 10lb 6 oz, 22 inch baby out of me and that's way bigger than a colon right? I even drove 10 days after I had my son and two days after I had the hysterctomy. Obviously they didn't keep me long in the hospital! I am sure there is some medical reasoning as to the different types of healing needed....anyone got a good website I can look at or a book I could get my hands on at the librarary that I could check out? Is it traditional for a colostomy that can't be done laprapscopically to require such a big cut? I had read up on colostomies a couple of years ago,(read what I could find on the Internet), and no where was it ever even hinted at that recovery could take so long. Hmmmm, just goes to prove u can't believe everything you read huh?

Thank you for your response Tweety! I did check out the web link and that made it so much clearer to me. I know he has been getting unhooked from it to walk around the floor, is it possible, or advisable, for him to be unhooked for an hour or so (so I can visit him), or does the machine need to stay connected as much as possible to do the best job? I am not trying to push him into seeing me, I only worry that he may actually be embarrased about the colostomy bag, but that doesn't matter to me. Temporary or permanent, it doesn't change anything for me however I have read that some people get depressed or embarrased about it and I just want to be able to be there for him. At least as much as I am allowed at this time!

Hello, I am not a nurse, but I have a question about this wound pack. My husband is in federal prison and has had a partial colon resection with a temp. colostomy for Chron's Disease. I have not yet been able to see him, surgery was 1/12/2007 but he calls and has been describing a machine that sucks stuff out of his wound and has called it a wound pack. He says his wound site is 6 cm wide by 10 cm long and is very deep. How long, normally, does it take for something this deep to heal?? He says he is finding it hard to believe this is ever going to close up and until they remove the wound pack machine I won't be able to see him. Also, he says they only change the wound pack every 3 days. I was wondering if that sounded right. Any input would be greatly appreciated and of course, I am not asking anyone for medical advice. I am just trying to learn a little about this wound pack machine. Thank you!