Possible leak after resection with temp ileostomy?

He tells you that you may have a leak! Well, that's good to know!
Did he bother to tell you what comes next? Any course of action to prove or disprove a leak?
You should be getting answers ; not sitting around taking pain meds and not knowing what's going on!
My advice- Don't let another day go by !!

I had a resection of my sigmoid and also had my cecum removed and resected (along with appendix removed, ovary, etc). 10 days after surgery (I was still in the hospital ) I had another surgery that was exploratory because they suspected a possible leak (I was also showing other symptoms). A staple had come loose so he removed that area and resected.
Fast forward a few months and I had an obstruction and another suspected leak (this turned into an enterocutaneous fistula). A few months after that, my bowel perforated and I had another surgery. Ultimately, I developed a leak again and ended up being hospitalized for five weeks due to sepsis.

One thing they can do if they suspect a leak is put you on TPN so you have complete bowel rest. I wasn’t even allowed to have water or ice for close to 8 weeks. They also gave me acreotide shots to help the bowel heal.

Keep an eye on it. Typically a fever will accompany a leak.

Thank you Lisa, you’ve had more than your share of problems with your surgery.
I haven’t had any fevers or other signs, and the pain is dissipating daily. I hope you come through this soon and healthier!

Thanks Paul, I’m scheduled for a CT scan with contrast. The pain is a little better each day, so I think this is probably just fluid built up after the surgery.

Please update us after your scan. A leak can be hard to detect, but it’s a good sign that you don’t have a fever and pain is decreasing. You’re fairly recent from surgery, and it is a painful recovery. I’m four years out from my first surgery as of tomorrow so there is light at the end of the tunnel

Lisa,
So this pain/pressure is normal? I’m sitting in a lot of hot baths, just not sure how long the discomfort lasts after this surgery. I know I’m restapled together, so it makes sense that it’s going to hurt. Do you remember how long it lasted for your surgery?

I can’t remember how long the pressure/pain lasted. I know that it was awhile, but because I had other issues going on, that contributed to the pain. I had a pain pump for the entire three weeks that I was in the hospital. The intervals were gradually spread out so pain must have been more tolerable. But I do remember it was incredibly painful. You’ll feel better mentally once you have the CT. And trust what your body tells you. I ultimately told my surgeon something wasn’t feeling right and they made the decision to just open me back up. I was right and they did find a leak. From what I remember of the pain, I felt it in my lower left side but in the back not so much in the front.

@cjay, how are you doing? Any update?

Yes sorry, I meant to update here. My scan was negative for a leak, so that’s good news. The pain and pressure have slowly subsided - just in time for my chemo to start last week. Thanks for checking in!