Surgery Questions

Hi, I'm a Male whos 21 years of age, who also looks at alot younger then 21. I found out i had Crohns Disease about 2 years ago. I'm sure i had it sooner (maybe when i was 12 or 13 years old)  but wasnt discovered unstill 2 years ago. I went from 5'4, 75 lbs to 5'7, to 135 lbs in 2 years. I'm hoping i still grow since my bone age test showed my bone age is 15.  I'm not lactose intolerant ,so i drink alot of milk with Weight Gainer powder to mantain weight and Gain weight.

My doctors say "its a Mild" case, however it looks like im going to need Surgery to fix this. Its doesnt really bother me but i can still feel it on my right side. The surgery is to fix the blockage and removing only the diseased section around my small intestine area.

I never had Surgery in my life and i really dont know anyone with this Disease. So maybe you guys can help and answer some questions for me:

How was the surgery?

Do they cut your whole stomach open?

How long was the recovery time?

How kind of Meds are you on now?

How are you feeling now ?

Thank you all soo much !!!

Hi,
I just had resection surgery of the terminal ileum on May 1st and am doing great all things considered.My surgery was a open surgery in the center of my abdomen requiring about 24 staples,I was in the hospital 5 days,I am in sales which is not hard work I started back working a few days after I got out and had the staples removed.I am taking one maintenance drug azsulphidine to hopefully prevent inflammation.Hope everything goes well.
Michael

HHH, I was Dx'd w/"mild" Crohn's in early 1976. It was in just one "spot" in my mid-ileum. I'm not sure what criteria "they" use to determine whether the Crohn's is mild or severe. My symptoms sure as h*ll weren't mild!! I could bloat up like I was 11 months pregnant w/twins in no time, I was nauseous 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 2 1/2 years and had bouts of pain so severe I can remember laying in bed crying "no more, God, please no more!" The "only" relief I got at all was a shot of Demerol and Phenergan in ER and maybe some IV fluids (and I suppose prednisone). I was in ER just about once a month if not more w/severe vomiting and pain. I ended up spending 6 weeks in the hospital locally on IV fluids and an NG tube pumping out my stomach and intestines. Doesn't sound mild, does it?

After 6 weeks w/that NG tube it became very painful and "they" just ignored my complaints and said it was necessary. I finally pulled the darn thing out myself. When they insisted they had to insert another I panicked and called the airport and my husband and w/in 2 hours released myself from the hospital and was on a plane to Mayo Clinic. I was admitted thru ER and the Mayo docs confirmed that my Crohn's was still confined to that one area of the mid-ileum. They expected that they'd only have to resect 12"-18" of that mid-ileum - no guarantees, of course. BUT I had a 60% chance the Crohn's would eventually return. Those 40% odds that it wouldn't sounded pretty darn good to me at that point in time and I agreed to the surgery. Back then, 1978, they weren't doing laparascopy so I did have the open abdomen surgery. I was off pain medication, without ANY need for it, before I was released and NEVER had a bit of pain on the flight home nor once I got home. I HAD A LIFE AGAIN!

I was then blessed w/a TWENTY YEAR REMISSION!! And when the Crohn's did return in 1978 it was MUCH more "mild" than at any time prior to that resection 20 years previous. W/today's medications (Imuran and Pentasa) I've been in symptomatic remission for most of these 10 years.

I recently ran into a fellow volunteer at our local hospital that had a resection the same year I did for Crohn's and she is STILL in REMISSION from that surgery!