HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Hi all. New here. Surgery due in less than 2 weeks

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/22/2010 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
I just want to say HI and BIG THANKS to everyone who reads this. :-)

My surgery's due in less than 2 weeks. I am both anxious and wary at the same time. Apparently my ileum is sick :-( and I've been flaring on and off for the past 2 years. Right now in hospital on IV steroids and feeling pretty good. Did anyone of you ever get that feeling that maybe you should try and avoid it? It's my first so naturally I don't know what to expect. The docs told me about 3 possible routes they might take. A colostomy bag - how long would have to have that for? Resection - what's the risk of septicemia? and there's the third one where they join the bowel, but still leave it open for the food to come out into the bag (I presume).

Obviously I've got loads of questions beginning with how long, when and what, but I would really appreciate it if you told me about your own, personal experience if you ever had a similar thing done in the past.

Love to all

Ari
Posted 10/22/2010 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
I havent had surgery yet but i am booked in for the 9th of november. Wanted to wish you best of luck for it!
Posted 10/22/2010 2:11 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Ari!

Welcome!  I wish you lots of good luck on your upcoming surgery!!

I had resection surgery in 97.  I had three intestine-intestine fistulas and one broke off causing a huge abcess.  My surgeon said that I could possible wake up with an ostomy bag, or that they would be able to do a resection.  I woke up with no bag, so I'm not sure how long one would need to stay in place.  I think most times it might be about a month, but it depends a lot on how you are healing.  I didn't have any problems with septicemia or other infections after.  And actually had about 6 wonderful years of remission after the surgery. 

I know in my case surgery was the last resort.  They tried medications for the abcess, but they didn't work and the doctors were worried about infection.  Has your doctor or surgeon discussed other options for you other than surgery?  I always feel like surgery should be the very last resort, but you also don't want to take the chance that things get worse. 

If you do end up having surgery - make sure to ask your doctors about any extra vitamins you might need.  My resection was at the terminal ileum and as a result I can't really absorb B12 well from food or oral vitamins and have to do a shot at least once a month.  No one ever told me this until 6 years after the surgery and I was dangerously low on B12.

Wishing you good health and a safe surgery!!

Posted 10/22/2010 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys. That really makes me a little less worried now. I don't like the idea of carrying a bag with my poo for long. It's sad though that they don't tell you everything about the surgery and most often than not you have to look it all up on the internet or talk to people about it. Which is what makes this site wonderful. The people.

Personally, I sometimes find it rather difficult opening up and prefer to discuss things at home. But here I feel like I can talk freely without fear of not being understood.

To chocholic; I wish you best of luck too, as I may be too weak to check my emails and the forum after the op.

By the way, they want to do mine at St Marks in Harrow.
Posted 10/23/2010 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
I had surgery last year after having part of my bowel removed i felt much better not normal but better, and the steriods will make u feel great but the epi/morfines even better lol

i wish u luck

Posted 10/23/2010 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
thanks wee mee :-)
Posted 10/23/2010 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
I had a resection 4 yrs ago and at the time I was also warned that it would be either a resection or bag. But thankfully it was just the resection. I didnt have any problems with infections at all, just be careful when you come out of hospital though that you dont do too much, as I am now sitting here with an incisional hernia from doing too much too soon!
I also have B12 injections every 3 months , a long with pentasa to supposedly maintain flare ups, which i dont think quite honestly has worked for me, but many do seem to keep the crohns under control with it.
just about to start Humira as my crohns is very active atm and have been in a constant flare since Jan, but there are others that once they have had surgery seem to be able to keep the crohns under control for many many years!
Good luck with the surgery and dont worry, those of us who have been there no how worrying it is and no it isnt fun to haver to go through but hopefully in your case it will help immensely x
Posted 10/24/2010 9:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Michelle. :-) and sorry for what you're going through atm...
Posted 10/24/2010 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Ari12 and welcome to Healingwell. Hoping your surgery leads to a long long remission. Hugs!
Posted 11/1/2010 9:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, I had a laproscopic bowel resection and limited right hemicolectomy in 2008, my first and only surgery since being diagnosed in 2001.
Recovery was a bit scary, a lot more pain than I had expected, but I got through fine with support from friends and family, best advice I can give is write down any questions you think of in the next few weeks, and make sure you ask so you can be as prepared as possible!
I also recommend a "support pillow" for sneezes, coughs, standing up etc It helps a lot!
I know surgery is scary, but when they take out the bad stuff you have a fresh start! I haven't relapsed since and I now control my Crohns through diet! No pills AT ALL!
Remember the bad times help you recognise and appreciate the good ones :)
Posted 11/1/2010 10:41 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys,

I managed to postpone the surgery and am trying to cut down the bad stuff from my diet as much as I possibly can. Touch wood (he just slapped his forehead) my symptoms are much less irritable and I seem to be going into remission. It's very early days though and I may still end up in the theater. I'm booked in for the 8th Dec now.

Thanks again :-)

x
Posted 11/1/2010 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Ari,
I'm a crohns/colitis sufferer too and had many surgeries and do have an ileostomy (permanent bag) and for me its been the best thing since I had no quality of life and was not going to survive without the surgery, I was severely malnorished and had to be stabilized before they could do the surgery. No one could possibly tell you how long you will need the bag for if at all, except for your surgeon once he has a good look around to see what your options after surgery will be. My first major surgery for the crohns was a right hemicolectomy which I never felt better after that surgery, the disease came back within a matter of weeks after that one so finally ended up with a full colectomy and proctocolectomy (removal of anus and rectum). My recovery took some months but its now been about 18months since my surgery and the only problem I've had since was had to have adhesion surgery a couple of weeks ago but I am doing great now. Hope all goes well for you and if you have any questions about life as an ostomate drop over and say hi to the lovely people on the ostomy board too, they are all happy to share their experience with everyone and help out as much as they can. Take care and all the best
Doreen
Posted 11/1/2010 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Doreen,

I really appreciate having this info and if it comes down to it your experience will help me through, but I'm sure you'll understand that I'm hoping it doesn't come to that yet :-) , especially as I've been pretty regular and have no D. TGFT

Good luck to you and all the best. :-)

Ari
Posted 11/1/2010 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
I had a ileocecal resection in June and had about 35cm ~ 13 inches removed of my small intestine and upper part of my large intestine (the cecum to be specific). I was a complete bundle of nerves before hand and was constantly talking myself out of surgery. Thought I was feeling great.. etc. etc. In reality I was severely strictured. The stricture actually made me think that my bm's were normal because they were solid and I was only going once a day. No amount of steroids (Endocort) nor Imuran were going to make my strictures better and I finally came to terms with that and went ahead with my surgery. After the first few weeks of recovery.. I realized how bad I actually felt and was happy I went ahead with the surgery. I'm not sure if you have strictures or the reason why you were having surgery but don't be mislead... planned surgery is better than emergency surgery. If you're severly strictured like I was.. you could obstruct at any time.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply