Stricture/Resectioning Surgery

I have been told that I need surgery.  Although I would like to keep my intestines intact, the surgeon who I saw told me that he would make the final determination as to whether or not I would keep my intestine intact or need a recectioning.  I would like to have a strictureplasty, however, the surgeon told me that the CT entergraph does not show how large or how good that area of my intestine is.  He explained surgery for 3-4 hours.

 

Has anyone had this procedure? How does insurance take into account the cost of the procedure? I have Health New York provided by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

How painful and how much down time as I do not have a regualar job and if I don't work, no money will be coming in.

Is the procedure painful (strictureplasty and resectioning)?  Are there scars from the surgery?  How long did it take to get back to your normal routine.

I am very worried as I do not know how much time I have left before surgery becomes a necessity. Also does it pay to get the opinion of another surgeon.

All of these questions makes me even sicker.

Rhona

 

Hello Rhona and welcome to the forums.

I am going to address a lower bowel resection, since I didn't have Laparoscopy and someone that did, may comment on it.
I had Crohn's for 22 years, after the years of flare ups and scar tissue had built up, surgery had been a necessity for me. After the surgery I had been on morphine and slept for the better part of 2 days. Then I had to start to move around, sit up, had the nurses rub and pat my back to get excess fluid out. This is done to clear up chest congestion, the accumulation of excess fluid and mucus in the lungs. It hurt a lot to cough and get it out, plenty of pain where the incision had been. Typically clutching a pillow to my chest when coughing, spitting out the excess fluids into a tissue.
The incision itself was about 6 inches, 2 inches or so above and 2 inches below my belly button and curved around my belly button. I have no visible scar, the surgery had been completed 16 years ago or so.

When this surgery is performed, the intestines are removed, examined and then put back in. Between the surgery and that procedure of examination of the intestines, it causes the intestines to go into shock. You are unable to eat until they begin to function once again. A doctor/GI will listen with a Stethoscope around your abdomen, my intestines began to function once again about 3 or 4 days after the surgery.
I then had clear liquids to drink, then the next moved onto thicker fluids and soft foods.

I was on short term disability for 3 to 4 months after the surgery. I had to take Questran (Cholestyramine) to aid in bile absorption and took it for roughly a year after the surgery.

Stretching was important, leaning back, straitening up so that I wasn't permanently hunched over from completely healing hunched over.

I can tell you that the surgery was the best thing to happen to me, after 22 years of those Crohn's symptoms becoming more extreme years prior to the surgery. The Crohn's didn't return for about 15 to 16 years and it was a great time for me, I felt great.

Small bowel resection-
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002943.htm

Surgery for Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis-
www.ccfa.org/resources/surgery-for-crohns-uc.html

Best of luck to you Rhona and please keep us updated.

Post Edited (Datawraith) : 1/24/2013 7:32:04 PM (GMT-7)

You are right...in the US they do treat the working poor differently; I'm so sorry! You can talk to your hospital in advance. At my hospital, they have a Care plan, where they allow me to pay a small amount over time, but you must talk with them and make arrangements in advance. If your doc accepts your insurance, then he can't discount your care, but he can also allow you to pay it off slowly. You should also check to see if with the surgery, your medical expenses qualify you for Medicaid. You can call the billing dept at the hospital, and they can help. Sorry you have to go through all of this, and I hope everything turns out ok.