New here, with a story

Hey guys and gals, my name is Michael and I have pretty much grown up knowing that I have Gardners Syndrome. Basically, it screws up the teeth, causes benign tumors (I've had 4 removed) and causes polyps in the digestive tract. These polyps have a chance of becoming malignant, so I've had endoscopies/colonoscopies about every year or two for the past 10ish years (I'm 18). My father and brother had it, but weren't diagnosed at the time. My brother eventually had large tumors move outside of his colon, so they took them out, but then more formed. So they took those out, and he eventually died at 22. That is when they decided that I had it (when I was only a couple years old). At my latest endoscopy/colonoscopy procedure at UCLA (where I've always had it), they found the usual amount, and took biopsies. My doctor met with a group of doctors to discuss my case, and said that what happened to my brother is happening to me, and the only way for me to live past my 20s would be to remove my (entire, I think) colon. I'm just about to start my spring semester at college, so I think I can have it done over the summer. I will have the surgery, stay there for a week, and come home with a stoma/pouch type thing. Six to eight weeks later, I'll go down again, and they'll do some fancy stuff and make a couple feet of my small intestine wider and then sew my rectum and the intestine together and close the stoma hole. So I won't have to have a bag for the rest of my life... But I imagine it wont be too pleasant for the time I do have it. So that's my story (And I'm stickin' to it! ). Just wanted to share it, and get it off my chest, I guess. I just found out last night, and just this past friday, I saw a friend of mine who at 16 had to have a semi-emergency surgery to remove his colon (the day before I saw him). So I'll probably get in touch with him sometime soon. Thanks for reading

Post Edited (mjmr1989) : 1/9/2008 4:24:47 PM (GMT-7)

Thanks for the response :)

My mom sent an email to my doctor asking whether it can wait until summer. She said he didn't mention it needing to be out within, say, the next month or something (I'd imagine if it had to be immediate, he would say so) so we're asking.

I do remember my mom reading off of her notes (of what my doc said to her) something about a j-pouch, so that's probably what it is. And that would be after I go in for a second surgery (to create the j pouch), right? I think they are planning to give my rectum and all that a rest (hence the bag for 6-8 weeks).

Also, I forgot to mention - my young friend who had his colon removed last week is also diagnosed with Chron's Disease. I take it that CD is treatable, right? He's a great guy, and I hope he lives long.

Thanks for the help :D