TOTAL COLECTOMY PART 20

Hi,

well, the way this was explained to me is that the gallbladder is like a holding tank for the bile that is produced by the liver.  When food enters the stomach the gallbladder is stimulated to dump the bile into it to help break down the food and carry on it's duty to the elimination process...without the gallbladder, the liver will compensate and still produce the bile but it will be dripping into the stomach all the time and not just when food enters it.....so that in turn may create the problem of having diarrhea( not isn't that a turn to the opposite direction!!!) .

no surgery date scheduled yet....i still have to get the colonoscopy done first so he will have all his facts before he decides what the entire plan will be to get me fixed....

I will keep you posted though. 

Tabitha

He said there would always be extra bile in the stomach without the gallbladder so that when food hits it and the digestion process starts, the down side of it is you may end up with "instant dump syndrome"...i am learning a lot more about out stomach than i wanted to know!!!

He said it would be worse if you eat a fatty food or meal....which i really don't do that very often due to the cardiac, low fat diet i am on.  But i suppose if i do indulge and have a cheeseburger and fries,......i should be close to a facility or bring an extra set of clothes to wear!!!! geez......

I just want my constipation problems fixed because i really don't want to live on laxitives the rest of my life.  But he is holding off until the scope......just my luck......he may find something else interesting in there when he is looking....

I am not clear on if this situation will mean i still have colonic inertia or if the gallbladder is gone it goes away........some of it just is about as clear as a bucket of mud to me!!! But i am learing as i go and plan to ask lots of questions on this journey...

Tabitha

I went in for my take down surgery on the 15th as expected and came out of surgery just fine.  It wasn't too awful painful considering what I had been through before.  The second night my bowels started waking up and I had several accidents during the night - very embarrassing.  The next day I was able to have a little more than just liquids and things were fine.  I went home from the hospital about five days later.  My bowel movements were not nearly as frequent as some of those on the forum, I would go like five or six times a day; maybe. 
 
After being home for a few days (two I think) I started becoming very nauseated and began vomiting everything including my own bile, it was so gross!!  At the same time I was having diahrea and I was just miserable.  So, I ended calling the doctor and going in for a CT scan during which they found that I had three abscesses in my bowels.  They drained one, the put a drain in me and left it to drain another one, and the other one was too small to do anything with.  So, I spent a couple of more days in the hospital and on Christmas Day I was discharged around 1pm.  We told the kids we would have Christmas the next morning (so we could do the whole Santa Claus thing; the grandkids don't know what day Christmas is) I was home for about three or four hours and the same thing happened again.  I started all over with the diahrea and vomiting and I was in so much pain I ended up going back to the emergency room.  Of course they admitted me again on Christmas night and they did another CT scan the morming after Christmas and found that I have a quarter inch leak at the new anastamosis site.  So, they stuck another drain in me (now I have two) and I have to wait until later today when my surgeon gets back to decide what they are going to do. 
 
I have a central line for all my antibiotics and meds, I'm on a PCA pump, and they are feeding me TPN and I can have nothing to eat or drink by mouth. I tell you it is torture when everyone around you is eating and you can't even have a drink.  The surgeon who is on call for my doctor is a complete witch!  She did tell me what options my surgeon will be dealing with.  They can either go in and try to stitch the anastamosis closed (depending on the state and strength of the tissue) and proceed as normal, or I can be fed TPN for several WEEKS until it heals on it's own or to see IF it will heal on its own.  The problem is that if they go in and try to stitch it closed they are worried I will end up with the bag again and they have no way of knowing at this point if it would be temporary or not.  They said I'm a complete mess down there.  There is so much swelling down by my bladder that I also now have a foley catheter.  I tell you I am miserable!
 
We finally had our Christmas, but we had it the day after Christmas and we had it here at the hospital.  My husband just loaded up all the presents and the kids and brought them all up here and we opened our presents in the family visiting room.  It was nice all things considered.  My boys spoiled me this Christmas, one of them bought me a breadmaker and my other two went in together and bought me an electric stand mixer.  I still had my old hand held one and I hated it!  My youngest son, Michael bought me a pretty jewelry box.  All in all it was a good Christmas.  We were all together and that's what's most important.
 
I'm very miserable, I guess depressed would be the best word for it.  I'm sure it isn't helping matters that they wouldn't even let me take my hormone therapy or my anti-depressant for like four days when I first got here again because it only comes in oral form and they won't let me put anything in my mouth.  The thought is that if nothing goes through the anastamosis then it might have a chance to heal on its own.  Even if they decide to do surgery they might not be able to do it right away they said because of my nutrition level.  I would have to have my nutrition level built back up with this TPN stuff. 
 
I tell you this whole thing has been and continues to be a nightmare.  I'm almost to the point where I just want it to be over and I don't care about the outcome, but I know that I would later so I'm going to fight as much as I can and do whatever I have to to be normal again.

I'm hoping when my doctor comes in this afternoon she'll at least have a "game plan" and I'll feel a little better knowing I'm no longer in limbo.  I just want some decisions made!!!

Thanks for letting me vent.....

oh, dear Amanda, i feel so sad for you reading about all the mess you're going through . it just sounds so awful. i was very very sorry to read that.

about not having very frequent bms. i was thinking that maybe b/c you've already been colon free for quit a while now, so your small bowl already started to adjust and learn to do the colon's job? anyway, it makes sense to me, what do think?

you are going through so much right now, but you do sound like a very strong person to me. know that we all care about you. i'm thinking of you and praying for you, and i truly hope the (near) future holds much much better days for you, honey.

please keep us posted on you progress.

Judy - thank you for your continues kind words. and i'm just also very happy i can talk with others with the same prob. as mine. this site is truly a blessing.

Amanda,

I have neglected reading this thread for a while and just got caught up reading it.  I am so sorry that you are going thru all of this mess around the holidays.  But, I will have to say that it sounds like you have a wonderful family.   I hope things continue to improve for you daily.  Sending my best wishes.

can you tell me what 'sitting on TPN' is please?

much love you are such a strong person x

Amanda,

Am so worried about you! Have checked this site about every hour even when I woke up through the night because I usually don't sleep through the night hoping to hear some news from you.  This is making me very nervous for you; I'm hoping you are just busy celebrating the new year with your family.  Please let us know how you are. I've been saying so many prayers for you.

Judy