surgery complications

     I've been suffering with ulcerative proctitis for over eleven years.  Remicade failed and I started Humira last Wednesday.  Trying to avoid surgery but I have to face reality and take note that it may be in my near future.

     What I would like to know if there are any statitics out there on the amount of complications that come along with this type of surgery.  It sounds scary.  I am reading from quite a few posts that there are a LOT of possible complications.  Is this moreso than the general run of the mill surgeries?

     I may add that I am 63 yrs old.  My general health is good.  Other than the UP I do have high blood pressure but controlled with meds.  Prednisone has given me osteoporosis.  I also have situs inversus (all my organs are reversed).

      Wade, thank you for your reply.  The UC you suffered with sounds far worse than mine.  I have had a few years here and there that I was in total remission.   I have ulcerative proctitis.  My ulcerations are only in the rectum but they are stubborn.  My doctor classified it as mild/moderate....hate to see what severe is.  He said that the rectum seems to be the hardest to treat.  I have never had any upper gastric distress, no vomiting.  My mornings are the worse.   Depending on what I consume the day before, my bowel movements vary from 3 - 6 per morning with urgency and still bleeding.

     After being discharged from the hospital in 08, I consulted with a colorectal surgeon who is noted for being one of the best in this tri-state area ( NJ, PA and Del).  At the time, he was not in favor of my having the surgery.  I was flaring from March of 08 thru Oct of 08, had a seven month remission, then started a flare in May of 09.  Been on and off prednisone for a total of six months since then...not good.  Hoping Humira will get me into remission.

1946,

I am recovering from surgery done Feb 23. I did have the full open surgery and then trouble with the intestines waking up.19 days in the hospital..... I have been home 2 weeks and the healing process is going will. I would echo  the fact of others,that I did not want a life time of pred/remicade/or some other new medicine. It is a big decision and each person must weigh the benifits and risk. For me it was a no brainer. I was not able to deal with the UC symptoms. I am getting stronger each day and even with the complication I don't regret the surgery a bit

This is major surgery and if you are sick going into it, it can be that much more problematic. With any major surgery there are always complication risks.

Your surgeon can give you numbers and just remember that anything that does not go EXACTLY as planned is considered a complication. Most are fairly minor, easily fixed and may just mean a longer hospital stay.

A lot a people sail through these surgeries but almost everyone I know has had some sort of a complication. It is fairly common to have an ileus after abdominal surgery. Sometimes after the intestine has been manipulated it just shuts down and takes its merry time starting up again. The cure is complete bowel rest until it wakes up...this can take a few days. It is possible that you might need an NG tube during this time. It sounds awful, but my son has had this done four times and it is not as bad as some will tell you.

AFter surgery you have to be careful of obstructions...especially for the first six weeks. Again, these normally resolve on their own and just need time. Some people are able to ride them out at home but my son, again who had more than his fair share of these, was hospitalized for each obstruction. This is actually where he wanted to be since you can get IV pain meds and be hydrated.

If you are told that your surgeon will try laproscopic surgery and then ends up giving you a large incision this is also considered a complication.

I don't mean to scare you with this. My son has had all these "problems" (some a few times) and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The end result is so worth the sometimes bumpy road. He is a month post his reversal surgery and is doing great. Prior to having his colon removed he was so sick. He now has more energy than he can remember and is healthy in every way. He is living life as a teenager should.

All the best,
Cathy

I understand your fears after reading the scary stories, but they are not the norm. I decided to make getting well a serious,careful undertaking. I read and pondered what everyone on here wrote, and tried different things to see what worked for me.

I walked from the moment I could. I was very careful about eating solids and had blended foods for the first 8 weeks. There were foods I avoided so I never had bad gas and learned to drink 3-4 liters of water a day. I soaked my bottom in sitz baths everyday for 8 weeks and slept and read as much as I could stand. I rubbed cream on scars and they aren't too bad looking. Trying to keep clean and healthy diet going. I didn't over commit to doing things that weren't necessary or good for my recovery.

Recovery has been steady and I ran a 10 kilometer race March 13th and was pleasantly surprised at a 59 minute time. I still can't get these appliances to stay on enough but but i'm not on pred. or other hard drugs. Oh, I'm 54 and loving life more this year than the last 10 for sure.

It was hard for me to give into the surgery idea until cancer kind of forced the issue. But now I wish I'd done it on my own earlier. Hind sight is so clear.

Hope you can get the help you need and be happy!!