Total Colectomy Part 38

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to give you all the update on Lizzie. She is having surgery this coming Monday, November 29. Dr. Stocchi will move her stoma to the left side to stop the constant leaking she is having, as old scars are interfering with the appliance's ability to adhere properly.  She is still having problems with obstructions- distention, no output, and a lot of pain. An NG tube only gave her a little relief from the distention...pray they can figure out what is going on. X-rays and CTs haven't shown anything, but that doesn't mean that adhesions aren't present. Plastic surgery will be coming for a consult to see what they can do to minimize scarring, so pray for a great meeting with them.

This will be Lizzie's seventh surgery, so please pray for a smooth operation, and a quick and flawless recovery that is free from any complications. Pray for wisdom and guidance for all of her doctors, and that her pain following surgery would be completely controlled. Also pray for peace and comfort for Lizzie and her family.

Thank you all so much!

Love and prayers,

Allie

Hi everyone,

Lizzie's surgery went well. It was a pretty long and difficult one, though. Her surgeon found a lot of adhesions, lots of scar tissue. He is not 100% sure, but he thinks that the scar tissue was causing the obstructions. He moved her stoma to the left, and sutured her midline incision instead of stapling it, so that scar should be smaller.

Her pain has been a big issue. They have increased her doses, but it's not completely under control yet. Pray that they get her pain under control so that she can sleep and heal well. Continue to pray for healing and that she would not have any infections or complications, and that adhesions would not cause any additional problems.

Thanks and love to all!

Allie

Just popping in for a minute.  Last night on land in Cape Town South Africa before boarding my next ship for return home via South America.  Been on the road so to speak since Oct. 12.

Thanks for the updat on Lizzie.  I pray she recovers well and that her doc got all the adhesions that were causing her obstructions.  Adhesions were my guess as I had been down that road prior to my ileostomy. 

Alli,  Do you know if Dr. Stocchi used Seprafilm adhesion barrier to minimize the formation of new adhesions?  This is such an apparently common problem, yet relatively little research is being done on this.  Barriers like Seprafilm seem to be all that has been created so far.  I had the Seprafilm at Lahey.

Don't have the internet time to catch up on everyone else.  I hope you are all doing well.  So far so good with me.  Talk about living life in reverse, I am really doing it.  Africa is the last continent I had on my bucket list to visit.  And it is beautiful down the west coast and in the south where I am now.  Much different than we usually envision Africa to be.

Take care all, Rosemary

Hi Allie,

Thanks for the update on Lizzie.  Also thanks for checking on the Seprafilm issue.  Glad she discussed it with Dr. Stocchi.  Opinions vary so much.  But I'm sure as you say he did keep her particular situation in mind.  I will pray for her.  She has been through way too much.  Rosemary

Hi Allie,

Thanks for update on Lizzie.  Good Grief!  I can't believe all she has been and is STILL going through.  Having a plastic surgeon assist at her surgery if that was the deal is an excellent idea.  As I was being prepped for my lysis of adhesions and ileostomy surgery, the assistant surgeon introduced herself as a plastic surgeon.   I thought,"WHat the h----"  BUT it is an excellent idea to have a plastic surgeon in on an abdominal adhesion case as they know a lot about tissue dissection planes and technical stuff about how to cut adhesions.  So hopefully Lizzie will do well.  Praying for her.  Rosemary

Hey Tracy, Jenise, Hodaya,

YES!  I'm still OUT TO SEA.  Oct. 12 Did the QM2 trip across to England, overland on train to Rome, Oct. 27 Ocean Princess Cruise down West Africa, had 12 days in Cape Town which was fabulous.  now am on the Regent Mariner (got on Dec. 3) coming up the east coast of South America.  We have just left the Rio area and are heading toward the HOT ZONE (the equator).  So far so good, though I've had to take immodium a LOT on two separate occasions due to having my ileostomy.  One was in Rome where I must have gotten a caffeine expresso instead of a decaf one.  Though I ordered decaf.  THEN I overdid on sugar one day on the ship with a hot fudge sunday and 3 decaf but sugared Lattes.  Thank GOD for immodium.  Never leave home without it.  Side trips and the ships have been great.  Due to get home Jan. 5th.  Still trying to figure out what to eat, but will be forever grateful if I never have any adhesion reobstructions or any health issues of any kind for that matter. 

Jenise, I feel SOOOOO bad for you that your "heighten-thighten" surgery made things worse.  As you know I HAD no prolapses and my original surgeons "Fixed" them anyway.  Thus, as one doc since told me, You look like a 15 year old "down there."  Hence, nothing worked and the ileostomy.

Your doc no doubt meant well and you had the prolapses to fix, but the more I hear of these prolapse surgeries the more I realize many make the defecation issue worse.  I agree that all this heightening and tightening changes the anorectal angle and thus the function of the puborectalis muscle.  I really believe that (even honest well-intestioned) docs do not yet have a handle on all the muscles and nerves of the human pelvis.  Looking at Gray's Anatomy, you can see how complex the interweaving of muscles and nerves is.  Then you introduce scar tissue, and of course things get worse.  I really feel for you.  BUT if you end up with an ostomy, if there are no other issues, then it is not the end.  This is my umteenth cruise with an ostomy in the past 3 years and other than still being baffled about what to eat, I'm doing OK.  As you know, my big fear is adhesion reobstruction, but that would be out of my control, so just dealing with the ostomy and diet is where I'm placing my energies.

I noticed nobody was posting and wondered what happened.  Did Gilda ever get her ileostomy?  How is Lizzie?  How is Allie?  It's like where is everyone?  Miss you all.  Hope you are all OK.  Will call you when I get home Tracy.  Glad you are doing well.

Anchors Aweigh, Rosemary

Hi everyone,

Merry Christmas from off the coast of Brazil.  It's about 100 with humidity of 99.  I'd never last here as an ileostomate.  Merry Christmas to you all.  I hope you are all doing OK and are able to enjoy the holiday.  Lizzie you are especially in my thoughts, hang in.  Love to you all and prayers, Rosemary

Hi Everyone!

It's been forever since I've posted and even longer since I've gone through the old posts.  There's been a lot going on and I can barely make it through the day with the class I've been given this year.  I love each and every one of my students but they are extremely needy and take a looooot of energy.  I also stay after M-Th for an hour to work with a small group of boys in my room that I don't get time to work with during the day.

Healthwise things aren't so good; have had severe diarrhea since the beginning of November and was strickly on the BRAT diet until last week. Am now taking lomotil 3xs a day and imodium before every meal and starting to introduce some foods into my diet.  Have had tests for cdiff and other infections but they all come back neg.; don't really know why things have changed, it might just be the stress!  Also have a lump in my abdomin that is getting biopsied next week.  Have had people say it's a hernia, scar tissue, but my surgeon said it's neither one and he doesn't know what it is so he's doing the biopsy next week.  Hopefully nothing though:)

Haven't foregotten about you all; I continue to pray for you all and will always pray for you. I don't spend too much time on the computer; usually have 1200 or more emails before I get to looking at them.

Just want you all to know that you're in my prayers and I love you!

Peace, health and prayers,

Judy