Hi Everyone.
My GI doc began talking about
colostomy surgery in April. Last week, I finally got the news I had been waiting for, hoping for, praying for…..
January 27th, 2015, I will have a colostomy (& rectum removed), complete hysterectomy, and a bladder sling! Going to have 3 different docs taking turns getting their hands in me and removing and rearranging parts. (Will be even a bit more complicated because of my prior bladder augmentation surgery where they used ilium and created a stoma and used my appendix to create the valve for it.) Pretty intense and overwhelming right now, but I am so looking forward to it!! (Wish it was happening sooner, but I know time will fly…got lots to do before then!)
My emotions are all over the place now... feeling lots of relief, feel really thankful, lots of reflecting on the struggles I have had over the course of my life because of my medical stuff (extensive nerve damage to bladder and bowels). It's weird to think of how things will change. I was thinking about
it the other day, when suddenly it dawned on me, post-surgery, I will never fart again! Weird. I mean, I know gas will go into the bag, and sometimes the stuff makes noise or whatever, but how strange!
I didn't tell anyone about
the chronic constipation and bowel incontinence for 35 1/2 years. Then, just under a year ago, I finally confessed my problems to my primary care doc. Part of the reason I hid my secret for so long was that I had gone to doctors for the bladder problems when I was younger, and was told more than once that it was all in my head, there was nothing wrong with me. At age 20, I finally found a urologist who took me seriously, who was smart enough to see there really was a problem. Because of him, I was diagnosed w/ Spina Bifida…a birth defect which was causing all the damage that no other doctor had caught!
The past year's "adventure" has included many doctors, tests, lots of trying different meds and other treatments, a trip to Mayo, drinking colonoscopy prep every 10-14 days/doing a "bowel purge" and all sorts of other "fun" stuff. I'm so thankful that I found HealingWell and all of you. I have learned so much and gotten so much support and advice. I feel pretty comfortable about
having the surgery and everything. I am much more OK with what's going on with my body than ever before in my life. I know I am not alone. I know it's not my fault.
And I have learned tons of things about
life with an ostomy, that I never would have learned otherwise. None of the info they give you in the clinic or hospital talks about
the emotional stuff & how to deal with that, or the little secrets about
clothing and being able to "hide" the bag, hints about
products to use, carrying a "crap kit" until surgery, or any of the millions of different situations that a person may encounter. I know I can come here or talk to my ostomy mentor (UCWhat?) about
anything. Sometimes I feel silly asking some of the questions I ask, but I get over that feeling and ask anyway. And I feel comforted that both before my surgery and after, I can always come here w/ questions or for advice and support. Very big deal.
Once again, my post is incredibly long! I have to learn to be more concise! Sorry!
Thanks for everything! I'll be asking tons of questions in the coming weeks I'm sure! Like this one about
terminology….I know I'm having a colostomy, but is there another name for having the rectum removed or is that just part of the colostomy? Do I just say colostomy w/ removal of the rectum? (I'm think I know that not everyone has the rectum removed)
Post Edited (Sunny13) : 12/18/2014 2:13:10 PM (GMT-7)