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Do men ever get the subtotal colectomy?

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Posted 1/26/2006 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I have an ileostomy, and had no clue what all the ladies on the total colectomy threads were talking about.  I think I understand now.  Maybe not.  Anyway, my husband has been constipated for 35 years.  I used to think it was my cooking, but I don't cook that much anymore, and he still has to take laxitives to poop.  Please read this and give me some feedback.  He goes for colonoscopies on a regular basis, and has had 2 small polyps removed.  Each time he tells the GI, that he is constipated all the time.  They just blow it off.  They tell him to take milk of magnesia, and stool softeners, and metamucil, and prune juice, and I am sure you all know the rest.  I tell them he has to take it each day or he can't poop.  Then , when he poops is is like a bunch of hard rocks.  He just went thru my having the ileostomy for ulcerative colitis and I wonder if he should do what you ladies did.  Would it effect his sexual stuff, because if so, I know he would say forget it.  Also with what I have been going thru, he may not be ready.  How do you know when you need this surgery, and who do you see, your GI?  What test do they do?  Do you have a two step done, or just one?  Thanks Hopeso
Posted 1/27/2006 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
I am a male and am in the process of having the sub-total colectomy, if that is the one where they remove the entire colon, then reattach to the rectum so you do not have to have a bag. 

I went through several tests ruling out other things including colonoscopy, small and large bowel series, ct scan, then finally am in the middle of sitz ring transit test, which is suppossed to confirm a diagnosis of atonic colon (aka lazy colon, colonic intertia, etc).

I am pretty new here and not the best source of information.  I'm sure Emma or someone else can contribute more as to whether this is a common procedure in males, etc.

Best of luck to you and your husband.

Chris

Posted 1/27/2006 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
I am a male and had a sub-total colectomy done in October of 2005. I wouldn't start palnning for your husband to go under the knife just yet. What you should do is consult another GI Doc. There could be a myrid of things going on and could be easily diagnosed and treated. A total or subtotal colectome is a measure of last resort. Oh by the way, it wouldn't affect his "sexual stuff" either. Best of luck to the both of you!

Posted 1/29/2006 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Guys, I am glad our insurance has changed so he can go to other doctors now. What should he say to them? He always tells them he has been poping rocks and only able to do that with laxatives. What did you guys say to your docs when you realized you had a problem? What types of medications are avaliable for him in lieu of surgery?
Hopeso
Posted 1/29/2006 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hiya,

I just told my doctor that I had been having constipation problems off and on all of my life and that it had grown worse in the last 6-12 months, with me going up to 14 days in between bowel movements.  They first checked for some sort of blockage and when there was none, they started checking for colonic inertia.  The main test for this, from what I've seen, is a Sitz marker test.  The patient takes a small capsule which is filled with 24 small round discs that will show up on xray.  Over the next several days (3, 5, and 7 day xrays are the norm from what I have read on the net) the patient will go in to have an xray to see 1) how many of the markers are present and 2) where they are.  Having over 20% of the markers left on Day 5 is indicative of colonic inertia.

One of the main medications that a lot of people seem to have luck with is Glycolax.  I tried it twice and unfortunately didn't have much luck.

Chris

 

Posted 1/29/2006 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys, good info as usual. I will keep checking to see if anyone adds their 2 cents. Then I will print them off and at the appropriate time, I will gently bring it up with hubby.
Leslie
Posted 1/30/2006 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
Honestly, if you husband can poop daily even with the use of laxatives he is probably not a canidate for the surgery.  How long does he go without pooping if he does NOT take the laxatives.  My doctor has always said "you get the brown out anyway you can... and when you cant get it out at all... then you have surgery!

What is he taking for laxatives right now?  What has he tried and what did or did not work?

Hugs,

Emma

Posted 1/30/2006 5:34 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Emma,
He has used most home remedys, none worked. One year he got on to drinking half a gallon of apple cider a day and had some success but gained a lot of weight. He couldn't deal with that. He has tried stool softeners, which he takes one a day and every other day he takes a gulp of milk of magnesia. That way he can go about every other day. He poops the little rocks. I think he may break the toilet if he ever has a big one come out. In the beginning of this life of constipation, he got the colon cleanse stuff and took it once a month, but then was miserable in between and got all bloated. He tried the metamucil, and citracel, and they would take a week or so, and bloat him up bad meanwhile. So now he just uses the softeners and the milk of magnesia. He does have some cramping when that stuff kicks in, but no bloating anymore. I guess if getting the brown out is the main goal, he is still able to do it. One day not so long ago, he was in there on the pot groaning and I walked up to the door and said, " Well Honey, I've had some health problems in the past, but at least I've always had good poops". Now, I sit here typing this with a bag of poop on my belly. Life lesson: Be careful whet you brag about!
Leslie in KC
Posted 1/30/2006 4:06 PM (GMT 0)

Hope - honestly if he is able to have results daily or every other day by taking a stool softener and MOM then he is probably not a candidate.  Perhaps 5-10 years in the future he might be because it really does get worse with aging.  Make sure he is drinking at least 80oz of clear water daily, along with 40 grams of fiber.  Ask the doctor about Miralax or Zelnorm which have worked for some people... especialy the Miralax.

LOL, at the be careful what you brag about!:)

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