saw my surgeon today

     Went over to Pa Hosp to see my surgeon today, thinking...he must think I am nuts because I feel like I have to poop out my anus and I know there is no poop there, plus the vaginal issues...ugh.

Well, quite the contrary.  He gave me a rectal exam ..thought I would go to the moon.  He told me it shouldn't have hurt that bad.  The blood that is coming out my vagina is most likely due to the operation.    He ordered a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis plus blood work...metabolic profile.  I called the radiology office and cancelled the ultrasound.  They will schedule the CT scan as soon as they get the pre-certification number.

     I asked him why he didn't remove my anus.  He explained that there is a higher morbidity rate on people who have had their anus cut out,...more chances of infection and complications.  If it isn't diseased, he leaves it alone.  Well, I think I have had my share of complications even with the anus intact .  I have a lot of confidence in him, so just going with the flow.  Right now, with the probing that the gyn doctor did and the probing my colorectal surgeon did today ,  I had to take a Hydrocodone.  Hated to do it, but I am sooooo sore, front and back.  Hubby just better stay far away from me .

     Hope you all are having a better day.  Going down to our trailer which is at the shore.  I need a casino fix.

Is your Ostomy permanant? My doctor told me that if you don't get the anus removed within a few years it becoms cancerous

Christine, was thinking of you and waited for your update.. so sorry it was all so painful for you :( i hope the soreness goes down soon. but it is a very good thing he sent you for a ct of both the abd and pelvic, i'm sure after the ct is done he'll be able to know what is wrong and how to treat it. he does sound like he's thorough and seriously looking into it, so that must be reassuring for you. mean time i hope you're staying calm, it'll be ok i'm sure. keep us posted.

     Hodaya....it is hard for me to believe that my surgeon would leave my anus intact if there was anything to back up what Brian's doctor said about the anus becoming cancerous if not cut out.  My paternal grandmother died from rectal cancer and my surgeon is aware of this.  I am quite certain that he wouldn't put my life in jeopardy.  He wouldn't even do a j-pouch on me because he said it would be too stressful for someone my age.  I also had to pass a nuclear stress test before he would operate.  He's extremely cautious.

Christine-Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. What happened was I thought that I would leave the anus intact incase maybe there were some new "cures" coming out in the future. Like the next 10 years. He told me a few years is ok, but something about leaving it dormant for a long period of time gives you a very high chance of getting cancer. That's why I had mine removed. I don't think it's a 100% gaurantee but I didn't want to risk it.

Hi Chris,

If there were anything to anus becoming cancerous for ileostomates we'd all have it!!!! and we don't.

Your doc SHOULD have realized that the sensitivity to the rectal exam is due to your disuse colitis. Whether active or not, we all who own rectums/colons that are not being used get a serious sensitivity to them. Due to disuse the tissue naturally gets very friable. I always insist my doc go real easy. The day I brought my own KY gel he really got the idea and looked a bit embarrassed. That is why it really hurts to get my colon mucous suctioned out of me due to all the colon scarring my original docs did.

Glad you're getting the CT scan and going to the Casino. Rosemary

Just wanted to say HI and hope everything turns out just great for you soon.  If nothing else you have convinced me that I will not have surgery unless a matter of life and death. 

Hope it never comes to having to make that decision!

ElaineNY