Question to ask a surgeon

Greetings all!

I have UC and consider the remove of my colon (Proctocolectomy with ileostomy). I perfer not to get a j-pouch as I only want one surgery and I fear it may not work for me.

So what are some good interview questions to ask a surgeon for people with UC?

Also what types of surgery methods are receommoneded. I read everything from Laparoscopic to da Vinci robotic surgery. I heard that laparoscopic doesn't decrease teh risk of complication and may be more tedious for the surgeon to use.

Thxs!

Check out my blog about the surgery, i have a list of questions i asked and hot from others on here. The blog address is in my tag line below:) good luck with your surgery!!!

God Bless!!!

I don't know how old you are but if your on the younger side I would go laproscopic. Just get an experienced surgeon you trust.

First and foremost do your homework and get the best CR surgeon you can get. Definitely have your list of questions written down and possibly someone with you at your appts to take notes too. This forum is great with different people who have had their procedures done in various ways and read what you think would best serve and suit you personally.

Insofar as all the different things that could happen after surgery I think while that plays a role in your overall decision, you can't dwell too much on the "what ifs". I think for any person who has reached the end of their rope and have no other options and have gotten to the point of being sick and tired of being sick and tired it's time for surgery.

It is daunting to say the least but as most others say and feel about their surgery....most are pleased they had it done.

Good Luck and I hope everything works out well for you.

So far my husband has had an amazing year 1/2 since his surgery. I certainly pray he is lucky and it continues for a very long time. If there are any bumps in the road, complications etc. we will deal with them. Insofar as regrets he has none and knowing the type of person he is (and me too) we are grateful at getting our lives back and getting back to what is now our new normal which has very few restrictions.

Thanks all for the replies and putting that article in perspective. I really didn't think the title fit anyway!

I got an appt with a Surgeon at Penn Medical in Phila on Tues. 30+ experience and has an interest in IBD. Also had good reviews on vitals and Healthgrades. I hope I can get us to the appt...caught a darm sinus infection on Thurday! Seems like everything happens at once!

That's gona put off the surgery. I'm hoping to get it done right away as I'm not on much meds and going on the toilet really makes me feel ill!

so how do you tell if the bag is going to be place correctly? I know with women we have clothes that hit us at the hips. Will I be able to wear normal underwear? if yes, does the bag go inside the undies or hangs over it? Any problems with chaffing? Wonder how it would feel if I get back to jogging or bike riding!

Peace&Harmony,

My GI doctor referred me to a top CR surgeon in my area and he preferred to do my surgery open. I think every surgeon has their own preference in this regard. I was more concerned about having a skilled surgeon that I liked working with than whether or not my surgery was done laparoscopically so I was fine with that. You will have to decide how important it is for you to have the lapro.

Mainly I asked my surgeon stuff about recovery time, what the procedure would involve, complications and risks, and what having an ostomy would mean for my lifestyle and favorite hobbies. I asked him a few things about the different types of surgery, though I had pretty much already decided by the time of my consultation that I wanted to go the permanent ileostomy route. I didn't want to go through three surgeries and thought a permanent ileo would work very well for rock climbing which is one of my passions. Sometimes I am up on a cliff face all day and figured if I had to empty 5-6 times a day, it would be easier with an ostomy because I could just swap out pouches on ledges and pack them out (and this has worked out very well for me). My surgeon had me schedule my stoma placement meeting with a stoma nurse before setting my surgery date because he wanted me to also talk to her and get as much info as possible to make sure I was ready. I asked the stoma nurse a lot of questions about diet, clothing, appliances... that sort of stuff. As soon as my appointment with her was done, I immediately called to schedule my surgery which happened about 10 days later. I was soooo ready to get rid of my pesky colon.

As far as undergarments, sometimes if I want a nice smooth silhouette under my clothing, I will wear tighter ostomy briefs that hold my pouch snuggly against my body. Otherwise, I just wear my regular low-rise undies and let my pouch flop over the top.

As Summerstorm mentioned, getting a good stoma placement is key. Wear your favorite jeans to your stoma placement meeting. I brought my rock climbing harness and overnight backpack with me to my placement meeting so that my stoma location would work well for my favorite activities as well. I wear mid-rise jeans and my stoma sits about an inch below my jean waistband. The very top of my pouch sticks up above the waistband, but other than that, it is concealed. Once I had the dot on my belly marking where my stoma would be, I taped an ostomy appliance full of applesauce to the spot and tried on all my clothes. I was super relieved to find out that it seemed to work well with most everything in my wardrobe.

My GI nurse also mentioned what Summerstorm said: if you can avoid it, don't get a flush stoma. One that sticks out a bit is better. A flush stoma can pump output under the wafer while one that sticks out a bit will better deposit output into the pouch. I talked to my surgeon about this before surgery as well.

I jog and and bike with no issues. For those activities, I wear ostomy briefs that hold the pouch close to my body so it doesn't flop around.

I am sure there are a gazillion questions floating around in your head. It can all be so overwhelming. Know that you will figure all of it out after surgery through trial and error and that eventually you will be a pro at managing your ostomy for all your favorite activities.

Best wishes at your upcoming surgery consult!

-Heidi