Doc maybe recommending colectomy, what does all this mean?

Hi, this is katkat

I went today for my yearly physical and had a list of things I wanted to find out about.
In April 2010, I had a colonoscopy, flare up was ending at the time. We've been playing tag in appointments for a followup from April since then and never saw the surgeon.
One of the items on my list today, was to follow-up, it was today that the doctor told me, the surgeon was recommending referral to a gastroenterologist to discuss options of my UC, as the surgeon said, due to the high inflammation and of future colonoscopies, this could not be a definitive way to screen for cancer. This is why he is referring now with the possibility of a colectomy at some time.

I haven't been flaring since May 2010 now and doing OK. Still doing the asacol. I've been checking out what it means for a colectomy versus a j-pouch and still not sure. Could you guys help me out on this? My wait time to see the GI referral won't be for a few months, but I want to be prepared for this appointment with my options as well.

Thanks. I will check out other discussions here about this but life calls at the moment and taking my parents to lunch!

     I had a total colectomy with end ileo as my surgeon would not do a j-pouch on me because of my age (63 at the time, 64 now) and my extended use of prednisone.  That was three months ago.  It is taking a long time to recover but it sure beats living with the ulcerative proctitis.  Sad I had to lose my colon, I only had minor diverticulosis but my rectum was a mess.  Plus the fact my paternal grandmother died from cancer of the rectum at age 65 helped me make the decision to go ahead with the surgery.

the bag isnt bad, i know it sounds scary, it sounded horrible to me, like the worst thing ever, but even then it sounded better than uc!

but yeah there are different options for you, good luck!

I had a temporary ostomy for 3 months and I was glad to get rid of it. I never adjusted to it. Placement of the ostomy can change from person to person. If you have a flat stomach the bag can be placed below your belt line and can be hidden under your pants. In my case I have a large belly that dose not provide enough space below the belt line. I had mine above the belt line across from my belly button which meant I couldn’t wear a bathing suit without the bag hanging out for everyone to see. I also couldn’t easily tuck my shirt in. During those 3 months I went to a wedding and had trouble with my shirt. I ended up wearing my suit jacket all the time to cover it up.

With my bag I had problems with leakage. The main cause was all the gas. Overnight enough gas would cause the bag to inflate like a balloon which would put pleasure on it and cause it to leak. I ended up setting my alarm to get up to empty it once overnight. With my Jpouch I rarely get up overnight. My Jpouch isn’t perfect. I often have problems with pouchitis and have to take antibiotics. I still prefer it over a bag or UC.