Pros for the Case of Having Surgery (From Those of Us Who Have Had It)!

Just wanted to start this thread for those who are afraid of having surgery. There are sooooo many of you out there who are so afraid (and it's only natural to be afraid) yet those of us who have had surgery, ie an ileostomy or j pouch, know how wonderful life is without our diseased colon and can offer so much support and assurance.

Come on ileostomates and j pouchers, let's let those who are still wondering know how good life can be!

For me, I had ileostomy surgery when I was 10 years old. It was the best decision my parents ever made for me! Sure, they wondered 'what if?'. 'What if she has surgery and a cure is found next year?' (this was 34 years ago so questions haven't changed), 'what if she hates us down the track for letting her live her life with a bag?'

The answer to both those questions is a resounding NO. No cure has been found (despite big jumps in research) and NO I don't hate them because having this bag gave me my life back.

Since surgery, I've travelled the world - Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, UK and most of Australia (I'm an Aussie) without having to look for the nearest toilet all the time. I've finished primary and highschool and have worked full time in various jobs over the years. I've enjoyed my life, not having to worry about where the nearest loo is and shovelling umpteen pills down my throat every day.

Currently, I'm working in a hearing clinic, where we do hearing assessments, hearing aids, cochlear implants, BAHA's and other implant surgeries. When I first started at this job, I was looking at my website one lunchtime (I run an ostomy website with message board) and the girl who was training me looked over my shoulder and said "THAT'S where I know you from!" She'd had step 1 of j pouch surgery due to UC and was scheduled to have step 2 within 2 weeks. If neither of us could tell that either had a bag, how can anyone else (with no, or limited knowledge, of ostomy surgery tell?).

I'm 44 years old now (my ileostomy is 34 years old) and I am soooo greatful that I was allowed to have my surgery. Now I take no pills, have no pain, can eat whatever I want, and am free to enjoy life. My bag doesn't stop me from doing whatever I want to do.

yeah, thanks shaz, i hope others will follow suit.

i'm not afraid of the surgery's outcome, the actual process of the surgery itself yes, but not the outcome. i can't wait to have my child healing from this, to see him actually start to grow again, to not see him hunkered over on the toilet crying, to not have him counting and arranging his pills in their container, to not have to wonder everytime he goes to the bathroom if he'll make it in time or if there will be blood, to not worry about him getting embarrassed at school (at least not from the UC) or having to miss school, or disrupting the class because he can't control some steroid derived outburst, or watching him suffer through physical withdrawl from the steroid, not having to worry that i'm poisioning him with medications.... the list just goes on and on and on. it looks like his surgery will leave him able to use the bathroom somewhat normally, but before we knew that we decided that a permanent ostomy would be far better than what the UC offers. i sure hope that another cure is found soon, but that doesn't change his need for the only cure that is around now. i'm feeling super positive about the surgery.

I'm like Shaz and Sue, having an ostomy gave me my life back and allowed me to do all kinds of things.
I haven't done anything super exciting like they have, going to different countries, though.
We are going on a cruise in January, i went on one wtih UC and was miserable, all that good food and couldn't eat any of it! Now, i'm going eat everythign i see!
Then we are going to Disney in June for my son's bday, i also went to Disney with UC and that was miserable too. All i wanted when i was there was one of those mickey mouse icecream things. I ate one, and was sick the rest of the day, barely made it back to the hotel. I'm looking forward to eating 20 of them!
For me, it's little everyday things that make it worth it. Jumping up out of bed and leaving in 10 minutes, sitting in carline, having a snack in the car, things that most people take for granted.

Thank you for posting this. It really helps ease my nerves. Right now surgery isn't in the picture, but I never know down the road. This makes me feel calmer about the whole idea.

I'm not afraid to have the surgery if I ever need it, but I know the adjustment will take some effort, but much less than the suffering of UC. I'm more afraid to take most of the meds, actually.

Thanks for the thread! The support is truly inspiring!
Heather

As i have posted i just had my colon surgery on10.24.10 feel great and was up and runnning, well walking aroun hours after surgery. I stopped TPN last night, no more pills just had my first plate of chewable food in over TWO MONTHS!

Now only issue is they had to pull the eppy out of my back so no mor  Fentonal and I am having a little bit of issues keeping my pain in control.  Should only be a few days, but is not that fun. although less than a bad bad day with my UC. ON a Morphine buton till it calms down so I can go home.  I am very happy and surgery was a breeze, I don't remember a thing as I was knocked out during the procedure.

Actually love the bag ,don' mind it at all.  Unless some incredible break throughs come with the Jpouch I will prob stay with the bag and have a full life without having to take pills for all the infections and crap from the pouch.

For the lucky handfull that have no issues with their bags my hats off to you

i just wish i did the surgery earlier this year, but i was too afraid

Only the first couple of weeks sucks. It sucked for me because I had no body fat and my body was starting to eat away at my muscles and I had an open surgery. Also I don't remember the first couple of weeks because of morphine and oxycodone.

but now I don't even think about the bag. I can eat everything I want and do what I want without thinking about the toilet.

I'd like to add that it really depends on what your quality of life is managing your disease with medicines.

If you can manage them fine with non-steroidal meds and are ok with that (no bothersome side effects etc) then that's fine. However if the meds don't help to the point you'd like them too no shame in surgery. And everyone's threshold is different.

Had permanent ileostomy 10/8/07. I was so sick I am not sure I knew what I was doing. I was horribly anemic. Even iron shots regularly did not help. But I did the right thing going with the permanent ileostomy. No more runs to the toilet, hoping to make it. I have now forgotten where the public restrooms are, and don't care. It takes a lot less time to get to Florida in January now that I don't have to stop at every rest stop. We live on a lake in northern Michigan. Now I can take friends out for a cruise on our pontoon comfortably FOR AS LONG AS WE WANT! Or go fishing without worry. I don't have to miss the middle of a TV program because I was in the bathroom. It goes on and on.....

In the words of Joni James....."Little Things Mean a Lot"
Uh..for you young people, Joni is a singer and that"s a song from long ago.

Dan