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surgery question - where do they put the bag?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/15/2008 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
my mom has an ostomy and I am pretty sure that is much different from the jpouch.  Also, can they resection my colon?  I believe I have proctitis it is the lower 30cm that is affected. 

Now that the Doc brought it up that it may be a future possibility, I have all these questions.

TIA!

Beth

Posted 1/15/2008 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
hey again. no, usually don't do resections for UC since likely the UC will return.
if you have a bag, it is usually low on the right side, I think, but I think many people now have j=pouches, in which case you don't have a bag.
Posted 1/15/2008 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
The problem with a resection is that whatever colon is left, the disease can attack that as well. No part of the colon is safe from Uc and that is why normally they remove the entire thing. An ostomy pouch is on the outside, sort of low on the left or right (???) side. It has an opening that is called the stoma which empties the waste contents into the bag. A Jpouch is a pouch made out of your small intestine and reattached to your rectum. They basically make a new colon out of a small portion of your small intestine. Usually with a Jpouch, they do it in steps so many have to wear the bag until the new internal pouch heals. But sometimes some people can have it done all at once.

www.jpouch.org has some great info about it if you care to go there.
Posted 1/16/2008 2:14 AM (GMT 0)

Surgery for UC involves removing the entire colon and rectum.  The reason for this is that the illness affects both organs.  Resections should never be considered.  about 1-2cm of the rectal cuff is left for continence and about 9-12 inches of the small intestine are pulled down and turned into the j-pouch.  The new j-pouch is attached to the rectal cuff and replaces the rectum, not the colon but after about 10 years with a j-pouch the cells of the pouch resemble the cells of a colon.  This is probably a bit more information then you wanted but I found it fascinating.  If a temporary ileostomy is needed it goes on the right side and an ET nurse determines the location prior to surgery. 

Sue

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