Dr. suggest i should get surgery

Hi everyone I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in 2001/2002....I went to my local gastroenterologist and ended up with pancreatitis and this dr. telling me that there is nothing he can do for me.
I asked my primary care dr. to refer me to Stanford Hospital which he did!

That was the best thing that has happened to me. The doctors there were able to find the right medicine for me which was a combination of remicade, colozal and azathioprine.....

However a recent colonoscopy showed abnormal tissue, I had to repeat colonoscopy within the month and still showed this abnormal tissue with it most likely being precancerous cells.

my next step is surgery...is anyone have this surgery, what can I expect? what is recovery time? what is life after surgery? is normal?

You can also try posting this on our Ostomy forum. You might get more responses, however we do still have people that come on here after surgery.

I feel my UC is under control....I only have 2-3 bowel movements a day. I have an appointment with a surgeon in a couple of weeks (but most likely it will be the j pouch) with 2 step surgery. Thank you I will check the ostomy forum. I just got the news today and I am really freeking out.

I think having abnormal cells would make the decision to have surgery MUCH easier for me. I do not know how necessary it is at this point or if you can wait and recheck in a few months but it does sound like your doctor feels like this is in your best interest so you should probably take that seriously. People have surgery and have life changing results. Many people who used to post here had surgery and moved on completely. Not just that, many say they regret not having had surgery sooner. Not to say it's easy-peasy because it's not, it's a tough surgery, and if you want a jpouch it's 2 tough surgeries and a process to get used to using the pouch. It's not easy but in the end, it can be a really great option. I am still scared of it regardless of all the positive things I've read.

If you are in good health now, and it sounds like you are, then the surgery and recovery both should be easier. Dysplasia (abnormal, precancerous cells) are not something to risk. Do your homework, ask lots of questions, and check out blogs and forums of those who have had surgery, so you know what you are getting into.

Some examples:

Healing Well Ostomies forum

www.j-pouch.org

ronnielee-fightingforit.blogspot.com/2012/10/surgery.html

Generally there is a 95% satisfaction rate with jpouches.

It sounds like you are healthy so the surgery should go smooth and recover quicker than most UC patients. I was so sick at the time that I needed 3 steps and it took me almost 9 months from start to finish with my surgeries.

With most UC patients were are really sick prior to surgery so you'll see many of us say how tough it was but well worth it and we only wish that we had surgery sooner.