Hi, I hope everything goes well for your surgery. I had my surgery about 3 and 1/2 years ago and I feel fine now. I thought about having it all out and going with the j-pouch but the surgeon gave me...
I'd go as often as the doctor says. My last colonoscopy saved my life. I've had colitis since my mid-20's and had a colonoscopy every year from about 1989 to 2007, when my GI doc found high-grade...
I enjoyed "Dear Frankie", a film set in Scotland with Emily Mortimer playing the mother of a young deaf boy named Frankie....
Charlotte, I think you you're doing the right thing by having the follow-up colonoscopy. I got the same phone call in May of 2007 with high grade dysplasia found in my ascending colon. I eventually...
In my case they gave me the option of keeping my rectum and re-attaching the small intestine to it. So I take the pentasa to treat the 8 inches or so of colon material that they left in. My surgery...
I had my colon removed in September of 2009 and had to do the Fleet prep the night before. It may depend on what surgery is being done, too....
I had a sub-total colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis in September of 2007 and they removed about 85% of my colon, leaving the rectum and a couple of inches of the bottom of the sigmoid colon. At...
Donna, Sorry I hadn't responded to your last question about urgency but I was traveling last weekend and just now got a chance to respond. I did have some urgency in the first few months but not an...
Lily, I'm so sorry your brother had to go through this surgery and the complications that followed. I had a colectomy in 2007 and had some short-term complications, but not as bad as your brother....
Grammy, It was hard for to have my surgery, too, because even though it was after long-term colitis, my symtoms were mostly controlled with meds and I lived mostly a normal life. I had a total...
Colorado Springs for the last 20 years. Southern Oklahoma for the first 35 years....
I'm sorry you have to go through the surgery but there is life after a colectomy. I had a sub-total colectomy (85% removed) Sept. 5, 2007 because of high-grade dysplasia in one of the biopsies from...
Hi Troy, I may be too late but I wanted to wish you well and good luck with your surgery. I was 53 when I had my colectomy and it was after long-term colitis which had developed into high grade...
Hi Paul, Sounds like you've really been through it the last couple of weeks. I had my colon out in Sept. of 2007 and I some of the same complications that you had. I had an ileus so I ended up being...
Hi hubbysupport, Sorry to hear about your husbands troubles. I had my total abdominal colectomy Sept. 5, 2007, because of a finding of high grade dysplasia in one of the biospsies from a colonoscopy...
Hello Berbsnicole, Sorry to hear of your mom's previous cancer and subsequent surgeries. I too had colon cancer last year and had a total abdominal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis for it...
I had a total abdominal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis September 5, 2007, and I don't have incontinence issues. I was little concerned because of my age (53) at the time of the surgery, but...
I had my total abdominal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis about 9 months ago and I consider it a success. My reason for surgery was pre-cancer in a biopsy from the right side of my colon after...
Hi Bennie, I know it's a tough choice when seeing different surgeons for this type of surgery. I had consultations with 3 before my surgery last fall. The hard part was that I liked all three. I...
Hi Beth, Good luck on the colonoscopy! I've had many over the last 25 years and found that I relied on my wife being with me to talk to the GI doc afterward. Versed plus whatever pain meds they use...
Hello mommyphotographer, I had a sub-total colectomy Sept. 5, 2007, and had it with an open incision. I was also nervous about the surgery before, having had about 3 months to think about it...
bellski, I was on Asacol from late 1988 until earlier this year with no side effects that I was ever aware of. I started on it as a participant in an investigational study for FDA approval of Asacol...
I think for me the hard thing about surgery is once you've had the surgery, there's no going back. And with the possible complications involved, surgery is a scary thing, and this is a major surgery....
I think that the main difference between a colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy is the sigmoidoscopy uses a smaller, shorter scope because it only goes up into the rectum and sigmoid colon. I had a...
Hi Lizzie, I had my total abdominal colectomy September 5, 2007, and was in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward because of Ileus. On day 12 post op the surgeon removed the 4th NG tube and said that if...
Hello dandbj13, I'm sorry to hear that you've had to stay in the hospital so long after surgery. I've not had an ileostomy but I had a total abdominal colectomy in September of this year where they...
I didn't used to have problem with cabbage but since my colectomy I tried eating cole slaw and it gave me D early the next morning....
I took sulfasalazine for several years and it always controlled my symptoms. I switched to Asacol 18 years ago after being in an investigational study for FDA approval for Asacol. One possible side...
I just got a prescript ion from my GI doc today for Pentasa for 1 500mg pill 4 times daily but he said that he could make it 2 500mg pills 4 times daily if I needed more. I've been on Asacol for...
My mom had colitis, too, and was diagnosed about the time that I was diagnosed with it. She was in her mid 40's, I was in my mid 20's, and I am the youngest of 3 boys and the only one with an IBD. So...
I was in an investigational study for the FDA approval of Asacol back in 1988-89 and I seem to recall that they explained to me that Asacol has a resin coating on the outside with 5-ASA on the...
AJ, I'm glad you're feeling better after your surgery. I, too, had my surgery in September and had problems post-op in the hospital and had 3 NG tubes inserted and pulled out in the 12 days following...
My wife has Meniere's disease and it can be really hard to live with. It's an inner ear disease and her's progressed to the point that, for about a year, she had a vertigo attack 3-4 times a week,...
Hello, I've had UC since about 1979 and for the past 10-15 years I've had a colonoscopy about every year. I've read that the risk for colon cancer increases incrementally each year after the 10-year...
I had a total abdominal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis, which is a surgery where they remove all of the colon from the abdominal cavity but leave the rectum and sometimes the very bottom of...
Hello everyone, Again, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I came home after my colectomy on Wed., 9/19, after 2 weeks in the hospital. Most of that time my bowels were distended...
I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and concerns. Today was a good day and it appears that my bowels are finally waking up. I've been able to eat some solids the last 3 meals, starting last...
Thanks Amey and Terri for you encouraging words. I talked to the surgeon this morning and he let me know what the plan is now. They've clamped off my NG tube for about 4 hours this morning. If I'm...
Hello all, I had my colectomy surgery on 9/5, but am still in the hospital. I am not yet able to take even clear liquids at the moment, because every time I've tried, I've become very nauseated later...
Hi NeNe, I'm glad to hear that you're recovering well from your surgery. I'm sorry you didn't have additional options for you surgery but it sound like you have a great attitude and will do fine with...
Not really. It was quite a shock to me when my GI doc called with the biopsy results. I guess the one risk factor I can't control finally got me, which is time with the disease. Since getting the...
Hi Princesa, Yes, the high-grade dysplasia was described to me as precancerous cells. Even though it only showed up in one of the biopsies, my GI doc, the 2nd opinion GI doc, and 3 surgeons told me I...
FosterDad, I'm sorry you have to deal with this disease. For me, when I first started on medication for this disease, it took a few weeks for the symptoms to be controlled with the meds. I initially...
One risk that stems from having UC over time is the risk of colon cancer. The longer you have the disease, the higher your risk of cancer becomes. Also, it seems like I read that the risk is greater...
It was visible blood....
Hello, My UC has recently only been active on the right (ascending) side of my colon. When I was initially diagnosed with UC the rectum and sigmoid colon were involved but in my last scope the rectum...
Hello all, I hope I'm in the right place to post about my upcoming surgery. I'm sceduled for a total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis on September 5, 2007. My surgery is because one...
That is great news Donna! I'm glad that you got a 2nd opinion....