Re:colectomy

[Guest guest]

I had a colectomy in 1999 because of the exact same

reason. I wasn’t too gung ho at the time (I had never had surgery

before and a colectomy is a very big surgery, actually two if you are having a

JPouch which I would highly recommend).

It’s nine years later and I am glad I did it. I

only had a few complications. One in the hospital when my epidural slipped

out a day after my surgery and I was in intense pain until they gave me Oxicodone

and then the dehydration problems at home for a few years after surgery (it’s

harder to stay hydrated even now). I also had a problem with strictures,

where scar tissue grew and made it almost impossible to go to the

bathroom. The dehydration is solved by drinking water and Gatorade and

when I get low on sodium, I eat pickles. The strictures subsided after a

year or so ( I would have to go in and the first two times they put me out to widen

the opening of my rectum and they did it a couple times in the doctor’s

office) and now I have a small tool I use once every six months to a year to

widen the opening when It feels like the volume is decreasing. I know

that sounds like a lot of issues, but it sure beats having colonoscopies every

six months until they find polyps and cancer!

Everyone I have talked to that has had the surgery has said

they are so glad that they did and wished they had done it years before, because

it has improved their quality of life. I remember back when I used to

know where every bathroom was in a ten mile radius to my house. I also

remember times when I barely made it to the bathroom in time and the occasional

time when I didn’t make it. I do not miss those days at all.

That combined with not having to worry about colon cancer was enough to

convince me. Just make sure you get a highly recommended surgeon and do

get the internal JPouch which will require a second much easier surgery to connect

your small intestines to your rectum once you have healed from the firs surgery

(usually 12 weeks).