Tuesday, September 12, 2017

A Visit With the Colo-Rectal Surgeon

A couple of weeks ago I was finally able to go see a colorectal surgeon to get another opinion on what, if any, can be done for me regarding the peri anal abscesses and fistulas.
This surgeon is one of the top surgeons around and deals mainly with cancer patients so I was hoping....

My specialist recommended me to her so all my files were transferred over.....all 30 years worth....so it was not a surprise when I walked into her office, the first thing out of her mouth was, "wow, you've had a lot going on"

After a good discussion and small exam, it was her recommendation that what is left of my large intestine, which is barely anything, be removed and have an ileostomy.  Not what I wanted to hear, but not totally unexpected.  She said I would have a better quality of life.

But before all that, I need to go for blood work (check), CT scan, MRI, sigmoidoscopy and then a laparotomy so she have have a close up look inside.  She's concerned about any "hidden" cancers.  Well, THAT made me feel better when she mentioned it!

I haven't posted in awhile because it's a lot to take in right now and even though I've had Crohn's for 30 years, I still now get that feeling like I did when I was first diagnosed.

You try and stay strong, but some days.....

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear that you may have to have another surgery. I wish I could think of something helpful to say, but I can't. I'm sorry.

Vern Laine said...

Thanks Jenni. I know, its hard to come up with something sometimes eh? I've made it this far with Crohn's, what's a little bit more eh? The toughest part is not thinking about it :-)

Ariana said...

I was in this exact position in 2010. I held out for years against the ostomy, as I had so much trouble with the temp ones I had following my total colectomy ( I had a j-pouch after surgery). The final thing was asking myself if my quality of life was really so good as is. Turns out it was the best thing I've done since diagnosis! Sure, it's a major adjustment but almost immediately the pain was almost nil. Plus, no more butt burn ever again. It's not perfect, but I'm willing to discuss privately if you want.

Vern Laine said...

I appreciate that, thanks Ariana. It's nice to hear from people that actually have been through it and pretty much everyone says its the best thing that they ever did, so I appreciate the feed back, thanks!!