Kerry's Story, Part III (or The Big Surgery)

Part I
Part II

I'm about to tell you something I've never mentioned on this blog, but, it's part of my story and the story of many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD - Crohn's and ulcerative colitis).

The best book I ever read about Crohn's disease is 'The Angry Gut' by Dr. W. Grant Thompson. When I found out I had Crohn's, I started reading everything I could get my hands on, and Dr. Thompson's book was the latest I could find.

One night, suffering from prednisone insomnia, I was reading the section of the book about ostomy surgery. I started crying and woke up my brother. I distinctly remember telling him I'd rather die than have an ostomy.

It's funny how fast your feelings change when someone tells you that, without an ostomy, you're going to die.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 23 years old. Between the extensive delay in diagnosis and the stress of my mother's death six weeks later, I never managed to get ahead of the disease. The prednisone made a dent, but I didn't go into remission. They piled on more drugs, and still I was sick.

Crohn's disease causes ulcers to form in the intestines, and these ulcers can eat all the way through the bowel wall. That's what had happened to my colon - I had two surgeries to drain abscesses the year I turned 25. When the abscesses recurred for a third time, we knew the surgery had to be done.

This was right before Thanksgiving, and I decided to wait until the new year to have the surgery. They kept a close eye on me, because there was a chance my colon would perforate, which is often fatal. Luckily, I made it to January.

It was very scary, because I'd never had surgery before. And having an ostomy is a huge physical and emotional impact. I was 25; would I ever have a husband and a family after this?

When I woke up, I was in ICU. The initial post-operative pain was horrible; turns out my spinal block was too low to numb the entire incision. Once a central line was started, I was much better, and, two days later, I was moved to a new room.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to recover from the surgery. I was cut from sternum to pubic bone, closed with over 50 staples. I told everyone it was my zipper ;) The first time the nurse said I had to get up, I thought she was crazy. It hurt to laugh for a long time.

Once I recovered, though, I found that I could eat almost anything I wanted. I didn't need any medication. I wasn't tied to a bathroom any more. And most of all, I didn't have to constantly worry that some internal infection was going to kill me.

Having ostomy surgery was one of the best things I ever did.

Comments

[phoenix]

I don't have Crohns Disease but I do have severe IBS and I have had it since I was 21, I am now 49. I have no where the pain or problems you have had, but I do feel like a shut in. I can't go anywhere without knowing where the bathrooms are.

I support you 100% and I hope that they someday find a cure for both of us. Wish I could donate more!

Phoenix

[FTS]

Oh my, I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like. What an incredibly strong person you are.