Colon Resection

[livingwith]

Had been having stomaches and some pain on lower left side for a year and a half never thought much of it until one day returning from vaction unloaded rv went for some in in out burgers after half the burger went to kitchen once my foot hit the tile that was it, chills hit with a vengence never felt anything like it before.
Within the hour fever and then pain in the belly set in being a guy I lasted the night and half the mourning being begged by my wife to go to the hospital finally just coul...Read the full article

[Redtape]

As my post in this section indicates, I have had the surgery and I'm very pleased. I went through the pain, ER's, and hospital stays, and like you I decided to bite the bullet. I had the unfortunate experience of being 1000 mile from home last March and being in so much pain I had to visit an out-of-state hospital for 5 days. After the second hospital stay after I got home in April, I went to see a colon surgeon. He had no doubts that the surgery was needed after view the CT scans.

So I went through the same thought process, same fears, and the same final decision. I'm now pain free, no special diet, and I no longer carry antibiotics when I travel. My only thoughts are to find a surgeon that does a lot of colon resections, and ask what you can do to prevent infection. I did not get an infection, but others have. And one more thought..... use the breathing device they give you in the hospital to prevent pneumonia and the like. I did not faithfully use it and ended up with an upper respiratory problem. I had had so much antibiaotics that they were afraid to give me any more. Therefore, I suffered for a few weeks from breathing problems.

I had surgery in the afternoon, and that evening was the only time I would say that I had pain. I really don't remember too much of that evening because they kept me doped up. After that evening the pain was very bearable and every day was better than the last. Soon it all over, and you wonder why you were so hesitant to begin with. Good luck.

[mccall1066]

Hey, good luck with the surgery on the 3rd. I'll be thinking of you as I check in on the same day for surgery the following morning on the 4th.

After nearly 2 years of putting things off, masses of pain control and a life of continous anti-biotics, I cant any longer and really do wish I had overcome what I now realise was fear of pain and loss of control. Unfortunately, things got pretty bad left side with pooh smaller than toothpaste from a tube, right side with similar amounts of pain and now in the bladder where infection has burst through from the colon. So many infections in the bowel and the waterworks. What an idiot I've been.

Best of luck.

[Redtape]

Just as a note, I don't think losing control is anything you have to worry about on a normal colon re-section. The surgery is done well above what contols things.

I asked my doctor the question prior to surgery and was told that the surgery would not affect contol. He was obviouly confident that control was not an issure. My bowel movements have been very normal, and they have been since my release 10 weeks ago. Perhaps I have a few more during the week than I did prior to the surgery, but nothing at all to worry about. Essentially, I can say there were no negative side effects other than I'll have to drop out of the "beautiful belly button contest" this year. LOL

Just remember that a few weeks after your surgery you'll be joking about it too. Good Luck

[Rosalie Jean]

Hope you are doing well, could you please tell me who your surgeon was and at what hospital did you have it done. I also need to have the surgery and need to find a doctor. Thanks Rosalie

[Redtape]

Rosalie,

Most people think their doctor is good, but I must say that that I was very fortunate to have the doctor that I had. He is a specialist in colon and rectal surgery, and I had 14 inches of my colon removed through a 2" incision. That in itself isn't what mades him a good surgeon, but it did make recovery easier.

My surgeon's name is Dr. Kennedy, at University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. I believe he is also certified to practice at Mayo's. He is young, sharp, competent, and a nice guy. His name is Dr. Gregory Kennedy, and you can do a little research on him at the following:

http://findadoctor.uwhealth.org/findadoctor/Provider.action?_sourcePage=%2Fresults.jsp&id=8072#

I think that it is important to go to someone that does such surgerys very frequently, a specialist. I was in the hospital at three different hospitals, and each one had a surgeon that I spoke with. Dr. Kennedy by far had more confidence and knowledgeable that other surgeons that I spoke with. As a matter of fact, I found out about him from someone who just happened on vacation in Wisconsin when their colon burst, and after transfering between several hospitals Dr. Kennedy ended up doing the emergency surgery. The person had nothing but praise for Dr. Kennedy, and that is what led me to research his back ground. I think he can be contacted at 800-329-9042.

Get a specialist that does 90% of his surgerys laproscopically. They know their stuff. Good luck!

[Rosalie Jean]

Thanks a lot, I live in Chicago, so Wisconsin is not too far.