Colostomy
A Patient's Perspective
By Craig J. M.
NOTICE
I am not a doctor and the information that follows
is not intended as medical advice. It is written to give you
an idea of how I survived my operation and some of the things
I found helpful along the way. All medical advice should be obtained
from your doctor. If you have questions about any of this
information,
ask your doctor. Your doctor is your source of medical advice
and his/her directions should always be followed above anything
else.
A Few Words About The Author
I had been experiencing acute pain for several
days prior to entering the hospital, but I ignored the pain until
it had built up to where I was rolled up in bed with severe cramps
and couldn't move. This was my biggest mistake. I should have
seen a doctor several days earlier and possibly my fate would
have been different.
On October 3, 1995 I entered the hospital with
an acute case of perforated diverticulitis, and peritonitis. The
peritonitis, a severe infection in the abdomen, was trying to
destroy my organs. As a result of this I ended up having a
colostomy.
On January 2, 1996 I returned to the hospital
to have the colostomy reversed. I was sent home for recovery on
January 7, 1996.
On January 14, 1996 I was back in the hospital
with complications due to the re-attachment of the colon failing,
and again I had abdominal infection. I was put under close watch
and given antibiotics until January 17, 1996 when the reversal
had completely failed and I again had peritonitis. Another colostomy
was done and a longer time was prescribed to allow the tissue
to heal before we would attempt another reversal.
On September 3, 1996 I again returned to the
hospital to have a reversal done. This time everything went as
it was supposed to and I am well on the road to resuming my life
as I knew it before all this started.
It is important to note that during my procedures
I had some of the best doctors and specialists available. Sometimes
when you are told that there is a 5% chance of failure there is
a real chance that it may happen to you, but you can't let that
stop you. I feel good that I had doctors that cared and were willing
to share information with me openly. This is not always the case
so you must insist on being informed. It is only through being
informed that you can make responsible decisions and have the
facts you need to have a successful, speedy recovery.
To sum it all up, I have been there, and, I
have done that!
I am writing this in hopes that my experiences
will help someone else get through similar experiences without
the uncertainty that comes from not knowing what to expect. Who
better to tell you what to expect than someone who has been through
this them self.
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