Hello everyone, what a great and informative forum, just what I need at this time.
My story, started years ago while at Uni, lots of trips to the loo and watery, bloody and then a peri-anal abscess. This I've found out is a classic symptom of Crohn's disease. Plenty of colonoscopy/endoscopy procedures, but nothing found. The last one was 5 years ago..
Anyway about 5 weeks ago I have what I now know as a 'flare-up', these where getting more and more regular, staying in bed bent double, sweating. Got up for a drink and boom, the most impossible pain. Called an ambulance and was admitted to A&E prodded and poked, asked lots of questions and the consensus was appendicitis, a CT scan knocked that back as I'd had a perforated small intestine.
OK - into surgery and 5 hours later the anesthetist is the first person I see after coming round, I ask what went on and she informed me a 100cm of small intestine/appendix and the ileocecal valve along with a bit of the large intestine was removed and now I have a double barrel Ileocecectomy or in simple terms an active ileostomy. We're not finished here.....
I did well in ITU after a few days of self medding with morphine, picc line with custom TPN feeding me along with IV antibiotics and water I was bumped into HDU for another few days and onto solid food. Real progress, I moved down onto the ward, my drain was removed and I was changing my stoma bag and getting used to the facts, but still waiting for results on what I actually suffered - the results came back after 1 week as active Crohn's, bummer...
I woke to projectile vomiting luminous green bile and I looked grey - the surgeon didn't like the sound of this, told me I was to have another ct scan after I told him gas was exiting the drain hole, not good judging by the look on his face. Anyway an hour later the anesthetist comes in and tells me no ct scan 'you're going into surgery in 1 hour' - and I thought I'd be out in a few more days, talk about a setback!
Turns out another 5 hour operation 6 days after the first, the small intestine that was removed was pushing down on a section of the large intestine inflaming it and that too had perforated, so I now woke up with a colostomy to go with my ileostomy, and another drain tube, I was is agony - I'd lost 2 stone at this point so not a pick on me. Same story in ITU/HDU, recovering well and back down onto the ward after another week of seriously quality nursing. I'm at 3 weeks at this point and back onto high protein diet, with full english breakfasts!!!which I devoured with gusto.
There's no doubt the surgeons saved my life, and it's such s relief to know what's wrong with me after all these years of thinking I was just suffering from IBS.
After 4 weeks in Hospital, I've been at home for 5 days, put on about half a stone, I just eat read and sleep and change my pouches at the moment.
Anyone care to comment on what I've got to look forward to with this new found lifestyle change?!
thanks for reading what must be a long and rather rough tale, but I'm an optimist and looking forward to a brighter - pain free (almost?) future. Take care
My story, started years ago while at Uni, lots of trips to the loo and watery, bloody and then a peri-anal abscess. This I've found out is a classic symptom of Crohn's disease. Plenty of colonoscopy/endoscopy procedures, but nothing found. The last one was 5 years ago..
Anyway about 5 weeks ago I have what I now know as a 'flare-up', these where getting more and more regular, staying in bed bent double, sweating. Got up for a drink and boom, the most impossible pain. Called an ambulance and was admitted to A&E prodded and poked, asked lots of questions and the consensus was appendicitis, a CT scan knocked that back as I'd had a perforated small intestine.
OK - into surgery and 5 hours later the anesthetist is the first person I see after coming round, I ask what went on and she informed me a 100cm of small intestine/appendix and the ileocecal valve along with a bit of the large intestine was removed and now I have a double barrel Ileocecectomy or in simple terms an active ileostomy. We're not finished here.....
I did well in ITU after a few days of self medding with morphine, picc line with custom TPN feeding me along with IV antibiotics and water I was bumped into HDU for another few days and onto solid food. Real progress, I moved down onto the ward, my drain was removed and I was changing my stoma bag and getting used to the facts, but still waiting for results on what I actually suffered - the results came back after 1 week as active Crohn's, bummer...
I woke to projectile vomiting luminous green bile and I looked grey - the surgeon didn't like the sound of this, told me I was to have another ct scan after I told him gas was exiting the drain hole, not good judging by the look on his face. Anyway an hour later the anesthetist comes in and tells me no ct scan 'you're going into surgery in 1 hour' - and I thought I'd be out in a few more days, talk about a setback!
Turns out another 5 hour operation 6 days after the first, the small intestine that was removed was pushing down on a section of the large intestine inflaming it and that too had perforated, so I now woke up with a colostomy to go with my ileostomy, and another drain tube, I was is agony - I'd lost 2 stone at this point so not a pick on me. Same story in ITU/HDU, recovering well and back down onto the ward after another week of seriously quality nursing. I'm at 3 weeks at this point and back onto high protein diet, with full english breakfasts!!!which I devoured with gusto.
There's no doubt the surgeons saved my life, and it's such s relief to know what's wrong with me after all these years of thinking I was just suffering from IBS.
After 4 weeks in Hospital, I've been at home for 5 days, put on about half a stone, I just eat read and sleep and change my pouches at the moment.
Anyone care to comment on what I've got to look forward to with this new found lifestyle change?!
thanks for reading what must be a long and rather rough tale, but I'm an optimist and looking forward to a brighter - pain free (almost?) future. Take care
