I had about 1 1/2 feet of colon removed (how the feet got in there is anybody's guess, I sure don't remember eating them, and where did the other half foot go?).. OK, for those raised on the metric system, I think that's about 48 cm (give or take). Here's the thing.. If I'd have found out about LDN sooner, then I could have spared myself the operation and kept my GI tract intact. I'm not saying surgery isn't an option, or beneficial, or even often the best choice; but it is a permanent decision. And as such, it is worth trying almost all other options first before going with a surgical solution. Many have opted for surgery, and their lives have improved. But it doesn't always work that way. For instance, when I first joined this site, years ago, many folks felt that UC wasn't as bad as CD, because (as many stated) ' you simply have a full colostomy and the UC goes away'. Well, in my early days, many doctors thought I had UC. But, turns out they were wrong. If I'd taken the advice offered to cure my 'mis-diagnosed' UC and had all my colon removed, it wouldn't have cured anything, and I'd be in much worse shape today. With my current remaining colon, I can perform my job, keep my job and paycheck AND more importantly all my health and disability benefits. One of the other things to consider is that, if too much bowel is removed, you can develop short bowel syndrome, and the consequences of that are almost as bad as the disease itself. Again, don't get me wrong... I had surgery, it was the only option available at the time (report on LDN came out months after I had resection), and my surgery was a walk in the park. Just that surgery is a, and perhaps should be considered, 'final' choice.
