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Possible surgery

I fell horribly ill on Friday and have been the same (although with some slight improvement) over the weekend. Had horrible pain on my right side, constipated for 3 days, no appetite and felt sick constantly. the most I can manage to eat is soup.

Had an appointment with my consultant today and he said the ultrasound I had last week shows that the inflammation in my illeum is starting to move out of the bowel. I cant remember the technical terms for it but that was what he basically said. He thinks I will need surgery but he wants me to have a CT scan and then possibly see a surgeon.

I am having the CT scan on Wed - although im not sure what time it is at - Will have to ring the hosptial tomorrow and find out. But then Id ont have an appointment to see the doctor again so dont know when I will get the results. He is normally very good though so he might ring me - or do you think I should go to the appointments desk after the CT and see when he can see me??

anyway - I am worried about having surgery. On Friday I was terrible but it has gotten better over the weekend and I can walk (slightly hunched over aparently) and I did manage to go to the toilet this morning. I still feel sick and cant face eating much but the pain is only bad if you press on the area affected or if I lie down. So maybe it will just resolve itself??

If I do have to have surgery he said to have a think about any questions I may have - but I cant think of what I should ask - can anyone help?

I am felling very emotional today and keep having to stop myself from crying. I really thought I was doing ok until recently. :(


xx
 
Last edited:

DustyKat

Super Moderator
First of all I would ask straight away after the CT Scan when you can get the results and see the doctor. Maybe if the CT confirms what the doctor suspects they will push you through anyway.

anyway - I am worried about having surgery. On Friday I was terrible but it has gotten better over the weekend and I can walk (slightly hunched over aparently) and I did manage to go to the toilet this morning. I still feel sick and cant face eating much but the pain is only bad if you press on the area affected or if I lie down. So maybe it will just resolve itself??
Personally I don't think it is just going to go resolve itself. Even when things are bad the symptoms can wax and wane a bit.

Questions I would ask:

Why am I having surgery?

What sort of surgery am I having? Will it be open or laparoscopic?

Where is the problem and how much bowel do you think you will have to remove?

What can I expect when I get out of theatre (IV's, drains, tubes etc)?

How long will they be in for?

If everything is straightforward, how long will I be in hospital?

When and what can I can eat post op?

How long does a full recovery normally take?

Once I am home what should I look for that may tell me something isn't right?

HTH, :)
Dusty
 

Astra

Moderator
Hi Vickie

And this is defo? Have they exhausted every med? Will they approve a biologic?
This is what I would want to know before they go ahead with surgery
good luck with everything, hope you're ok
xxxx
 
Thanks for the help - I definetly need to ask more cos I am really confused by it all!

Joan - You raise a good point which I have been thinking about since I left the hospital yesterday. We havent exhausted every medication. When I went to the hospital just over a week ago the doctor said we needed to start thinking about changing my meds and he suggested trying infliximab. Then when I went to see him yesterday he just said he thinks I need surgery (but we need a CT scan first). I was in a bit of shock so didnt ask him why we couldnt change my meds first to see if that helps (dont know why I didnt ask it just didnt cross my mind at the time!). He is going to ring me tomorrow so I am going to ask him then. I mean he must have a reason or he wouldnt just suggest surgery!!

Are there any benefits to having surgery rather than trying new meds?

I suppose I need to have the scan, speak to my doc again and then if necessary speak to the surgeon and weigh up the options!

Thanks again

xx
 
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