Have you undergone surgical resection of ascending colon in Crohns Colitis?

Question

Do you know any people living with it? Well, I am undergoing that surgery tomorrow and I dont know how life is after that and I wanted to know how it is. I dont trust my Doctor very much. I think they are just experimenting with me. So any informating would be valuable.

Answer 1

Procedures Used to Remove Damaged Portions of the Colon
The invasiveness of the surgical procedure to remove damaged portions of the colon depends on the severity of the disease:

Resection of the Colon. In most cases of Crohn's disease, only a part of the colon needs to be removed, a procedure called resection.



Subtotal Colectomy. Subtotal colectomy is more extensive than resection and removes more of the colon. Disease in the upper parts of the small intestine tends to require more extensive surgery than in the lower small intestine.
In general, either procedure requires a general anesthetic and involves the following:


An incision is made in the abdomen.
The diseased portion of the colon is identified and removed. (Strictureplasty is sometimes used alone with resection.)
Once a diseased segment of the colon is removed, the two ends are reconnected, and this connection is called an anastomosis.

Open Surgery or Laparoscopy. Resection or subtotal colectomy may be performed using one of two surgical approaches:


Open surgery, which requires a wide abdominal incision.
Laparoscopy, which uses a few small incisions through which a tube is inserted containing a tiny camera for viewing the area. To date, however, this procedure is best suited for patients with short-segment disease in the ileum who also have no other complications, such as fistulas and abscesses.



Complications after Resection or Subtotal Colectomy

1) Short-Bowel Syndrome. If large segments of the small intestine are removed, the patient is at higher risk for short-bowel syndrome, a complication in which there is a problem absorbing nutrients.


The risk is far lower with strictureplasty. which involves cutting and stitching only the areas obstructing the intestine, so that it widens the intestine without removing sections of it. Half of patients require re-operation, but strictureplasty in the jejunum and ileum of the small intestine is safe and generally effective over the long term. It may not be useful for Crohn's disease in duodenum (the first section of the small intestine


The condition, short bowel syndrome used to be fatal, but patients now can live normal and productive lives using total parenteral nutrition (the intravenous administration of nutrients), which can now be self-administered at home in many cases.


2) Leakage or obstruction can occur in the areas where the colon has been reconnected (the anastomosis).


I3) Infections.


Disease Recurrence after Surgery
Recurrence of Crohn's disease is very common after any procedure. One expert described the risk as being between 7% and 25% for each year after resection, with an average risk of 50% at five years after resection. (Even if the entire colon is removed there is still a high chance of recurrence in the rectum and a somewhat lower risk for recurrence in the small intestine.)

Patients at highest risk for recurrence are the following:

Smokers
Those whose disease occurred in the ileum (the lowest part of the small intestine) and colon. (One expert reported an 86% chance of recurrence.)
Those with abscesses or fistulas.
Those have had previous surgeries.
Various agents have been used to prevent recurrence. They include the antibiotics metronidazole, mesalamine and mercaptopurine. These agents, however, can have severe side effects. And it is not clear if these or any other agents are effective in preventing recurrence. Even if medications can help prevent recurrence in some patients, it is not yet known who these individuals might be. (In any case, steroids do not appear to help prevent recurrence.)


Emergency Surgeries

In some cases, surgery is needed for emergency conditions that can occur with Crohn's disease. The conditions most likely to require such surgery in Crohn's disease include the following:

Stopping severe intestinal bleeding.
Clearance of small bowel obstruction.
Surgery to drain and heal abscesses or fistulas.
Surgery to repair perforation


WHERE ELSE CAN HELP BE FOUND FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE?

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (www.ccfa.org). Call 800-932-2423 or 212-685-3440. Primary site for information on IBD.

United Network for Organ Sharing (www.unos.org). Information on organ transplantation. At this time, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has performed the most small-bowel transplantations.

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (www.ccfc.ca). Call: 416-920-5035, or 800-387-1479.

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (http://www.niddk.nih.gov)

American Gastroenterological Association (http://www.gastro.org). Call 301-654-2055.

American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (http://www.asge.org). Call 978-526-8330.

American College of Gastroenterology (http://www.acg.gi.org). Call 703-820-7400.

Find a Gastroenterologist (http://www.acg.gi.org/acg-dev/patientinfo/frame_phylocator.asp)

Descriptions of colonoscopy and colectomy (http://www.yoursurgery.com/Procedures.cfm?BR=1

Answer 2

If in doubt leave it out. How about trying the self healing colitis and crohns diet first by David Klein PdH, before the surgery?
He healed himself through nutrition. His healing diet goes like this: melon, peeled apple, pear, grapes, peeled cucumber, plums, apricots, raisins, mango, banana, smoothies, no milk,
then there are more foods to reintroduce when healing has taken place.
Excerpt from book:
"In the last year of my illness, my colon was ravaged with ulcerations and my health was in ruins, and surgical removal of my colon was recommended. At that time, I was consulting a nutrition guideance counsellor who had a doctorate in Natural Hygiene. He recommeded that I follow a natural diet of essentially only fruits and vegetables. At first I rejected his advice, then I began to clean up my diet.....
to one of mostly uncooked fruits and vegetables,and the result was astonishing, my colon immediately and rapidly began healing up, and totally and permanently healed within 4 weeks."
His contact details are:
[e-mail]
Ph (707) 5660404, or (877)7406082 between noon and 3 p.m. pacific standard time Tues to Thurs.
All the best.