When bowel surgery for colitis is undertaken you may be seriously ill or perhaps in remission and have good health, yet a problem has been identified and surgery is required. It is a prospect filled with the unknown of how you are going to cope physically and mentally for the immediate period after the operation and further into the future.
Your concern can be further intensified by the knowledge that not only is it major surgery, it is the bowel area what will be affected. Thoughts of how on earth can the body function without a large bowel are only natural as is the further concern of whether it possible to live a normal life without the large bowel. Whilst it maybe questionable to believe, it is possible for the body to function adequately without it and life, post operations, can be lived in a fairly normal manner.
When you are admitted to hospital you will be assessed and perhaps tests undertaken, such as a colonoscopy, to confirm the diagnosis. Of course, with any surgery you always have a choice though if you have been admitted due to a serious relapse of colitis and surgery has been recommended as being required, it would be unusual to refuse it. The alternative is a very high and increasing chance of perforation of the bowel. That would lead to the creation of a whole lot more serious and life threatening problems relating to the poisoning of the body.
The first operation will most likely be the start of a surgical timetable where you will be facing several operations to not only take out the affected bowel or part thereof and the creation of an ileostomy, but further surgical procedures will see the creation of an internal pouch which acts as a reservoir to store waste matter with further ileostomies as required.
The first surgical procedure itself will take approximately four to five hours and you should have prepared questions that you may want to ask the surgical team before you have the surgery. It is always better to enter the hospital operating theater with a degree of knowledge and understanding of the procedures and what to expect physically when you wake up so as to avoid any less than welcome surprises.
It is essential to know and understand that whilst surgery for colitis is required, this does not suggest that your lifestyle will cease to be enjoyable and fulfilling. As there are changes ahead to the design of your internal plumbing, you will have to adapt to the outcome from these changes yet this should not impair the quality of your life that much. By understanding the surgical process that you face and what it means for the workings of your body, you will be able to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. By utilizing effective methods to reduce pain and increase mobility during the hospital stay, the time spent there can be reduced and the post op convalescence made easier.
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