onedayatatime
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Hoping that this site and many like it will provide great inspirational stories and Tips on how to manage and cope with life’s changes. I have been having GI issues for the past 15 years. I am 55, married, fit and active. I work full time as a sales rep which involves constant travel. I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. I decided to have Diverticulitis Surgery. I was assured that since it was elective and not emergency surgery, it would be a less riskier procedure and I would be back to normal in no time. The surgery did not go as planned. As a result the surgeon removed 16 inches of my sigmoid colon and part of my rectum. It was called a partial colectomy. As a result, I had an colostomy bag for 7 months. The ostomy was required to allow the intentional inflammation to subside before attempting to reattach. The calcification was not picked up in the multiple Cat scans I have taken over the years. It was a result of scaring from all of the attacks and the multiple rounds of antibiotics that were prescribed. The colostomy took a great deal to get used to. However, there was always the light at the end of the tunnel. I had uncontrollable discharge for the first few months as a result of the severe inflammation. The inflammation also caused urinary issues as well. Because of this and never knowing when and how much it was recommended to wear a pad as protection. The pad was not a problem, I already had a ostomy bag which also took some getting used to.. Unfortunately, the pads did not always work for me. My wife suggested to experiment with different absorbable products so that I could get a good nights sleep and feel confident to leave the house. There are many great online medical companies that provide samples of products l Everyone is different and what works for some will not work for others. I was thrilled, after 7 months to get rid of my ostomy bag. I have no regrets, the bag saved my life. I was to have the ostomy reversal But The 2nd surgery did not go as planned. I was now left with a temporary Ileostomy. They also had to remove another 6 inches of my colon. To make matters worse, During the removal, my bladder was lacerated. I was sent home with a new ileostomy and a catheter. I had the catheter for 18 days while my lacerated bladder was healing. The ileostomy had to be kept for 2 months to allow the large intestines to reconnect or anastomosis. The catheter was a nightmare as some of you know. It would leak and at times and I would have occasional spasms. My urologist prescribed Tamsulosin and Oxybutynin to help with this. So now for 2 months waiting for my 3rd surgery, I had an ileostomy bag, catheter and was relegated to diapers almost 24/7. Finally, I had the 3rd surgery to reconnect all my plumbing. They had to remove an additional 4 inches of my small intestine to reattach. The first 3 months required a bit of unexpected toilet training while my body got used to my new plumbing system. Not fun but it’s awesome not having the bag. Four months post surgery I seem to be getting better every day. I wake up to go to the bathroom at least twice a night, sometimes more. My urologist has diagnosed me with Nocturia, bladder spasms and frequency of micturition. I am still taking the Flomax (tamsulosin) and Oxybutynin. Additionally, I take Metamucil every day with a probiotic. I watch what I eat and use a daily diary. The accidents have diminished somewhat but I still wear protection if I go out for an extended time or at night. I understand that after 3 major surgeries it will take some time to heal. I hope to one day be back in my tightly whities full time. I am grateful that I have no more diverticulitis attacks or fevers. My advice is that if you are diagnosed with acute diverticulitis, DON’T WAIT! have the surgery. I waited too long. Since I was cut open 3 times, I did develop abdominal hernias. I was told that I will need to wait at least a year or more to have this repaired while everything else heals. I’m wondering if this may be the cause of my ongoing urinary problems? I had over 26 inches of my intestines removed. My Sigmoid colon and part of my rectum were removed. I see my urologist twice a year and hope to have an answers for my Nocturia and occasional spasms. I am wondering if anybody else on this site has gone through anything similar? If so how long ago and how you are mending? Have you gotten your confidence back? This site and others like it, provide great support for all of us. Unless you go through this yourself, others can’t relate. For now I take things one day at a time, go for my daily walks with my wife and enjoy living
