Question about surgery

question about surgery

How likely is it to need surgery after a crohns diagnosis?Is it pretty much inevitable?

Hey wi girl... How likely is it to have surgery if you don't have crohns? Did you get your tonsils out? What about your appendix? OK, kidding a little.. I've had 3 operations in last 1 1/2 years... Guess what? Surgery is a walk in the park... Any pain/discomfort, etc.. from surgery is nothing compared to the typcal day/day symptoms of colitis, crohns, IBD, etc.. Think you'll find all who have had surgery feel that it was a blessing... a real life improvement. I am not suggesting to run out and sign up for elective surgery as a form of recreation... In fact, unless it's an emergency, if anyone suggest surgery I'd seek a 2nd opinion... Not that the suggestion is wrong, but once done there is no turning back... Understand? If you and 1st & 2nd opinion doctors feel that you will benefit from surgery, then surgery is not something to fear. I've felt at my best after all my operations... but they didn't cure my IBD either.

The statistics are not in your favour for avoiding surgery... Some studies say that surgery 5 years after diagnosis is in the 70-80% range.

I definately agree with Kev. Surgery, was if anything, TOO EASY! To think that to get rid of all my symptoms I went through what basically was easier than some of the flairs I went through...

Surgery though is not inevitable. If you can maintain a satisfactory quality of life, then you do not need surgery. You will have to decide what is best for you throughout the journey ahead with your disease.

Ok I have to agree and disagree with some things. I agree surgery is a walk in the park compared, and I agree you'll feel much better and your life will improve. What Im not a fan of is 2nd opinion'n everything. Find yourself a doctor that you trust and trust him or her, dont get their opinion then walk out and say well thats not good enough and get another. If its not good enough from the beginning, dont use that doc, but dont go shopping for the opinion you want. Thats the way I think of it. I've had 3 resections, an ostomy, an ostomy replaced, and 16 outpatient surgeries for rectal abcesses, 3 outpatient for kidney stones, and one abdominal abcess.

I agree with Skinsfan.. but Im a big chicken. I will avoid surgery for as long as I possibly can and try all the meds they want to throw at me before I will even think about accepting it. I was very very close a few months ago to losing my entire colon, but thankfully the MTX shots and remicade finally started to work, and I just cross my fingers they work for a while.
but I realize that some day.. I will prob not have a choice in the matter. I will deal with that when it happens I suppose.

p.s. very scary statistice Mike.. dont know if I want to thank you for sharing that or throw something at you lol

Hi

im back to front i went in to have appendix out n came out with most of large bowel removed then diagnosed a few weeks later :hugs:

Surgery sucks but the pain you will be in before surgery will hurt a lot more... So post op you should feel a lot better than you did pre op.... Also useful tidbit for when they do slice you up tell them to go ahead and remove your appendix too...

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s739531.htm

I thought that was pretty customary, its not GNC crohns man?