Nervous about surgery, need advice

Hi lovely people,

I have a problem with my stoma that needs surgical intervention, in essence it needs re-siting as I have fistulae which cause leakage and soreness.

That in itself is possible to deal with, it's just the anaesthetic I am a bit nervous of. In December, I had a perforated duodenal ulcer which decided to perforate when I was on night duty! It caused a bit of a kerfuffle.

I stopped breathing during the procedure and spent four days on life support.

I am unsure of whether to go ahead. BUT I want this fixed so that I can continue the full life that I now, eventually, can lead.

Any thoughts would be so welcome.

Triciax

P.S. A joke may ensue within the next few days, batten down all of your hatches.

I had my stoma resited 3 years ago for a perforated bowel. I had an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic in surgery and my heart stopped. I had my last major surgery almost 2 years ago, which went without any problems.

Blimey - no wonder you are nervous .... I have had 21 anaesthetics in the last few years and am fortunate in that I don't have any problem with them (having said that, I do seem to have been in Recovery an awfully long time last time out with no satisfactory explanation as to why!)

I think I would try and get to talk to the anaesthetist who will be assisting your surgeon and have a chat - hopefully he/she may be able to explain what and why re last time and what they can do differently this time?

All I can think of at the moment - good luck hun!

Keep us posted

Rach xx

Ostomies appear to be the gift that keeps on giving. Once you accept the ostomy, you think the nightmare of Crohn's is over. However, as I read on the forum, for many, it is just the beginning. You now deal with leakage, skin irritation, fistulas, hernias, infections, and so on. Also, none of us are getting any younger, so the ostomy may not be the only health issue to deal with. After the difficult decision to remove the colon and accept the stoma, it is a severe blow to accept a second (or 3rd, 4th, etc.) surgery to handle a fistula or a resite or a hernia. The ups and downs of dealing with the many associated issues can initiate major emotional problems and depression. Add to that the apprehension of a bad surgery and the possibility of a less than top-notch surgical team. My own Ilio surgery was 8 1/2 hours, and I also stopped breathing on the table.
Once you have made the decision to have a procedure, stay positive and think about how it will affect your life for the better. Speak with the doctors before they put you under and have all of your questions answered. Let them know of any problems you have had with a previous surgery. Living with Mr. Stoma is not for sissies. We are a tough lot, and we can handle what is thrown at us. I say let's get through it and get back to golf, dancing, motorcycles, or whatever it is that makes you smile. Peace!!

Thank you Panther,

That must have been so scary for you. I am really encouraged that you came through it.

Hope you are really well now and thank you for replying.

Thank you also Rach, you are so wise and always give sound advice.

I will do what you suggested before I sign anything!

Much love,

Tippix

Thank you also, Bad,

You are dead right,

Stomas are not for wimps!!

Much love,

Tippix

Tippix,

As you know, the body, mainly the autonomic center of the brain, interprets general anesthesia as a body shut down. This is why it's not surgery, it's the anesthetic that is most life-threatening.

You might ask if a twilight medicine can be used. These days, full facelifts and breast augmentations are done using the lighter anesthetic.

Many surgeons opt for the twilight anesthetic for operations that are not long in duration and/or are fairly localized to one area.

This seems to be a fairly new and less dangerous way to approach some invasive procedures.

I know some facelifts can take up to several hours and involve a lot of cutting, although I don't think very deep.

Just something to think about and ask your doctor.

One more item I would like to add. I have had a general anesthetic close to 10 times. Other than one time I had a terrible war trauma flashback when coming out of the "coma," which was unbelievable, mostly for the nurses I threw into the wall. It only lasted a minute or two, thank my lucky stars.
Since that episode, they changed the formula a bit for me.

I think if you have good documentation as to your bad experience, they may be well able to compensate for it and take extra vigil while you are under.

I hope all goes well for you, I am pulling for you.

Rick.....

Tricia, we have all ducked for cover. Let the jokes fly.

(PS, I'm going to get an English to English dictionary for translation)

I have just had my stoma resited and it's a long road, but I am getting there. Still not eating solid food yet.

Hi Trish,
I have always been very fortunate with anesthesia and in fact look forward to those times to put me out of all my misery or sleep problems. What I don't like is coming out of it and the nurse asking me what my pain level is when it's excruciating and just give me the meds, please! I hope that it goes well for you and keep us posted -- we worry... Hugs and best wishes, Carolyn (TL)

Sorry you had such a bad experience with anesthesia. As suggested, speak with your doctors because they would want to know this.

On the other hand, they can sedate me for anything... blood test, filling out forms.

You'll be okay this time, especially once you inform your physicians.

Hi Tip, all,

I read the posts on this thread, and it made me reflect on my more than 40+ years of living with an ostomy. Even with 2 pregnancies and a lot of weight fluctuation, I've never had to have revision surgery (although that day is coming) and I've only had two (scary) peristomal bleeds that required visits to the emergency room. That's not a bad record for all these years. Yes, I've had leaks and skin issues, blockages, and stomach upsets, and even though those are getting more frequent, it's just "my life," as others without ostomies deal with digestive and bowel issues. I guess I've been relatively lucky in this regard, but not so much with "general" health. Since my 20's and many as a result of the years of illness, I have diabetes, kidney disease, failure, bladder function issues, hepatitis C, chronic allergy and sinus issues (multiple surgeries), chronic sleep apnea, rosacea, skin cancer, pyoderma gangrenosum (UC on the skin), high blood pressure, thyroid issues, peripheral artery disease, degenerative disc disease, and osteoporosis for the second time in my life. Despite exercise and diet, there are days that I feel like I'm really 110 years old (now pounds). In reality, I'm a walking talking miracle, and the two children I was able to bear are miraculous, in that they came from my battered and diseased body. So when I think I've had "too much" to handle, I think of the alternative and just keep at doing what I've been doing. Life is certainly better than the alternative, and although it isn't always easy (perhaps an understatement), I do the best I can and enjoy every good day, hour, minute.

It's taken me a long time to come to peace with my past and to accept and appreciate all the good there's been between the "dramas." I wish all of you the same kind of peace.

Best wishes.

Immarsh

Since my 20's and many as a result of the years of illness, I have diabetes, kidney disease, failure, bladder function issues, hepatitis C, chronic allergy and sinus issues (multiple surgeries), chronic sleep apnea, rosacea, skin cancer, pyoderma gangrenosum (UC on the skin), high blood pressure, thyroid issues, peripheral artery disease, degenerative disc disease, and osteoporosis for the second time in my life.

Hello Immarsh:

I was reading your message and the words pyoderma gangrenosum (UC on the skin) caught my eye. I was diagnosed with UC back in 2005 along with a perforated bowel. I had a temporary colostomy back then which ended with a reversal. In May of 2010, I was having major issues and have since then ended up with my colon removed and an ileostomy (permanent). Truly a nightmare for me since I had multiple surgeries, almost died 3 times due to infections, got nutrition through a pic line and last but not least I can't forget the fistulas.

I have had this major sore spot right under where the wafer on my bag lays that looks like and like a 3rd degree burn. My surgeon has done skin biopsies and cultures.....results usually come back as a "non-healing wound" but no mention of pyoderma? NOW my ostomy nurse is the one who keeps saying it looks like this is the pyoderma you mentioned. Sometimes the sore looks like it starts to heal and then bang it is all raw and out of control. The surgeon wants me to see a dermatologist that maybe can shed some light on what is going on. It is just so frustrating that all in all I feel pretty good and feel blessed to be alive BUT this sore has got to go.

Any thoughts, ideas, and/or suggestions are welcome.
Bonnie/seasport