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I have been having GI issues for the past 8-10 years. I am 51, married, fit and active male. I work full time as a sales rep which involves constant travel.
The ever constant fevers and intentional pain landed me in the hospital quite a few times. I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. The fevers and pain started to come more frequently. Last July, 2019, 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. My sigmoid colon was adhered and calcified to my abdominal wall. 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. Defiantly life altering. 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 was 100 times worse. 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. Where to start. There are many great online medical companies that provide samples of products like Northshore and HDIS. HDIS will send you a box of all different types of diapers to sample. You can call Northshore and they will also send you free samples. I’m sure most of you know about this, but figured I’d let you know. 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 in Late January 2020. The 2nd surgery did not go as planned. My large intestines were reattached but I was now left with a temporary Ileostomy. They also had to remove another 6 inches of colon to reattach healthy ends. To make matters worse, the Rectal stump that was stapled during the first procedure attached itself to my bladder. During the removal, my bladder was lacerated. Now 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 have 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, in Mid-march I had the 3rd surgery to reconnect all my plumbing. They had to remove an additional 4 inches of my small intestine to reattach. I had it just in time before elective surgeries were stopped in my state. I couldn’t be happier. 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 am amazed by all of your inspirational stories and how you have coped with your “new way of life”. I hope to one day be back in my tightly whities full time. I am grateful that I am still alive. That I have no more diverticulitis attacks, fevers and that dreaded white stuff which always followed an attack. 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 an abdominal hernia. I was told that I will need to wait at least a year to have this repaired while everything else heals. I’m wondering if this may be the cause of my ongoing urinary problems?
I am thankfully negative for Crohn’s, IBS and ULC.
I see my urologist in September and hope to have an answer 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?
My company that I have worked for the past 20+ years has been amazing throughout all of this. Due to Covid19, I am one of the lucky few that I can work from home for now. I hope that by the time I go back in the field I have control over this.
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.
The ever constant fevers and intentional pain landed me in the hospital quite a few times. I was diagnosed with acute diverticulitis. The fevers and pain started to come more frequently. Last July, 2019, 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. My sigmoid colon was adhered and calcified to my abdominal wall. 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. Defiantly life altering. 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 was 100 times worse. 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. Where to start. There are many great online medical companies that provide samples of products like Northshore and HDIS. HDIS will send you a box of all different types of diapers to sample. You can call Northshore and they will also send you free samples. I’m sure most of you know about this, but figured I’d let you know. 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 in Late January 2020. The 2nd surgery did not go as planned. My large intestines were reattached but I was now left with a temporary Ileostomy. They also had to remove another 6 inches of colon to reattach healthy ends. To make matters worse, the Rectal stump that was stapled during the first procedure attached itself to my bladder. During the removal, my bladder was lacerated. Now 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 have 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, in Mid-march I had the 3rd surgery to reconnect all my plumbing. They had to remove an additional 4 inches of my small intestine to reattach. I had it just in time before elective surgeries were stopped in my state. I couldn’t be happier. 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 am amazed by all of your inspirational stories and how you have coped with your “new way of life”. I hope to one day be back in my tightly whities full time. I am grateful that I am still alive. That I have no more diverticulitis attacks, fevers and that dreaded white stuff which always followed an attack. 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 an abdominal hernia. I was told that I will need to wait at least a year to have this repaired while everything else heals. I’m wondering if this may be the cause of my ongoing urinary problems?
I am thankfully negative for Crohn’s, IBS and ULC.
I see my urologist in September and hope to have an answer 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?
My company that I have worked for the past 20+ years has been amazing throughout all of this. Due to Covid19, I am one of the lucky few that I can work from home for now. I hope that by the time I go back in the field I have control over this.
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.
. I found the oxybutinin helps for spasms but also makes me thirsty and makes my eyes feel a little dry now and then. Other than that it does a good job with spasms. I did try the Botox shots in my bladder and they really helped for about 4 months. I don’t know with your current healing going on if you could try that too.
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Welcome to the forum!
