Hello all.
I haven't posted in a long time it seems. Life has been slightly hectic with returning to work and getting used to a routine after being off for nearly a year.
I guess that's what motivated me to write this evening.
One year.
It is one year ago today that I got sick. How things have changed in that time.
I went from being fat, dumb and happy one hour, to on my way to the hospital in the worst pain I have ever felt in my life shortly thereafter.
I woke after ten days in a coma to find myself with tubes coming out of every orifice, and some new holes they created just for the occasion. I was paralyzed from the knees down and in both hands. I spent 50+ days in the hospital, a relationship ended, I couldn't walk, and I was not working.
Fast forward 9 months. The same surgeon that performed my ileostomy did a reversal. He spent nearly 8 hours putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. I was out of the hospital in just over a week.
Make no mistake, the bag saved my life, and at one time I even pondered not having a reversal..the nightmares of the original hospital stay still haunting me, but I had the chance and thought I owed it to myself and those around me to at least try.
Here I am..13 weeks post-reversal. What a difference. I was fortunate enough to retain about half of my large intestine, and even though he spent hours cleaning up adhesions and scar tissue, I am, for all intents, back to normal. Yes, some days what I eat doesn't agree with me, but I can live with it. I am back to work, slowly working my way up to 8-hour days.
Why am I writing this, some of you may ask? Even though I may not post as much publicly here as I once did, I do read a lot of the posts here. I see a few new members and lots of questions and fears. The same ones that I had not so long ago. I just wanted to say to them don't be afraid, ask your questions. There are so many here that have lived through this and are more than willing to share their experiences both good and bad.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that I encountered here that offered advice, guidance and a place to vent. You have helped me in ways that you cannot imagine.
I consider myself one of the lucky ones, I guess. I came through a condition that is usually caught earlier and even then carries a less than 50% survival rate.
I am here today thanks to a brilliant surgeon, my family, and I am sure some help from the man upstairs. I still walk with a cane, and my feet hurt, but as they say, pain is life's way of letting you know you are still alive.
I'm not trying to rub it in anyone's face that I had a successful reversal, but simply to share that it is possible. In my humble, non-medical opinion, talk to your doctor and if you have the chance consider it. If you don't have the opportunity for whatever reason, having a bag isn't the end of the world.
There is hope.
Good luck to everyone and thanks for all the support.