A second chance - My silly and philosophical look at the cure for Colitis

Countdown thoughts till my Oct 29 2009 surgery where I will be disemboweled to "cure" me of Crohn's/Colitis. My large intestine will be removed.

Memories can be short lived. My hope is that this blog will be a useful tool after surgery, to help me and others remember how challenging things were prior to surgery. To help us appreciate having a "second chance" and keep things in perspective despite a changed body image and new challenges.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Few decisions are harder.

Why I am opting for Door 1
Unless my second surgeon gives me an opinion that I am an incredible candidate for a successful J-pouch I am opting to not go for it. Here's why:

-I don't want to worry about what I eat so much anymore.. wondering if I just caused pouchitis/cuffitis or other inflammations
-I don't want to leak at night
-I don't want to have to go through 6 months to a year more of this terrible quality of life as I retrain the pouch
-I don't want to have to think about more surgeries looming (stage 2 and stage 3)
-I don't want complex plumbing that can leak and cause sepsis

What do I want?
-I want to be strong and just make a decision (the external bag). And make it work. And maybe I won't love it but I want to become used to it and be free again. Freedom. And if I can one day go for long hikes, jog, bike, rock climb and weightlift then I made the right choice.