My sistser survived a full colon removal operation

[dgold44]

She had 5 hours of surgery and the doctors In Chicago removed her entire freakin COLON. IT was either that or a slow death. She went from 130 pounds to 105 pounds in 6 months and was slowly dying.
She needs 3-6 months to recover and then a second surgery when they mend parts of her small inst. to form a new colon to hold fecal matter. Right now she has the bag attached for 3 months.
Even with the insane non-stop PAIN ,she continued to work as a Doctor for 35 hours a week, and help raise her 3 children. That is more strength I think I would have. I would be angry and mad and retreat. She showed great strength and her Colon is out and gone. Not sure what they did with it but I guess its in the bio-waste bag. her new colon wont be as good as the original but it will do the job

 

[ollinger]

her Colon is out and gone. Not sure what they did with it but I guess its in the bio-waste bag. her new colon wont be as good as the original but it will do the job

Wish her all the best with this, colon specializes in reabsorbing water and keeping you from dehydrating, while small intestine they used to make a colon-like container specializes in reabsorbing digested food and nutrients. So things may be somewhat, well, loose for her but hopefully preferable to the other alternative, an ostomy bag.
As for what they did with the old colon, removed human tissue is generally sent by law to be buried in what can only be called mass graves.....unless you choose, as a few do, to send it to places that will freeze it for you until your death. Like the pharaohs who apparently felt you wouldn't have slaves in the afterlife unless you were buried with a bunch of them, some have their amputated limbs or whatever kept frozen until they die as they believe they won't have them in afterlife unless they're buried with them.

 

[dgold44]

Wish her all the best with this, colon specializes in reabsorbing water and keeping you from dehydrating, while small intestine they used to make a colon-like container specializes in reabsorbing digested food and nutrients. So things may be somewhat, well, loose for her but hopefully preferable to the other alternative, an ostomy bag.
As for what they did with the old colon, removed human tissue is generally sent by law to be buried in what can only be called mass graves.....unless you choose, as a few do, to send it to places that will freeze it for you until your death. Like the pharaohs who apparently felt you wouldn't have slaves in the afterlife unless you were buried with a bunch of them, some have their amputated limbs or whatever kept frozen until they die as they believe they won't have them in afterlife unless they're buried with them.

The new one should work fine ????
Will she be dehydrated a lot

 

[ollinger]

The new one should work fine ????

Will she be dehydrated a lot

The "new one" is not colon tissue but rather is small intestine tissue, so likely won't reabsorb water as well, so her solid waste may not be so solid. She'll likely just need to drink a little more fluid than people without this condition.

 

[dgold44]

The "new one" is not colon tissue but rather is small intestine tissue, so likely won't reabsorb water as well, so her solid waste may not be so solid. She'll likely just need to drink a little more fluid than people without this condition.

How long has this been used rather than the bag

 

[destroyer]

your sister is quite remarkable sending her all the best wishes for a speedy convalescence

 

[r2473]

She had 5 hours of surgery and the doctors In Chicago removed her entire freakin COLON. IT was either that or a slow death. She went from 130 pounds to 105 pounds in 6 months and was slowly dying.
She needs 3-6 months to recover and then a second surgery when they mend parts of her small inst. to form a new colon to hold fecal matter. Right now she has the bag attached for 3 months.
Even with the insane non-stop PAIN ,she continued to work as a Doctor for 35 hours a week, and help raise her 3 children. That is more strength I think I would have. I would be angry and mad and retreat. She showed great strength and her Colon is out and gone. Not sure what they did with it but I guess its in the bio-waste bag. her new colon wont be as good as the original but it will do the job

She's lived with having you as a brother for 40 years. I'm sure the colon thing was nothing compared to that

 

[dgold44]

She's lived with having you as a brother for 40 years. I'm sure the colon thing was nothing compared to that

She is normal and pure good and I am twisted metal

 

[movdqa]

Did they ever find out what the problem was?

I had a bag for nine months - it was a considerable challenge getting used to it but it did have some advantages over the normal way and I was fairly used to it before it was undone. The downsides of the bag are cost (insurance covers it but the high-tech devices cost probably $300 for a one to three month supply depending on how fast you use them), restrictions on some activities (I didn't think it wise to try playing tennis with it), and clothes (to hide the bag as it's one of those things that freaks a lot of people out). I imagine that you'd never have to serve on Jury Duty with one of these things.

Removal of pieces of the colon or the whole thing are relatively routine for people with cancer. I've run into a lot of people that have had this done.

I hope that things work out for your sister and that she can return to a normal or mostly normal life.

The dehydration thing is real - I wound up in the Emergency Room because of dehydration. My body doesn't signal thirst anymore (that's probably simplistic as the underlying mechanics are more complicated), so I have to set a goal on water consumption every day and track it.

 

[bigserving]

@ollinger. Is a colon transplant available at all for situations like this?
@dgold44 Your sister blessed and strong. Prayers for her.

 

[movdqa]

The Cleveland Clinic has a transplant program but I'd guess that you would have to take immunosuppressants and those pose their own risks.

 

[Chadalina]

She had 5 hours of surgery and the doctors In Chicago removed her entire freakin COLON. IT was either that or a slow death. She went from 130 pounds to 105 pounds in 6 months and was slowly dying.
She needs 3-6 months to recover and then a second surgery when they mend parts of her small inst. to form a new colon to hold fecal matter. Right now she has the bag attached for 3 months.
Even with the insane non-stop PAIN ,she continued to work as a Doctor for 35 hours a week, and help raise her 3 children. That is more strength I think I would have. I would be angry and mad and retreat. She showed great strength and her Colon is out and gone. Not sure what they did with it but I guess its in the bio-waste bag. her new colon wont be as good as the original but it will do the job

Your a very good man. Im sorry to hear this, but things are looking good. Its a hard life, but still a life. People have an amazing ability to adapt to things, i wish her the best, but most happy there is another day.