> > Hi everybody, > >6yrs ago > I went into hospital on a friday morn. was = told that i >would only be in for > half a day, had my op. = removal of ovaries, >that afternoon my hubby rang up > to see if he could = collect me to >take me home, he was told there had been > some sort of complications, >but not told what. > On the sat. junior dr came = round on ward round >and said that i could go > home, I stated that I = had not passed >urine, or opened my bowels AND SIMPLY > DID NOT FEEL = WELL ENOUGH TO >GO HOME, I was absolutely desperate to go to > wee, = so they inserted >a catheter(relief). so they kept me in hospital. On > = the sunday >morn.i felt a little better but not right, on the mon. morn. at > >6.30am they came to remove my catheter with the prospect = of going >home that > day, well after that all hell broke loose I was = being >violently sick, but it > was a horrible blacky/green in = colour, and >the pain was excruciating, this > progressed for most of the = morn. I >went to try to open bowels but i was > literally crawling on = my hands >and knees, i thought i was going to > die(little did I know I = was, >actually). After my husband kicked up a right > stink that the >consultant should be called he eventually arrived around > = 3.00ish >and said oops it looks like i might have nicked your bowel and > >bladder, because at this point I was totally incontinent of urine. I >was > then rushed into theatre as an emergency at around 10.00pm and >came out of > theatre around 2.00am with tubes in every orifice in my >body, in my neck up > my nose all over my body and to my horror and >yes it was horror a colostomy, > of course i was heavily sedated >on morphine. I was kept in hospital for > roughly 3 months so I = had >no alternative but to cope with my new friend!!! > HA HA. But >everyone kept telling me how well i was coping, but they didnt > know >what was going on in my mind only i did, yes i'll admit i didnt = want >to > carry on life as a 'Freak' but then i had to weigh up the >alternatives. I > KNOW I went through the tunnel to GOD. I could tell u >= everybody that was > standing at my bedside mourning me, everything >was white,the whole room was > white and very very bright, but = i >wasnt frightened, it was so serene > I eventually had the colostomy >reversed in the dec. and its the worst > mistake i had to make. at >least i could do more things then than i can > now.They didnt repair >the whole in my bladder til the following february, > that was worse >than having a colostomy, you think u smell of urine all the > time, and >if = and when i did go out i was wearing adult nappies two = pairs >of > underwear just to try to remain dry, i did have a few mishaps and >i just > burst out crying with the humiliation of WETTING myself. > >I DID NOT find a colostomy hard to care for, as i = didnt have a >choice, hey > this is what i'd been dealt so I had to = get on with >it, It was the coping > mentally, what were people = thinking of me, >could they smell 'the pooh' all > those kinds of = things.would my >hubby want to make love to me with a > = colostomy? > Since then i >have had 17 ops to try to sort all the problems out, but = my > inside >is an absolute mess, and I wont ever be cured of pain. one of = the > >worst things is trying to have a sex life, or opening my = bowels. >either of > these things take me to my bed with so much pain, = and >sometimes vomiting > straight after. as i said before i am now >registered disabled and have not > worked for 6 yrs since and = cannot >do housework cooking very often, all the > things people take = for >granted.BUT this is how i'm going to be for the rest > of = my life so >i HAVE to learn to cope, not saying that i do all the = time, > >sometimes i'm so depressed, but what other choice do i have, GOD = gave >me a > second chance at life, i've a job to do, still,on this = earth, >so i WILL do > it to the best of my abilities, disabled or = not. > >I dont mean to be patronising, but, try not to look on what could >happen, > all the time, YES u have to be realistic and be = aware of >what could go > wrong, but you could get all het up worrying = about a >colostomy. In MY OWN > PERSONAL OPINION, IT WASNT THAT BAD. = try to >stay as positive as u can. I was > just very unlucky, but = then i let >the judicial system fight my case, and > happily i won. > So many >things go wrong in this world, but = God put us on this earth as he > >said "for just = one day, any more time u get after that one day, is a >bonus.I know its hard = to stay strong at times, but IF i can cope then >i = know others can > > Hope this answers some of your concerns, and >if i've helped then its been > my pleasure to share MY experience >with others > Hi everybody thought i would reply = to your email. I >myself ended up with a colostomy 5yrs ago NOT due to a stretching of >the colon but having my ovaries removed, the = surgeon accidently cut >my bowel and bladder. I know the thought of a = colostomy frightens >people, but in MY OWN experience I managed to cope with = it(well I had >to ) it was coming to terms with what had happened and my = own opinion >of what others must have been thinking about me. 7 = months later i had >it reversed and although it was = excruciatingly painful at the time of >the reversal, I didnt have half as many problems as i do now. > >Somtimes I regret making the decision to have my bowel re-sectioned > >again,at least then I could live life fuller = than I can now. > >As so many people have already stated things CAN = go wrong unfortunately, >but I had to make the best of = what I had.If it meant me having a >better quality of life than I do now = then I would opt for another >colostomy. I even asked my surgeon if he = would consider me having >another one, needless to say his reply was = unless there is a clinical >obstruction then no. I did actually suffer = from peritonitis and its >not a very pleasant experience to go through, = I know I went through >the tunnel to God, but fortunately my time was not = up. > >Please dont think i'm being negative, but people = must hear what its >lik to end up having peritonitis or a colostomy. > >I guess I was just very = unfortunate > >hope this helps alittle regards > >jackie = B England