<font color=plum>Some of you may remember that I had a major surgery last year to reverse an ostomy and "put my system back together again" (an operation I dubbed the "Humpty Dumpty Procedure" ;) ). Unfortunately, this past year has been a very difficult one and my Crohn's Disease has become much more active. I am currently enduring the worst "flare up" I've had in years.

A visit to my gastroenterologist confirmed that the Crohn's is raging out of control once again. His recommendation was to remove the remaing portion of colon I have left in order to get rid of the diseased area. After a brief discussion and lots of prayer, my wife and I agreed that another surgery would actually be for the best.

So I will be going back to St. Joseph's in Atlanta in two weeks (January 3) to have my fifth major surgery for the Crohn's Disease. The surgeon will remove the last remnant of colon and I will have an ostomy again. The only difference is that - this time - the ostomy will be permanent.

The members here were fantastic last year with the support and encouragement offered and I know the response will be the same again. Just as I did last year, I am providing a link to St. Joseph's website that will allow those who wish to send an email message to me while I am at St. Joseph's (yes, this IS a blantant and shameless solicitation ;) :D )

You can send an email at this link ---> St. Joseph email for patients

I want to thank all of you for the support you gave last year and the encouragement I know you will give this time around.</font>

Good luck and God bless Cerek.

Cerek, I know it was a rough decision, but I also know how much thought and prayer went into and I'm sure it's the right one. God Bless you and your surgeons. [img]smile.gif[/img] We'll be thinking of you at our house in two weeks and hoping all goes well.

Speedy recovery and a good start to the New Year, my friend.

Cerek, dear, not only will you get prayers, well-wishes and email from me and mine but...

would you like a visit also? ;)

It just so happens that me and mine live about 1/2 an hour from Atlanta. If you want some live, in-person IW cheering up, PM me and we'll make some arrangements to come by and give your spirits a boost. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-20-2004, 01:32 PM: Message edited by: Lady Sedai ]

<font color=skyblue>Some of us suffer so much in life while others get everything they want and seem to never have any troubles at all. Is it fair is a question I have asked myself many times. The good news for those that suffer like you do is that you know clearly what awaits you at the finish line of the race.

Good luck to you during your surgery and hositpal stay! </font>

Cerek, I hope all goes well in your sugery and recovery. I will send you emails when you get there [img]smile.gif[/img] recover quickly and return to us here *hugs*

<font color="cyan">Good luck with the surgery Cerek, hope your fighting fit again soon.

Please could someone tell me what Crohn's Disease is, as I have never heard of it before.

</font>

Hope you recover well, and rise to fight once more

A hero is a man who is afraid to run away, whose worst fear is surrender

Good luck, Cerek. May the surgery go well, and may the life after it go even better.

How long will you be in Atlanta?

In any case, God speed and God guide.

Good luck, hope the surgery will solve your problems

Best of luck to you, Cerek! Hope it get's better after this one. Be back fast!

I'm praying for you man, hope things go well. [img]smile.gif[/img] God bless you!

Good luck with it -- maybe this time it'll be gone for good. I hope so. You've suffered with this for too long...

I too, wish the best of luck to you, and hope that the sugery prevents further problems.
Surgery is a pain in the ass, but if it prevents a further pain in the ass [img]tongue.gif[/img] then it should be worth it.
Anyways, I hope all goes well, and make sure to keep us updated ;)

<font color=plum>BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Yes, this surgery WILL literally be a pain in the ass. Once the colon is removed, the surgeon will actually sew "
anal aperture" closed. I've always been a little "freaked" by that aspect of the surgery (I thought this was going to happen once before), but a coworker of mine has had this surgery already and she said it was no big deal. You feel a little "pressure" like you have to use the bathroom for a couple of weeks and then it quits and doesn't bother you anymore.

I lived with an ostomy for 10 years before (in fact, I had an ostomy during most of my time here) and my two oldest boys are familiar with it. So it won't be that big of an issue for me - and my health was a LOT better when I had the ostomy, so I am definitely looking forward to that. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] </font>

Good luck and speedy recovery.

You have my best wishes for your health, Cerek. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Best of luck Cerek!

AM I reading that right? They sew up your a**hole? Wow... good luck... seriously [img]tongue.gif[/img]

good luck and godspeed to recovery. hope all goes well.

<font color=plum>Yep, I'm afraid so. Like I said, that is gonna be kinda freaky.</font>

So how do you take a dump then?

Sorry... I'm just curious by nature ;)

I still don't know what most of those words mean, but they all sound pretty nasty. The one thing I think I understood is that they're going to sew your a** shut. Good luck and fast regeneration to you. You'll most likely need both.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/ </font>[/QUOTE]<font color="cyan">Thankyou, I'll give it a read now.</font>

Good luck and all the best wishes!

You'll be posting your room number later or would they find you if we just mail to Cerek ;)

<font color=plum>No problem.

An ostomy is a procedure in which the end of the intestine is pulled through the skin of the abdomen and empties into a pouch. The pouch is attached to the abdomen by a square area of adhesive material. Most pouches have an open bottom that is closed with a clip. When the pouch needs to be emptied, you go to the bathroom and un-clip the pouch. There are some pouches that are closed, but these are mostly for older people (80's and above) that have very low-production from their intestines to begin with.

The whole device has to be replaced about every 4-5 days, because the adhesive material begins to start coming loose (just like wearing a bandaid for several days). It only takes about 10-15 minutes to change the device, then I'm good to go for another 4-5 days.</font>

<font color=plum>I have no idea what room number I will be in until I wake up there after the surgery. To send an email through the link I provided, you will need to know my real name. Send a PM and I'll give you that information.</font>

Best of luck, Cerek [img]smile.gif[/img] . I know everyone here is pulling for you and hopefully this surgery will make a difference for you [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'm sorry I asked! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Best of luck!

...and the mental image of Dan Ackroyd in "Coneheads" flashes thru my mind...

I've been in hospital earlier this year and had two operations. One for appendicitus and one because I then had a blockage. I know that your situation is much worse but I realise how hard it is to go back to hospital and not just try to ignore your problems. It's a very brave thing to do.

Good luck and I hope you're back soon. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

...and the mental image of Dan Ackroyd in "Coneheads" flashes thru my mind... </font>[/QUOTE]<font color=plum>LOLOLOLOLOL!!!! Yeah, that skit was what originally inspired my use of the term "anal aperture" - although I mainly used it to describe people that have less than endearing personalities. But it also fit in this situation - allowing me to explain the operation in more detail without violating the language restrictions. ;) </font>

<font color=plum>Thank you all for the prayers and words of support and encouragement. It means more than I could ever say.

I've been pretty busy over the last few weeks, trying to get everything ready at home and at work before going in for surgery. Now the time has come and my surgery will be tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.

I will be online throughout the day today, but then I will be gone for about a week - until I return home from the hospital. While I can get email messages delivered to my room at the hospital, they do NOT have internet access for the patients themselves. So I can't get online to let you know how things are going.

Never fear, though. I will give an update as soon as I return home. Then I will be home for about 6 weeks recovering from the surgery, so I will most likely be online a LOT during that time. ;) </font>

Thats good to hear Cerek, I wish you good luck, so untill I see your update, have errrr fun...if thats possible [img]tongue.gif[/img] ;)

Best of luck Cerek. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and keeping you in my thoughts. Take care.

Best wishes tomorrow, Cerek. I'll join the contingent of well-wishers.

See you soon.

Cerek, I sincerely wish you the best in this surgery. I look forward to you being here more afterwards, but I'll miss you while you're gone.
May you have an easy time of it, and a speedy recovery afterwards.

Once again, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, wishing you a successful surgery, and a quick recovery. Will see you when you return Cerek, recover with Ironworks. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well Cerek, I was going to say that I hope it all comes out well in the end, but that's contrary to the point of the procedure... Anyway, I'm sure the docs will have this all sewn up in no time, and then you'll really have it in the bag.

p.s.,
My apologies for the crappy pun.

Hope it turns out the best for you Cerek! Best of luck for the surgery and hope you have a fast recovery!