[crapshoot]

I know it sounds like a drastic measure...but really it would give me my life back. I am so sick of dealing with this everyday. I read somewhere yesterday (maybe it was on this site), that a person with severe ibs would give up 15 years of their life to feel good for the remaining ones. I can see why. I am so tired of missing out on opportunities because of bathroom issues. I wonder if there are any doctors that would perform this surgery for someone with "just" ibs?

 

[knothappy]

if i could find a dr to do it ..in a NY heartbeat...i posted on this a while back and almost got my head ripped off..but iam with you what a relief it would be just to leave the house and know you do not have to think about poop onthe way to where you are going!!!!just digusting

 

[crstar]

not unless it was a matter of life & death & even then, for the most part, i don't put my trust in drs..........i understand how u feel, i've been there for the most part of 7-1/2yrs...........it's only in the last 2yrs, that i was able to finally find a dr who actually listens to me, who never condescends to me & tries natural things, b 4 going to harmful drugs.........i haven't had an infection since i started with him........i use to b so sick all the time & getting sicker every time i got sick, which was about every month...........have u researched this D thing on the net??.........read the medical research papers??.........checked into candida over-growth??.......looked up adrenal fatigue??.........cause i have to tell u, for me, it's been a hard row to how just trying to get a grip on this thing called adrenal fatigue........it's a tough thing to connect the dots..........when the adrenal hormones r not in balance, it causes sodium & potassium to b either held where they don't belong or causes them to b flushed, which does cause D.........it also has a lot to do with muscle integrity & the intestines r nothing but muscles........also, if ur intestinal walls r not porous enough, it doesn't let the liquid thru, which causes D & eventually malnutrition..........that's where i was.........this was my problem...........there's also this thing about iron........iron carries oxygen to ur cells, it can also constipate u, which after having D for so long, was something i kinda looked forward to.......it didn't do that with me, it just helped.......when oxygen is low, it encourages the candida problem, which is a can of worms..........& it causes diseases..........it's all this very complicated process & it can b hard to process in ur brain.........the thing is, most MD's don't have a clue........u might want to read my other posts, i have written quite a few.......... i hope u find the help u need.........try some licorice root DGL, seasalt, potassium & have u had ur hormones checked??..........they all have a contributing factor..........

 

[TanaG]

I don't know what to say. I myself wouldn't do it. Did you make some research about what involves and what you might expect after that? I am thinking....if the poo becomes solid in the colon and you get that removed...would you get rid of the D?....I think that the recovery after such a procedure is very risky! Besides, they are not completely sure about what causes IBS....so if it is true and there is about a "wrong" connection between the brain and the bowel...then removing part of the bowel might not solve the problem at all...I think there must be a reason for which they recommend this procedure only for life threatening situations!

 

[petra]

I have often thought about it but I don't think it is going to happen. Colostomies are not always that easy to manage either-they can smell and leak and make you feel sore so you might not be much better off. It is all a bit depressing when you are stuck with something that impacts so much on your everyday life.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Just IBS, probably will not find a doctor to do it.If telling people that some people have a lot more pain after this kind of surgery that is even harder to treat after a colostomy (and we've had people suffering from that on this board and it really isn't something I'd wish on anybody) is ripping people's heads off, then so be it. I'm sorry if telling people risks is a bad thing. They always have to take risk to benefit ratio into account, and the risks of this surgery are significant and they don't know if you are someone that might get better or someone that will end up much worse until they can't put you back together. If you get bad scarring that causes more pain in the abdomen often trying to do more surgery to get rid of those scars just makes new scars and all you can hope for is the new set hurts less than the last set and at some point you just have to learn to live with it.They do it for ulcerative colitis, mostly in those that are on the way to getting colon cancer as a consequence of that disease or have other severe complications that are not being controlled by medication. It is sometimes done for severely constipated (may go once or twice a month without laxatives, and sometimes even with laxatives) but not for the milder constipation of IBS.Some people do well after this kind of surgery when they need it. Often they have just as many bathroom issues as people with IBS complain about. Internal pouches can cause you to have diarrhea several times a day (so nothing better there but for some who are constipated they are better off going several times a day than not going at all) the bag doesn't always work well so you may be dealing with the bag as often as you deal with the IBS and some people have a lot of problems with leakage that damages the skin around it and smells just as bad as anything IBS can do to you. If you have outlet obstruction you can still be constipated after the surgery. If the pelvic floor doesn't work right with an intact colon it doesn't get better just because you removed a bunch of it.When my IBS pain was bad I sometimes thought about pulling my colon out by myself, but knowing I might suffer just as bad and it would be irreversibly bad rather than maybe someday it could be treated kept me from turning the knife on myself.

 

[blondeoverblue24]

I definitely agree with Kathleen here. It's something that from a distance sounds intriguing because hypothetically, you wouldn't have to worry about finding a bathroom, but the reality is you have to empty it several times a day, there's leakage, and there's absolutely no guarantee that it will treat your IBS. I know quite a few people with colostomies that have IBS on top of it and they're miserable. The surgery has risks and can be very painful. And I know that many doctors exhaust all the options possible before doing this for ulcerative colitis/crohn's disease, let alone for IBS.

 

[petra]

Despite all the cons I think this is a very valid question. Our job is surely to try and put pressure on the medical world to recognise the severity of our symptoms and seek ways of improving our lives. I think on balance that I would opt for this given a choice if I was single-I fully understand the risks but my partner would find it difficult to accept.

 

[Waray]

I have a friend who had to wear a bag after colon surgery. He said it was the most dreadful experience he's ever had. That really bothers me because I've often felt that that is where I'll end up if it gets any worse. I don't know that that would give your life back. I don't have a life now and feel that that would just take away what I have left. I'd rather keep on fighting and looking for ways to beat this rotten thing. My new probiotics are helping so I at least have a little relief until I eat the next trigger food. Hang in there. This forum is bringing us together to figure it out.