Surgery #1, colon removal

I was driven to the ER by my boyfriend and they brought me back immediately. The first thing they did was give me fluids, lots of them. The shots and IVs quickly got to me and I became very angry very quickly. So they gave me what was called a PICC line, or super IV in my arm above my elbow. To anyone who hates shots, if this offered, take it. It looks horrifying and painful but it really isn't. This is a picture of mine. It's an IV line in your artery that has 3 lines so you can get 2 IV medications and have your blood drawn without being poked. It saved me a lot of stress.

A felt better in a few days after they had pumped me with blood, fluids, and a bag filled with IV "food" which was basically just vitamins and calories to replenish what I had lost. Once I felt better I met with my doctor Zilla, and another man I had never met, Dr. Ivatury. They gave me two options, I could continue trying medications, or I could get surgery and remove my colon, the only cure for colitis. Of course, there were serious side effects to surgery, but I had been fighting a losing battle with the medications for over a year. They tried to get me to stay on the medications but I just couldn't do it anymore, I had a daughter, I needed to get better. I told them to cut the damn thing out, and that's what they did. On the plus side, my sister managed to find me a colon stuffie that I love and the doctors found absolutely hilarious (only she could managed to find something like that).

I felt a million times better after the surgery. However, the surgery would have to be done in three different parts, spanning over about a year. During that time, I would need to wear a colostomy bag. Meaning, because my colon was gone and there was no way for my food to leave my body, I would have to have my small intestine sticking out of my stomach slightly, covered with a bag for my feces to be collected. This bag would have to be emptied several times a day and the bag itself needed to be changed a few times a week. Some things to consider if you're looking at this option; It usually is temporary, however, you can choose to have the bag in place permanently. Also, you will have ZERO control as to when poop will come flying out of the thing. So when you're changing the bag chances are, you're going to poop all over yourself, especially when you're first starting out. If you're squeamish, you may want to re-consider.

This bag took a lot of getting used too, especially since I was a young woman with a nice flat stomach who loved dressing up and wearing her bikini by the pool. Not anymore. A few days after the surgery I also got a big infection, which basically involved my stomach exploding and covering the bathroom in blood and pus, and a trip to the ER. They had to open the incision and leave it open, making for an additional 2 months of recovery. I also opted to put off the second surgery for a few months so that I could have the summer to enjoy. Yes, I had the bag, but I felt like myself. I could eat and sleep and run, play with my daughter, I even started teaching her how to swim that summer. The first surgery was probably the easiest although it required the longest recovery time. A random side note, I got my two kittens during this process, these are them in the photo. They are so quick to cuddle when I'm sore and recovering and helped a lot to reduce my stress. My babies <3