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Reply to "Diagnosed with Colon Cancer after 12 years of UC. Need immediate surgery"

The pouch was the right decision for me. I hated the bag, but I have always been disgusted with poop. There have been problems. A three step turned into a four due to an internal abscess. I have chronic pouchitis, but it is well managed with antibiotics. For the most part, I do what I want to do and eat what I want. My skin is pretty sensitive and underneath the bag wafer, it became weepy and inflamed. It was hard to keep the bag on and I had to spend more time prepping my skin. This all created a large damaged area that I thought would scar permanently but fortunately it is now gone. Healing from the pouch was a challenge. I went back to work four weeks after the surgery and wish I had taken a year off as that is how long it took to feel myself again. In all, I lost two years to flares, prednisone, surgery and healing. I would do it all over again if I had to.

Talk to your surgeon about leaving options open. That way, if the bag is not what you had hoped, you can get the pouch.

I wish you health in whatever choice you make.

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