Soooo, I was a little surprised when I spoke with my surgeon this week. After my appointment last week (with one of his partners) I knew I was going to the permanent ileostomy and we discussed the removal of the J-pouch. However, the lead surgeon said to me directly that he actually recommends leaving the pouch in as a "space holder", among other things. (He also feels it will be a much easier surgery with faster recuperation period if the pouch is left in place and that if the pouch is removed I will require abdominal reconstruction.)
I was more than a little shocked; I guess I just assumed they would remove the pouch.
But doesn't leaving the pouch in place open up the possibility of necrosis? I don't know, I understand his reasoning, but it just seems odd to me.
I will be speaking with him again prior to the surgery; what other questions should I ask him?
I should add: my surgeon is very, VERY good. As in, at least one of the top 3 (if not the number 1) in Europe for surgical IBD treatments as well as other GI surgical treatments and colon cancer. In addition, he is a specialist in rehabilitation from complications resulting from abdominal surgery. So he does know what he is talking about and I do trust his surgical ability.
BTW, he told me he was REALLY surprised that the fistula recurred after almost a year; he's never had that happen with a patient before.
Thanks,
Gin