I just joined this community at the suggestion of my surgeon. I have serrated polyposis syndrome and I am facing colorectal surgery. It hasn’t been decided which type of surgery will happen.
My little brother died of adenocarcinoma of the colon in March of 2012. He was diagnosed three months before, around his 28th birthday. It’s unclear whether he had the same syndrome as I do, but it is a good bet that he did, considering his cancer.
I had a colonoscopy in August of 2013 which revealed that my colon and rectum were covered in serrated polyps. That was a few months ago. The doctor removed as many polyps as he could, and I came in a couple of months later for another colonoscopy to remove more. I am now talking to a surgeon about surgery to remove my colon. My rectum may also be removed.
These are the three surgery options that are on the menu, ordered from least to most impact on my lifestyle, and also from most to least cancer risk after completion of the surgery:
- Total abdominal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis (colon removed; small intestine attached to rectum)
- Total proctocolectomy with ileoanal pouch (colon and rectum removed; small intestine attached to anus; j-pouch created)
- Total proctocolectomy with ileostomy (colon, rectum, and anus removed; ostomy created)
The best option is the first, in which I keep my rectum. I’m going in for a flexible sigmoidoscopy next week to see if my rectum is salvageable. If it is, I’ll probably be going in for this option.
If it isn’t, I’ll probably be getting a j-pouch (second option).
The third option was offered to me as the only option that will reduce my cancer risk to zero. After all, the j-pouch surgery retains the strip of rectum inside of my sphincter, which is vulnerable to cancer. At this point in my life, I want to avoid having an ostomy bag for the rest of my life if possible.
So in the coming months I will be reading the forums and asking questions (in that order ;-) ). See you all around!
