my surgery is in 5 weeks, step 1. the past 2 weeks i have had really bad stomach cramping and loose stool. i am on 6 asacol a day and doing rowasa enemas at night. i have had about 3-4 bms a day since this started. i have not had any blood, or fever which is good. my question is how bad can my UC flare be when they perform the step 1? will a bad flare cause any issues regarding surgery? also... day before surgery thay want me on a liquid diet. they dont mind if stool is in the colon for removal? i thought they would want it flushed out before surgery, like a colonoscopy.

I was in a major flare when I had step 1. on prednisone and azulfadine and getting blood transfusions. In the bathroom all day pretty much.
The docs said mine was one of the most diseased colons they had seen after 13 years of severe UC. I did fine during surgery and was in the hospital 7 days and no complications. They did wait 5 months before step 2.
I know you are anxious. Try to relax your mind, it doesn't help your colon.
I know it's easier said than done.

I, too was in a major flare. I was on Colazal, prednisone and had been on immuran...along with Rowasa enema's. Dr.s wanted to do the surgery a month earlier when I was a whole lot worse, but I had to wait because of work issues. My prep was the phospho-soda stuff, so they wanted me fairly cleaned out. I don't think the degree of your flare is a major issue. A lot of people have surgery under emergency conditions. Holly is right about trying not to get too worked up about it. That's hard to do though. You are educating yourself by reading these forums, so you will know what to expect.

nys

Like the 2 previous posts I too was in a month long severe,I mean real severe flare.I had Prednisone and God knows what else orally,intravenously,and rectally all at the same time all in an effort to bring the flare under control,no dice, all the prednisone did was give me hellish sideffects after my sub-total colectomy. The doctors told me later that I was 2 weeks away from being prednisoned to death ,I kid you not.So to answer your question I don`t think it really matters what is going on.When its time to operate they operate.I just hope that what ever happens you get the results you want with the surgery.Good luck.

The only thing I can think of that this will affect is whether or not you can wait five weeks. By the time I accepted surgery as my only and best option, I was in a 6 month long flare, seriously anemic, on an elemental diet, taking 80 mg of prednisone daily, along with both hydrocortisone and Rowasa enemas, and Septra.

My surgery was scheduled for 10 days later, and I thought THAT was a long time.

So if it were me, I'd see if they could step up the schedule. If not, you will still need the surgery. Since you are not bleeding or in a serious flare, I think you'll be fine. Just stay on top of it and make sure your surgeon knows if things change. An earlier spot on his schedule might open up.

I too had my step 1 surgery during a major flare and was on 80mg of predisone, immurane, cyclosporine... However, I had lots of blood and about 20+ BMs a day. My GI admitted me to the hospital so I was able to get the meds I needed by IV and was on the list for urgent surgery. I still had to wait two weeks but I don't know how long it would have been if I hadn't been admitted.

I was in a 2 month long flare, 20-30 bloody bm's and in the hospital for 2 weeks with IV steroids and a round of Remicade that didn't work. I had also lost 30 lbs and was passing out from weakness. My surgeon told my husband that my colon was one of the top ten worst he'd ever seen when he removed it. Even with how bad I was, I was only in the hospital another week recovering. The healthier you are going in, the better for you for a quicker recovery.

I don't understand why they are not having you do a proper prep for surgery. I hadn't eaten regularly for the 2 weeks before my surgery and I still had to drink the phosphate the night before my surgery. I would double check as to why they aren't using something to clean you out properly.

they're used to doing this surgery on people who are having flares. that's usually why we get it, afterall.

the only consequence i can think of is a longer recovery time. depending on how well you deal with the bag, it's almost a blessing. going from constant bathroom trips to only a handful of painfree ones is a major boost--at least it was for me.

i was spending most of my days on the floor, willing my gut to stop hurting. in fact, it was so swollen i could feel it if i walked too fast. it would bounce in there. nobody should be able to feel their colon bounce. it's disconcerting.

I agree with the others.. I was in the hospital for 4 weeks on immuran, prednisone, cyclisporine, enimas, and so many different drugs I looked like a marionett doll with both arms having iv's running to them.. I had been on TPN for 4 weeks (was so malnurished going in I went on TPN the second day in the hospital). While I was in I had 3 blood transfusions and was just getting sicker and sicker. So it can be done while you're super sick.. the surgen said I would prolly not have made it if they had waited even 1 more day. The only thing that is different is the surgen wants to wait 6 months between step 1 and step 2 and another 3 months between step 2 and 3.

Well, I think I may have you all beat. Not only was I in the hospital for a major flare, but I have a Protein S deficiency which means I have to be on blood thinners all the time. As you can imagine, that really exacerbated the UC flare. They kept giving me blood transfusions, but as quickly as it was going into my arm, it was coming out of my rectum because of the heparin. They of course were also pumping me full of prednisolone to try to get the flare under control, but finally gave up after a couple of days and 10 transfusions.

The surgeon came in to see me at 8:00 a.m. one morning and said that he scheduled me for surgery for 2:00 p.m. that afternoon. No prep, no nothing.

Thus began the first of my three-step odyssey.

Of course, I ended up with infections and an open wound and ended up staying in the hospital for seven weeks. I also managed to get a P.E. as a result of the heparin. I have an IVC filter that itself had gotten clogged, and apparently some of the clot broke off and ended up in my lung.

It was not a fun two months, but at least I wasn't dealing with the UC anymore.