My husband had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday. Dr. Stocchi was able to do the procedure laproscopically which was a blessing. He told my husband that his colon had taken a beating after 34 years of U.C. and that he made the right move in having the procedure. My husband is looking forward to getting on with his life and this is the first step in the right direction.

Hi Nancy,

Glad to hear that everything went well with the surgery. I heard (when I was coherent 24 hours to 36 hours after my 1st surgery) pretty much the same thing from my surgeon. His exact words were "your colon was basically destroyed. You made the right decision." That was after 20 years of UC. The surgery was the greatest decsion of my life. In fact it has given me my life back for the first time in many many years.

My UC was in a fulminating flare that even had my appendix near bursting at the time of my surgery. This was after 23 years of UC pancolitis, mostly in remission. I tried like heck to get into remission before surgery so I could do it on my terms and in my own time, but my colon made my decision for me. I was very grateful that this surgery was available to me.

It isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good.

Sending healing vibes to your husband...

Jan