First let me say how sorry  am that you and your wife are dealing with this.  Second, where in Utah are you?  I have a nurse friend from Utah, and just might know someone depending on where you are and where she is from.  

Now.  Trauma surgeons are usually the best surgeons because they work under difficult circumstances more often then not.  But they are no experts in anything, just good at handling stress.  I would first try for colon Rectal.  Scream and yell if you have to.  Having am open surgery is not the worst thing in the world.  My son, who is 28, has had three of them.  The good thing about an open surgery is that the doctors can see what they are doing rather than feel around.  A lot of old time doctors still prefer open to lap surgery.  They get a better view.  I had open heart surgery that way.  I’m still alive because if the open concept. I would be more concerned about the after care and how experienced the surgeon is that how the surgery is done.  You have a good working knowledge of what is happening and how it needs to be done.  Trust your gut.  Listen to your heart.  Your intuition is always correct and you will know what is correct.  If you don’t like the people caring for your wife, have her moved if possible.  By the way, what hospital is she In?  I’m sure someone here would be somewhat familiar.

Good luck to you and your wife.  Tons of good thoughts and prayers coming your way.  

Dianne

To deal with such a situation I would certainly want an experienced colorectal surgeon. I am very sorry to hear of your wife’s situation and that the care she is receiving is constrained by insurance coverage. Perhaps, an appeal in this situation could lead to expanded options. I would look at your policy carefully to see if exigencies can be invoked to get her moved to a more specialized facility. This is a very, very serious complication and perhaps you can move up from AAA to the major leagues based on exigent circumstances.

I’m not sure a colorectal surgeon would be the best choice here, since the problem doesn’t involve a colon, a rectum, or a J-pouch. The good news is that this is a fairly straightforward surgical problem, even though there is nothing routine about it for the person going through it. If the bowel is so twisted (usually due to an adhesion) that the blood supply is cut off then that portion of bowel begins to die. That’s a life-threatening situation. The delicate balancing act is that some bowel twists really do clear on their own, but you mustn’t wait too long for that kind of luck. That decision may not be straightforward at all.

I hope all goes well. One crappy surgeon really doesn’t say much about the other surgeons at a hospital.