I was hospitalized 5 times while I had UC. Those stays we're usually around a week for bowel rest, IV steroids and blood transfusions.

For my surgery step one was 10 days (which felt like an eternity) and step two (takedown) was 4 days. A week after I got home from step one I developed and abscess and had to go back and that ended up being another week in the hopsital. So the 10 days was the longest consecutive days I ever had to stay in the hospital.

God bless any of you that had "weeks" in the hospital. I go bonkers after few days there!

Months...first as a baby (sorry, don't remember too much...it was my 2nd birthday) and then later at 9-10...I stayed in Sick Kids hospital for months...constant complications including a bad anesthetic reacion...then the gracilis muscle flap (2xs) that required over 6 weeks each..and finally my K pouch creation that was 1 month. Been in and out since for shorter stays but I only stayed for a month+ in France when they were treating 2 tumors at the base of my spine...they had me on daily chemo treatements...nasty.
I don't think that I have ever lost so much weight in so short a time.
I wonder if we could trade hospital stays for Club Med???
Would be cheaper!
Sharon

2 months for step 1/step 2. It was supposed to be a 1 step surgery, but with complications, it turned into a 3 step.

For Tom, 136 days: from Jan 17, 2000, until May 30, for refractory flare, lap one-step, complications, ostomy, and pouch re-do. Thought we'd never get out. Only one short hospitalization before that, three since, including 2 weeks for takedown and a week for cholecystectomy.

STEP 1 was 8 weeks due to ecoli infection
TAKEDOWN was 2 weeks due to cdif infection
1 WEEK due to bowel obstruction
1 WEEK due to suspected leak

6 weeks. That was after step 1. Developed peritonitis. 2 weeks in ICU, 2 in step down ICU, and 2 on the surgical floor. There were 28 more shorter stays after that, within 2 1/2 years for multiple abscesses.

Wow we live fun lives!

67 days on the last flare that led to surgery. couple weeks at a time here and there for the stages and other stuff, but that was the longest.

7 weeks trying to battle a flare, then having surgery......blah!!!!!!!!!!

I feel like Mr. Health. The longest stay for me was two weeks - a walk in the park compared to some of you (amazingly resilient) guys!

I've been hospitalized too many times to remember them all, but my longest in a strictly medical hospital was 14 days after step 1 surgery and another time as a baby for meningitis. I spent 60 days in a mental hospital once for anorexia. Still not fun, and a little creepy when people from other wards would bunk in ours for the night.

Wow Connie! I can't imagine 136 days. Tom must have been going bonkers towards the end.

Longest for me was my first bout with colitis. Spent 2 weeks in the ICU ward, then moved to a regular ward for another 4 weeks. 6

quote:

Wow Connie! I can't imagine 136 days.

Tom and Dan Masters (from Manchester, England) were apparently in a competition to see who could spend the most days in the hospital. It was neck-and-neck but Tom 'won.' The first time I met Tom I was figuring I'd see this emaciated, sickly little kid. Nope - he was totally fine-looking. It was such a treat to see that.

You should see those two today. They're both big strapping wonderful young men! It's truly amazing what the human body can put up with. Those two are truly inspirations! (And so are the rest of you who deal with the stuff you deal with.)

kathy

For my initial stay for my colon removal I was in for 5 weeks due to complications and fear that I had contracted the Sars Virus.Back in 2003 at the outbreak and unfounded hysteria here in Canada especially in Richmondhill Ontario where luck would have it that that is Where York Central Hospital was located and where I ended up for my surgery.None was allowed to enter the hospital only skeletal staff at best,Naturally the TV techs went on holiday so that ment that by the 3rd week without anything to do but stare at this one picture of a small boat on this river right across from me on the wall.I actually swear that the boat started to move.So everyday for the rest of my stay I watched this boat sail down this river.

11 weeks. Went from perfectly well to being diagnosed with UC to having j-pouch in that time.

hi Spooky See you are in To. did you by any chance have Zane Cohen as your surgeon? I am in PEI and no one in Atlantic region that is a colo-rectal Dr. is taking any patients. Managed to have Dr. Cohen agree to see me no time as yet have not eaten solid food since last Aug. due to stricture at inlet to pouch have had a # of drugs and scopes still don't know if it is Crohns or scar tissue or how to correct the problem. In answer to your survey I was in the VG Hosp. Halifax in 1986 for two months because of UC given blood and many drugs that did not work sent home for two weeks brought back for colectomy sent home for 2 mos brought back for formation of j pouch sent home brought back on 12/31/86 to have loop ostomy closed. After a year not to bad until approx 9 years ago when i had frequent obstruction adjusted what I ate until I was not taking any fibre so only meat, white bread or crackers a white rice and dairy no fruit or veg of any type until last Aug when even that would not go through so here I sit hoping for an appt. soon and drinking a lot of strawberry ensure with extra calories. We all have our story and that is mine. Hear it is pretty warm up there lived in Ottawa for a number of years and remember the heat!!!! The east coast has harsh winters but decent summers although they are short. Shawne

Hi Shawne,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble. No, I did not have Dr. Cohen, I had Dr. Feinberg. However several people on this forum have had Dr. Cohen. He is supposed to be one of the best in the country.

Yes, it's very hot here this week!

2 weeks after step 2

Wow, I seriously admire all of you who have had such extended stays!! I was fortunate to never have been hospitalized when I had UC. However, looking back now, I think that there was more than one occasion when I should have at least gone to the ER- when I was away at school I went through some pretty bad flares, and I would just send a friend to get my Gatorade and not eat, just lay in my room for days (between bathroom runs, that is.)
Anyway, my longest stay was 10 days after my third (emergency) surgery. With all my surgeries/hospital visits combined, of the past seven months, I have spent one of them in the hospital. Not too bad, I guess.

Dx in 2007 with UC 14 days in hospital. In hospital a few times in 2011 for flareup not as long as the initial 14 day stay. Robotic proctocolectomy 2/29/2012 4 days and takedown 4/30/2012 for 7 days due to complications and then again 6/1/2012 for 5 days and still trying to stay away from hospital for now. Now, on a picc line and clears and who knows what is next.

Roberta

Aaaaaaaaw Kathy, Dan'd be so pleased to hear you call him a strapping young man but the sad truth is that Tom has him well and truly beaten for youth And yes, sadly for Tom he also won the hospital stay record. There were mere days in it I seem to remember, but the title is Tom's. And goodness knows I hope no-one else has to take it from him

Longest consecutive time was 5 weeks when my daughter was 7.
Then the summer she had her j pouch surgery, from colectomy to take down, was 7 times in and out during those 10 awful weeks.

Last surgery was 5/22/12, for a pouch revision, was in and out for 4+ days each time in the past 3 weeks.

Home and healing now!!!

My longest hospital stay was 1 month. That was for step one of a two-step j pouch surgery. Had tons of complications.