Eric Tapley

In just under a week I will have my follow-up surgery to reverse the ostomy and reconnect my intestines to the rest of my bowels. After this surgery I will be free of Colitis (as I have no more colon) and should be able to put all of these intestinal problems behind me.

Only I’m concerned that it won’t be that simple.

I’ve been having intestinal obstructions on and off for almost a year now, some partial, some complete. So far the x-rays, ct scans and other tests have shown that, yes, I’ve been obstructed… but they can’t pinpoint the cause. The best guess at this point is that I have an adhesion or scar tissue in my small intestine as a result of one of my past surgeries. And that’s the cause of my anxiety - what if this surgery doesn’t get rid of the cause of the obstructions and I continue to have problems?

I don’t think this is an unreasonable fear. I’ve had two obstructions since my surgery on May 11th, and I had three this year before that. They come on suddenly and without warning and are caused by factors I don’t have control over. They are excruciatingly painful and result in emergency hospital stays of undetermined lengths. And recently they’ve been coming on with increasing frequency.

These thoughts make me feel a little guilty. After all, I’m working with one of the best specialists in the country for my problems, I won’t have Colitis anymore, and I’m lucky in the first place to have a disease that does have treatment and cure options. In many ways I’m blessed. But I’ve been sick for years and I really want to put all of this behind me and return completely to my healthy life.

Let’s hope next week’s surgery really will be the end.