Kim's Story

Hi, my name is Kim. I am 35 years old and just got an ileostomy on the 29th of Oct, 2002.

When I was 27 years old, I was working the night shift as a CNA and starting bleeding very heavily from the rectum. I was very scared because I thought I might have cancer. Being in the medical profession I knew of many of the tests that I might require. So did I go in to a doctor right away? No, I went into denial and ignored my symptoms hoping they would just go away.

Well, after about a month of continuous bleeding I became so weak that I could just barely walk. I left work early (angering my supervisor since night shift is next to impossible to cover). I finally went in to see a gastrointestinologist. My blood pressure was going crazy it was 54/40. I was extremely anemic and still bleeding heavily. The doctor wanted to admit me straight to the hospital. I refused. All I could think is I have 3 children at home and my house is a wreck. Crazy thinking but, I wasn't thinking too clearly at that time. The doctor said that health care professionals make the worst patients. I just laughed and headed out the door. He stopped my at the door and said," If I were King you would be in the hospital."

That was a Friday the following Monday I returned to his office. He looked surprised to see me and told me he really expected me to die over the weekend. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy. What a lovely experience that was. As a result I was diagnosed with UC. I was put on massive doses of Prednisone and Asacol. I gained a ton of weight. I went from 135 lb. at 5 ft 9 to 210 lb. My self esteem plummeted as my weight rose. After about 4 months I went into remission. Did I stay on Asacol? No, I did not. Talk about being in denial. So again I came out of remission and the rounds of massive Prednisone and Asacol along with the weight gain started again.

About a year later I moved to another state. I had no insurance and no doctor. A month after the move I developed an egg shaped swelling in my perineum and incredible pain. I drove myself to the hospital while standing because I couldn't bear to sit. At the emergency room I met my new dr and it was decided I had a peri-rectal abscess. I was admitted to the hospital. They wanted to do surgery on me but, couldn't find the surgeon for 3 days. Why they didn't get another surgeon I will never know.

By the time they found the surgeon (he had been on vacation) my labia was so swollen that it hung down to mid thigh! I can't describe the pain I was in. Finally I was taken to surgery where they took out 6 cups of gangrene! Every bit of connective tissue in my abdomen had gone gangrene but thankfully it had not attacked any of my organs. I spent 9 days in the hospital and it took a year for me to completely recover from the surgery as they did not sew me back up after surgery for fear I would go gangrene again. I looked once at my incision which extend from my pubic bone to my rectum. I saw my stoma.

Well, it has been 2 1/2 months since surgery and I have been in the hospital once since for dehydration. The first 2 months of recovery were very hard with pain and being sick to my stomach plus getting adjusted to Rosy my stoma. The last few weeks I have felt really good. I can forget at times I even have a stoma and I do not feel sick for the first time in 8 1/2 years. I know that the decision to have an ileostomy was the best decision I could have made. I now have a life and am feeling pretty darn normal which is a wonderful thing.

Kim

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