Unfortunately, in my opinion, very few advantages and numerous disadvantages of living with this procedure were highlighted. Well, I guess, I am here to share the advantages. I was diagnosed as having ulcerative colitis in 1970 at the age of 9. I lived with the disease for 16 years before deciding that I was simply tired of being sick. I had been fortunate that during those 16 years, flare-ups were infrequent and with medication I was able to put up with my problem. In other words, I guess I got used to being tired and always knowing where the nearest bathroom was.
After graduating from college, I married and it was then that my priorities as far as living with my colitis began to change. I did not want to put up with being sick anymore. I wanted to start a family and get on with a healthy life. I discussed surgical options with my surgeon and made the decision to have the pull-through procedure.
My pull-through was accomplished in two operations, eight weeks apart. In the first operation, my colon was removed and the small bowel was reconstructed. I received a temporary ileostomy. Eight weeks later, after the reconstructed areas had healed, my stoma was "dropped"and a small opening was cut in the newly formed pouch allowing me use of the rectum again.
That was two years ago. Today, I live a very healthy, very active lifestyle. I do things daily that were never an option to me before. I was running two miles a day within six weeks of the second procedure. (As a child, I was medically excused from gym class.) I went tubing down the Guadalupe River with my family in the summer, whereas before I would never have trusted myself to be away from a restroom for that long. Today and every day I chase after our eleven month old son. To sum it up, my life is normal now. I have a great asset, my health.
The advantages of the pull-through procedure in my case have been overwhelming. Most importantly, I do not have ulcerative colitis anymore. It was totally removed. I do not wear an external appliance nor do I have a permanent ileostomy. I have never had a terrible leakage problem, not even at the beginning. My trips to the bathroom have reduced drastically to 3-5 times a day. I now have the option to eat whatever foods I choose with no or very little repercussions. I do not take any medications and consequently very few people know I was ever sick. I can not say that I have ever had any problems, I have. But overall, this procedure has worked beautifully in my case. To have the option of not having a permanent ileostomy is exciting to me. I am very happy I chose this method and would encourage others to try this route to a healthy life.
