On Dec 7, 2015 I had #ostomysurgery. I was all in. No turning back even if the bionic colon was invented the very next day (it hasn’t been yet BTW but giving you my thought process in that moment).
I chose not to have a “fake colon” called a J pouch because that meant at least another year of surgeries for a mediocre result. You see, based on where my disease had manifested, I would most likely achieve 70% relief from my symptoms. Not complete remission.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN (World renowned GI center) said I would have at least 70% relief and most likely be on a low level antibiotic for the rest of my life. Far better than what I had suffered through over the 11 years of living with full blown #ulcerativecolitis.
Ah 🙋🏽♀️ HELLO 👋 WHAT?
I didn’t like those odds. I spent a quarter of my life sick. So what? So that I could have at least a year long plus worth of multiple surgeries for 70% relief while also having to take meds for all of my life??? 🤦🏽♀️🙅🏽♀️💁🏽♀️
NO Fng THANK YOU.
I was done surviving. I wanted to LIVE and not have to worry. I didn’t want to gamble on being a little better, I WANTED TO BE ALL BETTER.
You know why I waited 11 years to do this? Because I wanted to exhaust all of my options, both Western and Eastern. I spent over 5 years working with a Psychologist who specialized in #chronicdisease so that I could say that I made my surgery decision from an emotionally stable place, not out of desperation.
And I vowed to help others. To lead by example and to show that like water goes around obstacles, so can we.
Super stocked to be featured on @triathletemag website in their #culture feature. If ya have a few minutes, please go check it out! And if you are experiencing what I went through, let’s chat. You are not alone!
Feature link:
https://bit.ly/triathletemag
