When to operate?

[wendybra]

I have been suffering with Diverticulitis for 2 years now. Seeing surgeon soon.. How is the success rate on this type of surgery

[wendybra]

Thankyou very much for your post!! I have had many attacks of diverticulitus, spent two weeks in hospital in May and June/ 2010. Seeing surgeon in August not sure what he will suggest, but l myself am ready for this scarred section of my colon to be gone.

Hopefully speak to you again soon!!

Wendy Braddock

[Morecambe]

You do not state exactly what type of surgery is contemplated but I am assuming that this could be a total colectomy.  If so, you might like to note my own experiences of a total colectomy which I underwent about six years ago (although this was carried out to treat torrential diverticular bleeding) which I shared in response to another Medhelp patient's posting on:-

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/523166

Perhaps you might print this off and show it to your own surgeon and ask whether his/her expectations of your surgery will be similar to my own observations??

At the same time, I would advise you only to engage the services of a specialist colo-rectal surgeon in a specialist G.I. hospital (such as your Mayo Clinics) rather than a general surgeon (whose experiences would include hernias, ingrowing toenails etc etc and maybe only infrequent G.I. procedures/resections etc etc).

You asked about the success rate of this type of surgery - well, if the procedure removes the whole of the colon and/or the area where diverticular disease can flourish, then, in theory the operation carries a 100% success rate.  Putting it simply if you cut off someone's legs then they can never contact athlete's foot!!  However, having written that rather (non) profound observation,  suspect that this part of your question also alluded to the recovery from the operation and the after effects of the surgery.  Maybe my posting referred to above will give you some hints - of course if your own surgery can be performed laparoscopically then the post-op trauma to the body will be lessened.

Do come back if, after reading the above, you have any more questions.

regards
Morecambe