I got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 12. So I had numerous colonoscopies, barium sulfate suspensions, CT scans, x-rays, picc lines, etc.
Finally in 2000 they had to just go ahead and take my colon out because it was almost perforated.
it was an 8 hour surgery and it left me with an ostomy bag...just in time for junior high school! lol fun fun fun.
I had what they call a "reconnection" surgery to get rid of the bag about 6 months afterward. I now have an internal J pouch, so I'm halfway normal again.
In between those first two surgeries I had two infections: e coli and staph. Both infections had to be drained by tubes inserted into my abdomen.
I also had gallstones (found by ultrasound) so they took the gallbladder out when I was around 14 or 15.
Because of the scar tissue from the other surgeries though, he couldn't do it endoscopically and I ended up with another huge scar on my stomach.
I've also had my shins broken and screws placed in them.
I guess it was a birth defect and my shins went outward, making my knee caps grind against them.
Basically every step I took from the time I started walking to age 20 hurt really bad.
I got the screws taken out in November. 20 years....and finally, there isn't pain when I walk
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