My turn for the e.r.

[Bluetus]

60. Hang in there. If your surgeon is planning the take-down operation,

he/she is highly confident in its success. It was a marvel to me that after so many months of inactivity, the pieces could be joined again, and basically just start working again. As I say, it took me 2+ years to feel like I was on a normal pattern, and I still need to plan my calendar and diet around having a good morning, so to speak. But otherwise, this is very manageable.

I had been diagnosed with diverticulosis 15 years earlier. I wish I had been given more advice about ways to keep the gut as healthy as possible, but honestly, I'm not sure the medical world really knew so much at that time.

I very actively managed some combination of stool softener, prunes, and psyllium (nothing stronger) to make sure that things kept moving daily because it takes a long time for the colon to really be "itself" again. I erred on the side of softness, which can be a bit inconvenient, but I wanted to give the gut its best chance to really heal naturally.

You will be good. Don't be afraid of this. And actively manage it. I have not required any extra medicines or medical procedures, other than colonoscopy to make sure everything is as the surgeon expected. I am sure we are both thankful for the state of medicine today that allows us to carry on after this.