Digestive issues had been a way of life for David Duncan for many years. As a child, he remembers having ongoing stomach problems with no real solution. In his early 30s, he began experiencing more severe abdominal pain that would come and go. When the pain became frequent and lingered, it landed the now 60-year-old in the Emergency Room with a diagnosis of pancreatitis.
Not long after, David had surgery to remove a diseased gallbladder. Then things got even worse.
“I started experiencing debilitating reflux and heartburn with any and everything I ate or drank,” David recalls. “Eating or drinking would cause uncontrollable diarrhea. I had to plan my mealtimes carefully.”
Eventually, David was prescribed medication that calmed his symptoms. But it didn’t change the fact that he was still having severe cramping in his stomach, gas and other unwanted symptoms, as he had for years.
At around age 45, David had his first colonoscopy, which showed signs of diverticulosis. “No one made a big deal about it at the time, though,” he says. It was almost 15 years later when his primary care physician finally made a full-blown diagnosis of the disorder.
Diverticulosis is a condition that causes small pockets to form on the inside of the colon. If one of the pockets becomes injured or infected, it can lead to swelling and pain. These symptoms usually go away soon enough with the right treatment, as was the case for David. He would do a course of oral antibiotics and his symptoms would temporarily ease.
Diverticulosis can become serious, however, if the inflammation results in a tear in one of the small pockets. When a pocket ruptures, the condition is known as diverticulitis. It can be life-threatening when a perforation in the colon allows intestinal bacteria to leak into the body.
Quality Colon Care for Improved Quality of Life
David was in and out of the ER for months being treated for diverticulitis until one final visit ended with the need for surgery to address what had, at long last, become a perforated colon. Victor Cobos, M.D., a general surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton and at Texas Health Surgical Specialists in Denton, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice, was called in to perform a laparoscopic procedure to remove the diseased portion of David’s colon and clean out the infected areas in his abdomen.
“Dr. Cobos was very informative as to my surgery and what I should expect afterwards,” David says. “A colostomy bag was most likely in my future. Not good news to me.”
“When infection makes it unsafe for the remaining sections of the colon to be reconnected immediately following surgery, a stoma — or opening — is created to allow for contents of the bowel to leave the body,” Cobos explains.
The reality of a colostomy bag being attached to his body wasn’t an easy adjustment for David. Fortunately, his treatment plan also included Cobos performing a colostomy reversal once he recovered from his initial surgery.
“Having a colostomy did a number on me psychologically and affected me in ways I never expected,” David admits. “Having always been the guy who never got grossed out by anything, I was stunned when the whole bag process absolutely freaked me out. Knowing a reversal was in the near future was the only thing pulling me through those few months. My gratitude to Dr. Cobos for my reversal cannot be measured!”
David was so grateful for his improved quality of life following his surgeries that he wrote a letter of appreciation to Cobos that included these words:
Your personality and professionalism immediately impressed me, and I always felt really comfortable and confident in your care. Literally all my life, I was having serious issues. But I never knew these issues were abnormal. I cannot thank you enough for the unbelievable difference you have made in my daily life.
Learn more about your digestive health and find a digestive health specialist on the medical staff at a Texas Health hospital.
Sources
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10352-diverticulitis
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/colostomy
Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health hospitals or Texas Health Resources. © 2024 Texas Health Resources
Texas Health Surgical Specialists is a Texas Health Physicians Group practice. Providers employed by Texas Health Physicians Group are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals. © 2024 Texas Health Resources