Dad's BCIR surgery & travel cost
Donation protected
My dad has been approved for the BCIR (Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir) surgery due to health issues from ulcerative colitis and chronic pouchitis and will be having surgery over the holidays. The funds donated will go to pay for the co-payment for the surgery, travel expenses and my mom's time out of work. My dad has been out of work for years due to cancer, colitis, chronic pouchitis and a wide array of other health problems (mentioned in his health bio below). My mom will need to be out of work for a month to help care for him.
This is a complicated procedure with a long road to recovery. Dad will be in the hospital for 3+ weeks in Florida, where the surgery is performed. Only 2 surgeons in the US can perform this surgery.
Dad constantly goes out of his way to help others, even in his poor health. I can't even count the number of free lawn trims and helping hands I've seen him give others, when he could barely leave the house/toilet, due to having to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes and being constantly exhausted from lack of sleep from his incontinence. He would never ask for help and would scold me if he knew I was asking for him and sharing his story. The story written below is his story written to the doctor requesting approval for surgery.
My parents still have an insurmountable amount of medical bills from his last surgery that didn't go so well, cancer treatments, etc. and my goal is to prevent them from having more. Please know that I don’t share this with you lightly. If GoFundMe existed back then, I would have asked for help for them sooner. Above all, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Even the smallest donation will help and be greatly appreciated.
Dad's story:
I first started having symptoms of ulcerative colitis in 1989. I began having diarrhea with blood in my stool. I saw a local doctor who said he couldn't find anything wrong and just suggested I try changing my diet, which after doing so, the symptoms didn't subside. I had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 30 years old.
I began taking a series of medications including prednisone, asacol and sulfasalazine, all which would work for a while, then would stop. My flare ups were getting worse. This went on for the next 21 years and got so severe that I went on Remicade infusions with no improvement.
A doctor I was seeing suggested removing the colon and having surgery to create a j-pouch. The surgery was in June 2010 in Chapel Hill, NC. I was told I was be able to eat anything and would no longer have to take medication. My stay in the hospital was 2 weeks and I ended up having severe complications. After the operation, I began bleeding internally and lost 9 units of blood. I was rushed back to the OR as my blood pressure dropped to a fatal rate and I was barely saved.
After the surgery that was supposed to improve my health and quality of life, I continued to have severe diarrhea - going 9-10 times a day. I made several trips back to Chapel Hill and was told I may still have colitis in the cuff. Over time, my symptoms got worse. I was having more intense episodes of diarrhea, going 15-30 times a day.
I saw a new doctor who scoped me several times and confirmed I still had UC in the cuff along with chronic pouchitis, despite having the surgery that almost took my life. I have been taking flagyl and cipro almost daily, have added other meds, suppositories, anti-diarrhea meds, etc. with no improvement. This has caused me to lose sleep at night due to being up and down 7-8 times a night. I have tried so many meds (many not mentioned here) and none have worked.
For the last 8 years, I have been a prisoner in my own home and am now barely able to make it to the restroom. In the last 7 months, I have had a painful abscess and fissure with tears and blood, which feels like shards glass inside my rectum. I saw a new surgeon at Wake Forest Baptist who scoped and said my cuff was too long and suggested a 3-step surgery to shorten the cuff and put it back on.
Before the J-pouch, I lived with a colostomy bag for a year, which created a different set of issues. After researching the BCIR surgery, I decided I wanted to give it a try, as the bag and the J-pouch have both been unsuccessful.
In 2007, I was diagnosed with head/neck cancer, primary source - L tonsil, with a neck mass. I had surgery to remove the mass and the tonsils, 6 weeks of radiation and chemo and had a feeding tube inserted into my abdomen for a year with no food or water by mouth.
The last week in the hospital, I got a blood clot in my left arm and had to stay an extra week. Over the next 2 years, I had clots in my eyes, losing sight in my right eye (ischemic optic neropathy) and required Kenalog shots over a 6-week period in both of my eyes. I then developed clots in my lungs and was admitted to 2 weeks in the ICU. I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome and am on Warfarin (blood thinners) for life. I have monthly (or more) PT checks at my family practitioners office. I also have hearing loss in both ears and now wear hearing aids.
About BCIR Surgery
This is a complicated procedure with a long road to recovery. Dad will be in the hospital for 3+ weeks in Florida, where the surgery is performed. Only 2 surgeons in the US can perform this surgery.
Dad constantly goes out of his way to help others, even in his poor health. I can't even count the number of free lawn trims and helping hands I've seen him give others, when he could barely leave the house/toilet, due to having to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes and being constantly exhausted from lack of sleep from his incontinence. He would never ask for help and would scold me if he knew I was asking for him and sharing his story. The story written below is his story written to the doctor requesting approval for surgery.
My parents still have an insurmountable amount of medical bills from his last surgery that didn't go so well, cancer treatments, etc. and my goal is to prevent them from having more. Please know that I don’t share this with you lightly. If GoFundMe existed back then, I would have asked for help for them sooner. Above all, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Even the smallest donation will help and be greatly appreciated.
Dad's story:
I first started having symptoms of ulcerative colitis in 1989. I began having diarrhea with blood in my stool. I saw a local doctor who said he couldn't find anything wrong and just suggested I try changing my diet, which after doing so, the symptoms didn't subside. I had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 30 years old.
I began taking a series of medications including prednisone, asacol and sulfasalazine, all which would work for a while, then would stop. My flare ups were getting worse. This went on for the next 21 years and got so severe that I went on Remicade infusions with no improvement.
A doctor I was seeing suggested removing the colon and having surgery to create a j-pouch. The surgery was in June 2010 in Chapel Hill, NC. I was told I was be able to eat anything and would no longer have to take medication. My stay in the hospital was 2 weeks and I ended up having severe complications. After the operation, I began bleeding internally and lost 9 units of blood. I was rushed back to the OR as my blood pressure dropped to a fatal rate and I was barely saved.
After the surgery that was supposed to improve my health and quality of life, I continued to have severe diarrhea - going 9-10 times a day. I made several trips back to Chapel Hill and was told I may still have colitis in the cuff. Over time, my symptoms got worse. I was having more intense episodes of diarrhea, going 15-30 times a day.
I saw a new doctor who scoped me several times and confirmed I still had UC in the cuff along with chronic pouchitis, despite having the surgery that almost took my life. I have been taking flagyl and cipro almost daily, have added other meds, suppositories, anti-diarrhea meds, etc. with no improvement. This has caused me to lose sleep at night due to being up and down 7-8 times a night. I have tried so many meds (many not mentioned here) and none have worked.
For the last 8 years, I have been a prisoner in my own home and am now barely able to make it to the restroom. In the last 7 months, I have had a painful abscess and fissure with tears and blood, which feels like shards glass inside my rectum. I saw a new surgeon at Wake Forest Baptist who scoped and said my cuff was too long and suggested a 3-step surgery to shorten the cuff and put it back on.
Before the J-pouch, I lived with a colostomy bag for a year, which created a different set of issues. After researching the BCIR surgery, I decided I wanted to give it a try, as the bag and the J-pouch have both been unsuccessful.
In 2007, I was diagnosed with head/neck cancer, primary source - L tonsil, with a neck mass. I had surgery to remove the mass and the tonsils, 6 weeks of radiation and chemo and had a feeding tube inserted into my abdomen for a year with no food or water by mouth.
The last week in the hospital, I got a blood clot in my left arm and had to stay an extra week. Over the next 2 years, I had clots in my eyes, losing sight in my right eye (ischemic optic neropathy) and required Kenalog shots over a 6-week period in both of my eyes. I then developed clots in my lungs and was admitted to 2 weeks in the ICU. I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome and am on Warfarin (blood thinners) for life. I have monthly (or more) PT checks at my family practitioners office. I also have hearing loss in both ears and now wear hearing aids.
About BCIR Surgery
Organizer
Amber Rominger
Organizer
Granite Falls, NC