Tobie Warstler's Colonoscopy Story

On September 8th, 2021 Tobie Warstler went in for a routine colonoscopy, a procedure she’s had many times before because of her risk factor of colon cancer & disease which took her mother’s life in 2016. In previous procedures, she had been told “you have a beautiful colon”. This time however, she had two polyps removed.

 

Almost immediately after being home she experienced symptoms unlike the previous procedures. Including severe bloating, bleeding and abdominal pain. These symptoms were dismissed by her doctors post-procedure care line regardless of her repeated calls and concern. Twenty four hours post-procedure Tobie decided she needed medical attention. She was urgently admitted into the ER, her situation was so dire, she had a team of doctors planning her emergent surgery. There was a high likelihood that Tobie would have lost her life, had she not advocated for herself. After CT scan she was in fact bleeding into her abdomen and almost septic.

 

During the emergency surgery, the surgeons found two perforations where the polyps were removed during the colonoscopy. The severity of those perforations had caused so much damage they removed a majority of her large intestine. Tobie was hospitalized for five days in ICU. She has been unable to work in her normal capacity due to physical limitations required for optimal healing and navigating life.

 

In fact, Tobie has been chained to a ileostomy bag for over six months, which has required her to empty a bag multiple times a day, that is attached to her abdomen. As all of us that know Tobie, she is an active person that enjoys the freedom of the outdoors and horses.

 

On March 3rd she received the news a resection was possible, meaning her small intestine could be reconnected in a way she could live life fully without confinement of the ileostomy bag. Since September 2021, this is the news we’ve all been hoping for, but the anxiety has loomed. She has defeated the odds by living through this traumatic situation. She’s had to maneuver the complexity of health insurance to ensure she had the medical supplies required for her condition, often on a weekly basis spending endless hours calling doctors and her insurance simply to make sure she had what was needed to care for her condition.

 

The stress of navigating this life altering experience over the past 6 months has been physically, financially and mentally life altering for Tobie and her daughter. Tobie has discovered that part of her healing is telling her story. Tobie sought support through social media groups, self-help groups in her community and spoken many hours with her closest friends throughout her journey. She’s uncovered that her experience, while horrific, is far too common. This situation has been full of deep sorrow and frustration. The greatest healing for her is to tell her story and to keep the legacy of her late mother alive.

 

Any gift you can give will help Tobie and her family not only re-build the loss experienced in her situation but also help her achieve filling a gap in support, which is needed that Tobie would like to launch in honor of her mother, Nancy.