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Will I lose weight with surgery?

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Posted 8/14/2008 7:22 AM (GMT 0)
That would be a wonderful side benefit!  I'm not yet sure if I'm having a colostomy or illeostomy (waiting for results from tests to see if I have colonic inertia).  I was just wondering if it's pretty standard that people lose weight with these surgeries?  If so, what's a common amount of weight people lose?  Thanks in advance for your answers. :-)
Posted 8/14/2008 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
You will lose weight because you are having surgery. Typically we all gain weight after surgery because we are finally healthy. And I am referring to those who opted for surgery due to UC or Crohn's. I am unsure of the weight issue with CI but I imagine it would be the same; once healthy it's easy to put weight on. Calorie absorption takes place in the terminal ileum which is a part of the small intestine. The colon's funtion is to store waste that has already passed through the terminal ileum.

Sue
Posted 8/15/2008 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
Who cares if you lose weight the point is this is a chance to have life back. This is a chance to feel better and be able to go to the bathroom. This is your chance to really "LIVE" but yeah it would b kindof nice i guess
Posted 8/15/2008 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
i gained weight, lol. i can finally eat whatever, and i do!
Posted 8/15/2008 8:17 PM (GMT 0)

it depends on the person and meds and a whole lot of other things. i was on a high dose of prednisone for a long time before surgery so i gained a TON of weight in the months before i got my colon taken out. after not being able to eat for a few days (and of course the weight of my colon) i lost a bit of weight. i've been home for a week and a half now and although i'm still on 25 mg of pred i'm having a much easier time controling my appetite. i've lost a total of 20ish pounds since the day before surgery and that took 2 and a half weeks. i've still got at least 20 lbs to lose before i get to where i would like to be, but once i taper off the steroids completely that should all go too. i still have a moon face and all so i'm looking forward to that going away as well.

i think in general now that my colitis is gone my body has been trying to even itself out. i would sweat like a pig before, but now i dont seem to have a problem with it anymore, even though it's been really hot. i didnt think that the sweating was related to UC, but apparently it was. maybe my body was just haywire and didnt know what to do with itself. and now that it doesnt have to spend any energy attacking my colon it can focus on other things like managing its own weight and sweat glands, haha.

Posted 8/18/2008 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for your replies!

Suebear, with Colonic Inertia (if that's definitely what I have - should find out this week)/severe constipation, I think people often gain a lot of weight. That's what has happened to me.

Hopestar, I know that getting my life back is much more important than losing weight, don't worry!!! :-) It was just something I was curious about and it would be a nice benefit if it happens because I've put on so much weight with my severe constipation.

Summerstorm, I take it you were needing to gain weight? Sounds like you're happy that you have.

Spongebabe, it sounds like you have been through so much. It sounds like you are on the mend, though it is not easy. I can totally relate with the body going hayware and not knowing what to do with itself - mine is the same way!! And I also get the sweating really bad. Even though I don't have colitis, just having a colon that doesn't work properly definitely can screw up many of the body's systems. I really believe that is why I'm so ill. And I think you're so right about the body not needing to spend energy attacking the colon. I hope you feel "normal" very soon and have the life you so deserve after all the misery you've been through.

Thanks again, everyone for taking time to reply to me. You're all so wonderful.
Posted 8/18/2008 4:31 AM (GMT 0)
no i wasn't needign to gain weight, lol. I just did, milkshakes do that to you.
Posted 8/19/2008 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
I am another weight gainer.  The one thing that was a "perk" to have UC was loosing weight.  I actually lost weight even on prednisone but now that my sick colon is out of my body and I can eat whatever I want....I have a hard time saying "no".  I find my head saying "you should enjoy it for all the time you couldn't eat it".  I am hoping to get this eating fun out of my system because I really would rather be smaller.
Posted 8/22/2008 6:30 AM (GMT 0)
LOL, Summerstorm!! Yeah, unfortunately that's the way it works. I've often wished that food that is good for us (aka, broccoli) tasted like milkshakes! That way we would eat a whole lot more of the healthy stuff! ;-)

Chili123, I can totally understand why now you're enjoying being able to feast, when you were sick all that time with UC!!
Posted 8/22/2008 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
i wonder if you could make a broccoli milkshake?

what's starnge is i actually love veggies and that was one of the things i really missed eating, but i missed milkshakes and junk more!
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