Thanks guys!!!
Pouchogram went fine. The nurse who was setting me up went into a loooong monologue about
inserting the tube into the rectum, that it was very small and soft and shouldn't hurt but I really need to r-e-l-a-x to let them get it in, blah blah blah, I finally had to stop her and say "I don't mean to sound cocky, but I've probably had about
a thousand enemas, I'm sure I can do it."
There was some miscommunication at the beginning of the exam so I thought they had put the contrast in already and I was thinking to myself "I can't feel anything... does this mean I have no sensation down there? OMG?" and was clenching like crazy thinking if I couldn't feel it it would leak out. After a few minutes of that the radiologist said, "OK, now I'm going to start letting the contrast flow into your j-pouch" LOL. Then it was just like enemas I remember, sort of cold, a little pressure, a little bit of that cramping abdomen feeling/urge to go but pretty easy to hold. A lot of the contrast came out of the loop ileo into my bag, the rest went back into the enema bag or I evacuated into the toilet afterward. For some reason I assumed the contrast would be a color but it was just clear.
After that I went up to my surgeon's office, got my vitals checked, had blood drawn, urine, etc. I weighed in at 125 lb in my clothes. For context, when I went into the hospital for Step 2 I weighed 133 lb, but left the hospital just under 120 lb. I've been eating like crazy between Step 2 and Step 3 but I think the loop ileo is just too high for me to absorb enough nutrients to gain. I will probably have to be really careful after reversal not to end up heavier than my normal pre-UC weight (about
145)!!
The chief resident and a medical student examined me, just checked to make sure my belly was soft and the CR asked to unsnap my pouch and glance at the stoma -- I'm always amazed at how infrequently doctors want to see the stoma, just goes to show that the particulars of an exam are often dictated by convenience! The med student was SUPER awkward and politely turned away during the exam but I was like "hey, it's OK, I think you're here to see this."
Anyway, then I finally saw my surgeon, and he went through my laundry list of questions (he said "Don't you know everything by now?" and I said "Maybe if it was the same surgery three times in a row!"). A few of the answers that stood out to me..
- epidural? No, PCA pain pump with IV meds.
- how will stoma be closed? Staples
- no prep, liquid diet day before
- imodium can be stopped cold turkey day of surgery
- typical hospital day is 4 days
- return to work in 2 weeks (!! we'll see about
that)
- typically six BMs/day
- most patients don't need bowel slowers
Sounds like a PRETTY rosy picture of recovery, but we'll see. Honestly except for the "step 2 is just as easy as step 1" thing (HA), my surgeon's optimism has always proved true so I'm hoping things go just as he said.
So... that's that. Just gonna enjoy the next week, say bye to my stoma, load up on good books and movies and soft foods (already got the bidet and Calmoseptine), and get ready for the next chapter
Alison... can't wait to hear how it goes on Thursday!! You will do great!