Soon to have surgery...I hope!

I had UC for 7 months before it ate a hole in my colon and I had emergancy surgery.  I lost 60lbs and was completely miserable no matter what diet I was on or drugs I was taking.  I sometimes get bummed about it my bag, but quickly think back to how miserable I was before.  It was so worth it for me!  I have had my bag for almost 3 months now.  I just got back from vacation where I did all kinds of activities including swimming and hiking.  That was probably the best test for my bag.  It did almost come off when I went down the waterslide head first and smashed my stomach into the water, but it was fine being in the water for long periods of time without any leakage.  I haven't had any problems with leakage yet. 

I was in the hospital for 10 days after surgery and was at home for another two weeks before returning to work.  Seven weeks post surgery I played 72 holes of golf in 3 days, walking all the rounds.  I was tired and sore, but it felt great to be so active for the first time in months!

Good luck at your Dr.'s appt.

Cattieos said...
But I don't undertand what it means when it says permanent and temporary.

Basically, it's exactly that - a permanent ostomy is yours for life, a temporary one means you can be reversed back to either your original plumbing or to an internal pouch at sometime in the future.

With permanent ostomies, quite often (but it is not mandatory) the rectum and anus are removed either at the time of the original surgery or sometime later on.

Cattieos also said...
Also, I know a big thing people worry about is leaks why can't you just put some gauze over it?  Maybe that is stupid.

Not such a stupid question. When you have a leak, it usually means that stool has gotten under the wafer and is stopping the wafer from sticking down properly. Putting gauze under the wafer will make it leak all the more since it is the act of making the wafer adhere properly to the skin and creating a good seal that stops leakages. Stool will just soak through the gauze (ileostomy stool is a toothpaste like consistency at best). Leaving the stool leaking under the wafer means the stool is in constant contact with your skin. Since stool has enzymes in it which will eat into your skin and cause excoriation (ouch!) you should always change your wafer at the first sign of a leakage rather than trying to patch it up.

I've had my ileostomy for 31 years. It has never stopped me from doing anything other than wearing a bikini (but then again, this body was never built for a bikini anyway). I just wear a regular one piece bathing costume with a pattern, or splash of colour, over my ostomy site and no one ever knows I have an ostomy. I went through most of primary school, and all of high school with my ostomy and only those who I wanted to tell knew about it. Your ostomy won't stop you from doing anything you want to do - only your mind will.

I can't help with recovery time since my surgery was so many years ago but I can tell you that most people tend to be off work for around 6 - 8 weeks after surgery. You probably won't regain full strength for about 12 months but most people tell me they can feel the UC is gone immediately they come out of surgery. Their life usually just gets better and better from then on :)

Good luck.