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Getting nervous- j pouch Oct 5 and suffering from cold

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Posted 9/28/2009 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
I am having j pouch surgery on October 5th- only a week away and I caught a cold from my daughter 2 days ago.  I hope it goes away soon as I know you cannot be sick for surgery- ugh!  Will they really reschedule surgery because of a cold?  I am going to call my surgeons office tomorrow to give them a heads up.   I am starting to get nervous and I feel like my husband is trying to talk me out of the surgery.  He keeps talking to people who have had it done and insists that I call them, get a second opinion, etc.  He did mention that one of the guys that had a j pouch said that because he was so tall, they were not able to connect the small intestine to the rectum after removing the colon???  He said that his height played a factor in reconnecting.  Has anyone heard of this or any other reason why the surgeon would not be able to connect you back together?  I am scared to death to have a permanent ileostomy.  I am praying that I will not have any complications but I know that it is me and my luck and what God has in store for me.  Any advice is much appreciated in regards to preparing for the surgery or after. 
Posted 9/28/2009 7:06 AM (GMT 0)
I had a really bad cold on the day I went in for my j-pouch surgery and half expected to be sent home. A doctor came along very early to examine me and once they were happy I had no chest infection were happy to proceed with the surgery.

Pouch surgery is more difficult in very tall people as it can be harder to free up enough of the mesentery to enable the pouch to reach the rectum. Your husband is correct that you should speak to people who have been through the surgery, this will prepare you for what is to come. The recovery from pouch surgery can be quite tough and it is important that you are prepared for this, if not you will find yourself turning every small drama into a crisis. Despite a tough recovery period the results are normally well worth the pain, I wish I had mine done years before I did.

For the record an ileostomy is not as bad as you think either, I was amazed at how quickly I adjusted to mine and even considered keeping it - it is amazing how much easier things are to cope with once you have your health back.

Peter
Posted 9/28/2009 12:44 PM (GMT 0)
I think it would depend on your doc and what symptoms you have with your cold. Do everything you can to not let it get any worse.

If you are really nervous, you should talk to others who have had the surgery. I think your husband is right in telling you to do that...it's not necessarily that he's trying to talk you out of it, but prepare you? Like spiderman said, recovery can be tough. Also, remember that people respond to drugs differently and the pred you are taking could be making your anxiety worse. Nerves are normal to some degree!

Personally, I have a permanent ileo because my diagnosis is Crohn's. I wish I had done it sooner, too!!
Posted 9/28/2009 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
Keep the surgical appt., provided your cold isn't in your chest you should be fine.

I had well meaning family members try to talk me out of surgery. I had the surgery anyway; they had no idea how sick I was (because we always look good on the outside) and for how long I had suffered. After they saw me in the hospital they realized they were wrong and should have supported my decision. It was immediately apparent after surgery that I had regained my health and it became very obvious that surgery was the right decision.

If you don't want to have surgery or aren't ready for it, you can cancel it.

Sue
Posted 9/28/2009 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
i agree with them, both about the cold and about talking to some other people.
And i know its scary, but dont freak out about possibly having a perm ileo, its not bad, i promise! rather convenient actually, lol.
Posted 9/29/2009 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Peter, OHIO76, suebear and summerstorm, thank you so much for the helpful info- I think I might make an appt to see my primary care physician to have a chest xray done to rule anything respiratory out. I actually had lunch with a girl who had jpouch a couple of years ago and she was so informative. I swear she is a godsend. I am completely, mentally, prepared to have this surgery but just a little anxious. I have also done a lot of research and realize what it and the recovery entails and am ready. Now, to feel well enough to go through with it. I am tapering off of my Prednisone and am down to 10mg but am having symptoms once again. I have lots of blood and urgency once again. I will let my surgeon know to see if he wants to up it to 20mg. Not sure though, as I realize that healing can be compromised when on steroids. We will see... Thanks again guys, it means so much to me!
Posted 9/29/2009 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, so my cold/cough got much worse this morning and I went in to see my primary care physician. It turns out I have bronchitis and he put me on a z pack. It is the only antibiotic that I can somewhat tolerate. The prescription calls for 2 pills the first day and 1 pill for the next 4 days. Well, I only took 1 pill so far today and it felt like knives were having a party in my stomach an hour later- ugh. He told me to stop taking it if it upsets my stomach too much. I am in catch 22 situation because I need the antibiotics to clear the bronchitis quickly so I can go on with surgery on Monday but I am afraid they may flare me up. Oh yeah, I spoke with the surgeon this morning and told him that I was having blood, urgency, frequency again now that I am only on 10mg of Prednisone. He told me to up it to 20mg which I did today as well. I guess it's just a waiting game now to see if the bronchitis clears. My surgeon wants me to call him on Thursday and give him an update. He said we will have to reschedule if I am not better:( I really hope to get better so I can have this j pouch already! The timing of this bronchitis couldn't be worse... any ideas of what else I can do to get better for surgery??
Posted 9/29/2009 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
I'm afraid this is just one of those things that will have to run its course. I thought doctors stopped throwing antibiotics at bronchitis as it's not bacterial? You might ask for an RX for an inhaler. I can't remember the name of the prescription but the inhaler always knocks the cough right out of me.

Sue
Posted 9/29/2009 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sue. My doctor did say that he isn't sure if it's bacterial or viral but the z pack would probably get me feeling better faster. I will look into the inhaler. I have a few friends that are doctors and will pick their brains as well. I have been home in bed all day and I must say that I feel a little bit better- not coughing as much. Hope I can get to be 100% though!
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