Hopefully saying goodbye to Ulcerative Colitis THURSDAY!

Best of luck to you! We did three month intervals, seems about minimum--- except for this last one, the loop is a pain in the drain. Be a good patient, and keep us posted as you are able.

Good for you Dan! So you are getting a jpouch? I am actually in the hospital typing this haha! I only had 2 step. First was December 11 and this one was yesterday morning (the 16th). Sorry if I type something odd, still coming in and out of the anesthesia a little so I'm still kind of tired and loopy! Lol. My surgeon said the earliest he could reverse my temp ileo was 8 weeks and I waited just under 10 to do it. Feeling pretty good right now, some pain and a little cramping, but not horrible. Ready to eat since I am aloud solid food today! Just gotta walk today and eat and go to the bathroom to make sure everything with the "new plumbing" works haha. A little nervous cause i heard some people start going and they feel like the have UC again until it all settled down. So hopefully everything will go smoothly today. If it does my surgeon said I will be heading home tomorrow! Right now i am feeling like I made the right decision. Can't wait to get home, recover, and start enjoying my new UC free life! Are you getting step 1 on Wednesday as in tomorrow? If so, best of luck to you! I felt scared and excited for my surgeries as well, its normal! well good luck, hope surgery goes awesomely (if that's a word) lol, and make sure to keep us updated!

Definitely! I bet you are ready! Both typing from hospital, nice lol. Mind me asking where you are from? Just time wise cause I'm awake and it is 5 am where I am ugh. Sleeping in the hospital just doesn't work very well. I'm sure you understand that haha! Yeah I was steroid dependent which is why I had the surgery as well. Never was hospitalized for my UC though cause I could control it with prednisone. Tried apriiso, uceris, imuran, humira, and remicade. They worked but not well enough by themselves for me to be off prednisone. Was on pred fluctuating doses for almost 2 years straight and couldn't do it anymore. No other meds worked and the side effects were getting too bad. Hopefully this jpouch is just what we need to get on with our lives!

I'm sorry you've had to be there so long. I thought 5 days was hard! Are you having to miss school or work because of it? I've had to take online college courses so I am kind of behind the rest of my friends. Oh well lol. Don't worry too much about the bag. Yes it is a very big adjustment and something you really need to get used to, but it doesn't have to control you. Take it from me, someone who really did not want to have a bag and got really frustrated by it, it was still better than the disease. Yes I am glad I have the chance to have it gone and have a jpouch but the bag is not the end of the world like I thought in the beginning. It's very true what people told me. Once you change it, empty it, etc a few times you get more used to it. It gets easier every time. I only had mine 2 months so I didn't have a long time with it. If yours will be longer just try out different products and brands to see what works best for you. It's just a lot of trial and error but once you find something that works, you will be a pro! A stoma or ostomy nurse should talk to you as well in the hospital and explain everything. And mentally I had to get used to it as well. At first I didn't want to go out or anything but then I thought, you know what, I dont care. It is a part of me right now and I am not letting it control me. It gets easier, trust me. Don't get depressed over it either like I did lol. If you feel like that, make a post on here. There are so many awesome people here that can help you through this like people did for me! Sorry this is so long, it is like a book haha (sorry!) but hope it helps!

Yeah, no one will notice! Something I did was made sure I emptied it right before leaving the house and then tuck it in my pants so it stayed emptied and flattened for a while. Then while you are out just keep an eye on it and empty it before it gets too noticeable and you'll be good!

Yeah you can do that! And everyone is different and its also different depending on what you eat. If you drink a lot and certain things like sugary drinks and sodas, things like that, it may fill very quickly with liquid. Mine did that. But it didn't with water or Gatorade. Certain foods can reduce/ thicken the output as well. So depending on what you eat, you may only need to empty 2-3 times during work and then the rest in the morning or evening at home after dinner and such. I would empty maybe 5-8 times a day depending on what I ate. And you can look all that diet stuff up online!

Thanks for the support everyone!

I said goodbye to UC almost five years ago and it's been awesome! The j pouch has its quirks but it's been such a God send for me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, maybe my healthy colon back but that ship has sailed lol!

Best of luck with your surgery and wishing you a speedy recovery. This is such a small blip on the map compared to the rest of your life being UC free. :)

PS- now you can say you have a robo-ass!

Good Luck Dan! My pouch is brand new and amazing! It does have it's "quirks" as Marianne put it but sooo much better than UC!

Vicki

Just seen the surgeon. Im first on the list of planned surgery tomorrow. They have a huge team and Mr Khan (one of the top IBD surgeons in the UK - does these operations 500 times a year. Both privately and for the NHS all over the country) is leading it with Robots and cameras. Mental. More input Stephanie! Should be out 5 - 7 days after surgery depending on healing. Nervous, anxious, excited, scared...

Can't wait until 9 months down the line when this is all done and seems like a bad dream.

Thanks - I'm anxious but I've been so ill that I'm also excited not to have colitis anymore. Too long have I put up with its bullcrap.

Thinking about you. Please check in when you're up to it in a few days :)

Sounds like you will be up to it soon since you're already done with the biggest step!