Ileostomy

I kind of moped about if at first.............and now............I have asked myself a thousand times..............why did I wait so long.

No offence to all of you wonderfull people, but I no longer sob over taking meds and side affects or the pain from crap moving through my colon. And I no longer have to worry about where a "clean" bathroom is.........I pack it with me.

If you have thought about a surgery to overcome UC, stop thinking! And do it!

I feel like I have been reborn a new life.

Gargamel said...
I am still not convinced about surgery...

My GI has been nagging me about this for nearly a year now, after failing most medicines including Remicade and the Adacolumn, he says I have no other choices.

If you have failed all other medicines then right now about the only options are to deal with the symptoms or opt for surgery.

I still find it difficult to give up my colon for the unpredictable and scary J-Pouch surgery.

That is a normal reaction and understandable.  Surgery is permanent so the key is research all the options and for each person to decide if they feel it will give them the quality of life they are looking for.

How would I know if my life would be better off after the surgery?

Since we don't know what symptoms you are going through only you can decide if what surgery has to offer is better than what you are facing now.  Research it, ask questions from people who have been there, talk with your GI and possibly a surgeon then decide if it offers you a better life then what you face now.

What if I go for a J-Pouch surgery and come out with a permanent Ileostomy?

I have a permanent ileostomy and I can tell you it is a million times better than what I went through with UC.  I use the restroom when it is convenient for me.  I don't have an issue with incontinence or urgency anymore and the pouch is descretely hidden under my clothes so there is no obvious sign that I have an ileostomy.  An ileostomy is not the end of the world, in fact it has actually been the begining of a new life for me without UC.

What if I still need to go to the toilet 8 times a day???

From what I understand people with the j-pouch go on average 6 to 8 times a day.  The difference is no issue with urgency.  Most of them say that they empty their j-pouch when they urinate.  Another plus to it is that it only takes a minute or two instead of being locked up in the restroom for hours.  I almost opted for the j-pouch but was pleased with the quality of life my ileostomy gives me so I made it pemanent.  Again, each person has to make the decision based on their needs and what they are currently facing for symptoms.

I know it's scary, it's really scary and it's one of the hardest decisions you will ever make, but it is also one you will not regret. 

this ileo has given me my life back compeltly!  And the majority of the time i forget it's there, i am far too busy doing all the fun things i couldnt' do before, like going to the beach, and hanging with friends and going to waterparks and taking my son bowlign and stuff like that.  And way to busy eating ice cream, lol!

I am not gonna say it's always puppy dogs and fluffy clouds, there are a few down sides, but those are far outweighed by the good sides!

As for taking meds and supplements, i take a daily vitamin, that's about it.