ok...I'm doing it.

You're gonna be just fine after the surgery and finally UC free!!! What I would give to eat a giant pizza followed by a bowl of chocolate ice cream, and just think you'll be doing just that in a few weeks or so : ).
I'll say an extra prayer on the 19th (not that you're gonna need it).

The nerves and the wait time leading up to the surgery must be tough. I only know it from a mom's point of view. I can say I held up well until Bratcat went in for her first surgery and then got very emotional until we saw the surgeon afterwards. But it is great to see her happy and healthy. She feels wonderful, looks wonderful, and is enjoying her senior year of high school. Just keep thinking of all the great things you will be able to do with your family when you are healthy!

Good vibes and wishes are coming your way for a new life UC free! I know the thought of surgery can be scary and overwhelming, but my boyfriend had a dreaded 2nd shoulder surgery and he was so crazy thinking about it beforehand....now he's almost 4 weeks into recovery and doing incredible...and we still can't believe it's over and done! So, just think before you know it you'll be up and around and feeling well again. Keep us posted on how the surgery goes and know that you are in my thoughts!

I didn't have much time to think about surgery before my first step because it was more of an emergency after a month in the hospital and nothing working and I was near death. But I did have to think about step 2 & 3 for a jpouch and had the very same thoughts that you have. The surgery was difficult for me only because of how sick I was before hand (I am 5'6" and was 90lbs) and the surgical pain wasn't as bad because I knew that I would heal. Going in to a surgery healthier is giving you a great advantage and I pray that you recover quickly and get to enjoy your Christmas with your family.

I remember one Christmas I was in the hospital for 3 weeks because of a UC flare when my kids were young and I'm so grateful that I will never have to worry about that again.

If you have questions about the jpouch you can go to jpouch.org, there are alot of us there who have been thru the surgeries and are willing to answer any questions you may have. You can also private message me there if you want.

Here's looking foward to a healthier new year for you!

wishing you the best of luck and my prayers will be with you.

The ostomies board helped me so much during my surgeries, I would have been lost without them! Go there for any questions or tips that you might need, there is a wealth of information from a very caring group!

Hey congrats on getting off the fence, Chassity- you will do fine and have a new life free of this idiotic disease soon! And even if you have some challenges recovering at first, it will be the sort we can handle- healing as opposed to the body attacking itself absurdly day in and day out. The day before and of the surgery, here;s hoping you are relaxed and giddy with light at the end of the tunnel. .

This is my first post on this forum! I wish you all the best, and to be honest, I too have been considering surgery quite a bit the last few days. I have only had the disease for 1 year, but it's progressed so quickly, without any real relief, that I am getting sick of relying on treatments that ultimately work for a time, only to fail and have the symptoms return with a vengeance. It's disheartening.

I used to have a life before this disease - last year this time I was first daignosed - lost a lot of weight - throughout the year I had a brief remission with the 5-ASA's, but a flare kicked in that would not subside. I wound up in the hospital. The Prednisone saved my life - for this I am grateful. My GI had me taking 40 mg of Pred and started me on Imuran (50 mg now taking 175mg). When he tried tapering the pred, we got down to 15 mg and I flared. We bumped it up to 20, worked a few days, then flared, now I'm at 40mg and still flaring.

My GI has already begun the tests for Remicade. But I'm not exactly holding my breath. And if the 40mg of Pred are not enough, I'll have to jump to 60mg. Perhaps that will work for a time, but my body seems to get used to the steroid quite quickly, and symptoms come back.

I'm sorry to vent - like I said, my first post. :) But as I sit here, wondering how many times I'm going to go to the washroom tomorrow and how the BM's will be, suddenly the option of surgery isn't so scary any more. So for that I commend you, and can relate to the excitement you feel. I too feel excited at the thought of getting my life back. I grow weary of being ill - weight loss, depression, anxiety. I can't work. I am sick of being sick, and so I applaud your decision, and am probably not too far behind you in the process!

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you luck and health! You deserve it! As do all of us!

Hi Chassity,

Well, making the decision is definately the hardest part!  You may want to visit our blog ucstory.wordpress.com you'll find lots of info and pictures from people having the uc to jpouch surgery. http://ucstory.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/mark-9-month-jpouch-update/ here is my 9 month jpouch update that should help you feel like there will be light at the end of the long long tunnell.  Also, lots of good success stories from men and women. You also may find that jpouch.org forum board will be able to help you with learning more details about your ileostomy and jpouch. 

Good luck and heal well!