Taking the plunge... scheduling surgery.

My son has decided that he wants to have the surgery.   He has been in a full flare and is tired of all the meds, getting up an hour before he has to for school just to take a Canasa, taking a myriad of drugs that not only do nothing to help his situation, but have horrid side effects and stressing about "what if while I am at school".

We are scheduling an appointment with a Colorectal Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston FL.    Our biggest challenge right now is to keep him out of the hospital until we can get it all arranged.   His hemoglobin levels have been dropping one point a week and we are waiting for the results of his latest labs from this morning.  Last week he was at 9.9 despite iron supplements and multivitamin that the doctor has him on.  He is exhausted and pale and wants to be "normal" again.  He is also really tired of being stuck with needles!

Now the question... how the hell do I home school a high school freshman when I am a single full time working mom?  Talk about stress levels! Mine are through the roof.

Any and all prayers are gladly accepted.

Will keep you all updated.

Thanks

Best of luck to your son!

Best wishes to you and your son. I don't blame him for wanting to be done w/ all of this. I hear that surgery is tough, but young people bounce back fast and it does seem like a majority are very happy w/ their decision. Collicat comes to mind--son doing great, no meds, great life!!

Your stress level must be so high. Maybe keeping the end goal in mind...after you get through all of this crap you will never ever have to worry about UC again, no more meds, flares, side effects etc... Just fyi, you may want to check out the ostomy board. I sometimes look and I see that they recommend a great surgeon, lots of walking after and to measure results in months and weeks not days. Anyway though I am sure they will have some great tips.

Good luck to you and your son and pls keep us posted.
B

As a single working mom of a high schooler, I can only imagine what you and your son are going through.  If I were you I'd check into online high schools.  There are a lot out there and he should be able to at least enroll in one while he's recovering.  You may also want to talk to his school and see if they can offer any suggestions.  My guess is this isn't the first time they've had a student that needs to take a semester off.  Best of luck to you both.  I'll be sending you both positive thoughts. 

Hi, My daughter did homeschooling last year. She missed a lot of school her freshman year. Sick during the summer. I went to the school and signed her up incase she couldn't make it her sophmore year. She took classes through the internet through the school. They only offered tutors for 5 hours a week. If she didn't do her work during the day I made her do some at night when I was home. My daughter is 5 months post-op. She started her junior year Wednesday and is doing great. Surgery was the best thing we ever did .

 

Gosh, do I know how you are feeling!!!!!!

When my daughter left school last December, we did what her school calls "Home Hospital" and teachers came to our house roughly 3x a week.  At first she did make up work and caught up over the holiday break.  We thought she would go back after the break, but when that didn't happen we signed up for the Home Hospital program.  I loved it, she loved it...but then we had to move on to Independent Studay.  I don't feel she learned anything in Indep. Study, but she got all A's and one B+.   I'm not sure what we are doing yet this year and school starts next Wednesday!    But middle school standards are not as tough as High School standards.  

You will do what you have to do and you will make it work!    I know you will!  It is way too stressful to attend school all day when you are bleeding and in pain.  You are doing the right thing!

Florida Virtual Online would seem to be the way to go. My daughters have had success taking a few courses online. Best wishes to you and your son. Just asking, as I'm not up on your history of your son's disease...has he tried diet modification like The Maker's Diet, SCD? I have a sophomore so my heart goes out to you. Prayers sent your way for the best outcome for your son.

My heart breaks for you and your son! I am 29 years old and was diagnosed with UC 2 years ago. It was a downhill spiral, meds stopped working, constant flare ups, next option was surgery. If it weren't for Sue Dieffenbach (Clinical Nutrition Consultant), I would have lost my colon as well. She was referred to me and after one visit, she had me on supplements and a gluten free and dairy free diet, and within a WEEK, my symptoms were gone, pain was gone, and I haven't had flare ups in 6 months! I am healthy, happy, and I still have my colon! I've been able to wean myself off of my medication and I have clarity of mind again, no more side affects of the meds, and life has meaning again. PAIN FREE! It's amazing. I've been in chronic pain for over 2 years and I am so glad I found Sue when I did. Have you considered going the natural route? It gave me my life back. I would highly recommend Perk Up Health Center. Please check it out. http://perkuphealthcenter.com/index.php. Here is her email address. [email protected]. At least try something else before surgery! For me it was worth it. And if anything, she can help in your son's transition into and out of surgery. Sue Dieffenbach is a godsend.

I wish you and your son all the best and please keep us posted! My prayers are with you.

Sincerely,
Harmony Lawton