Bratcat's j-pouch connection

Best wishes to Bratcat & Bennie for the upcoming Step 2 next Monday. I can imagine that you'll be thrilled to get rid of the wafer + all the cut/paste bother & keeping track of ostomy supplies. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])

Good luck Bratcat, I wish you a speedy recovery and life without meds!

Good luck Bratcat, heal quickly so you can enjoy life. no meds sounds good.

Visualizing a perfect surgery and an excellent recovery!!!

Thanks everybody!!! We will definitely keep you all posted on how things go. I am very excited for this surgery.

Thank you everyone for your good wishes and prayers. That means so much to our family. Bratcat's surgery is at 1 pm tomorrow. It was originally supposed to be at 3 then the surgeon's office called about a week ago to move it up to 2 pm. Then on Friday they called again and changed it to 1 pm. So we have to be there 2 hours earlier at 11. This should be a much shorter surgery.

Bratcat is on clear liquids today. She has to take magnesium citrate at 6 pm. Anyone know how "yummy" that is? She's never had to take that before.

She's doing great but I'm channeling all the stress. My face breaks out (rosacea) once in awhile especially under stress. I was fine looking on Friday. Since Saturday I look like a teenager in need of a dermatologist. The dermatologist did give me ointment in the past and I have started using it again. So now I look like a greasy, red-faced person in need of a dermatologist! Then last night I started to get a small rash (hives?) on my arms and today it is near my neck. The hospital probably won't even let me near Bratcat at the rate I'm going.
Does anyone know of something other than Benedryl that might help? My body doesn't react well to Benedryl but I know it will help.

Anyway, I will keep in touch. Hopefully they will put her back on the peds floor. They have computers and toys and snacks and videos and lots of other fun things to keep us busy!

Hi Bennie.  Hang in there Mom.  I admire you so much, and I totally understand the hives thing.  As much as I have been through with my son, you have been through so much more. My son, the UC person broke out with hives right in front of the peditrician recently.  He gave him a Claritin right away, and that helped. Can you take Claritin? I will be praying for you and Bratcat.  You are an inspiration to us all.

Gads, Bennie-- like you really need a rash right now. Wishing Bratcat smooth sailing today & quick progress toward discharge for home! / Old Hat

Thanks for the update Bennie. I am so glad the surgery went well. Please let us know how the next few days are for her. Your sharing Bratcats surgery stories is very educational for us all.

So glad that Bratcat has the 2nd surgery behind her!!!!! Thanks so much for keeping us posted-- sending you all good vibes. Paul L just posted that he is being discharged from hospital today at noon-- so more good news to share! / Old Hat

Bratcat is doing OK. She had her catheter taken out around noon. She finally urinated on her own around 9:30 tonight. She did walk several times today. She even checked in on some websites. (She read your kind thoughts but has no energy to post.) Still no passed gas (that will allow her to have clear liquids). She has some pain by her old stoma area but is still on the PCA. Tonight she is running a low grade fever but so far the doctors aren't too worried. She looks and feels so much better than she did the first surgery. But the nurses have to keep reminding her (and me) that this was also major surgery and will take time to heal.

She had a roommate until this afternoon. A very sweet girl who has an ileostomy and a urinary tract infection. Not too sure what she is in for. She also has cerebral palsy and doesn't communicate well. Most of the night and morning she had a wailing type cry. The nurses moved her today to another room (no, we did not say anything). So for now, Bratcat is in a huge room by herself again. We moved to the other side (where she was for her first surgery). It is a bit more open and right next to the bathroom.

A PCA is an IV patient controlled analgesic (at least I think that is what it is). It is the controlled substance drugs. The patient "chooses" when they want to have the drug. The pump is set to only administer at a minimum setting (in Bratcat's case it is no more than every 6 minutes). She can press the button as much as she wants but it won't dispense anymore often than every 6 minutes. But if she thinks she can go longer than that she doesn't have to take the PCA. This also helps because she doesn't have to wait to ask the nurse for meds and then wait for the nurse to bring it. Her PCA right now is morphine.

Bratcat passed gas today! That was the criteria to move on to clear liquids. Her potassium level was a bit low so the doctor wanted her to have potassium administered. Unfortunately the surgeon was in surgery and had not OK'd the clear liquids so the first 2 doses (of 3) were done by IV. They burn going in and it was the first time that she got upset. By the 2nd bag, the surgeon had OK's potassium orally. Much easier to handle. She's been walking alot today. It's amazing how different she is from her first surgery. She has some discomfort but can get herself up and down off the chair, walk the floor (at a pretty good pace), and is much more social. Today they changed the top dressing of where her stoma was. Tomorrow they will change the whole thing and we will see what it looks like.

She had another roomie this morning. An 8 day old baby with jaundice. Then he was moved to PICU and she now has 2 new roommates (the room is for 3). One is a 5 year girl with asthma. Her parents are hoping she can go home tomorrow. The other is a baby (under 1). They just came in so we haven't met yet. The floor holds 14 beds and they are all filled. When Bratcat was here in July there were 4 patients in total. Big difference!

Im glad to hear she is up and walking hopeing she has a speedy recovery,