I had my J-pouch surgery about 2 years ago and had chronic pouchitis ever since. I was taking a 10 day course of Cipro every 2 months religiously only to have it return a month or so later. Then my...
Yes, but I was blaming the Prednisone and not UC. Very intersting. Could be the body just stressing out too....
Yes, especially to cold ice cream. It also gave me osteoporosis -2.7 t score. Now that I'm taking Actonel and had the j-pouch surgery a year ago, I'm actually reversing my bone loss. After 2 years of...
I've had my j-pouch for almost a year. I have some random light leakage at night, maybe up to 3 times a week especially when in a deep sleep. My doctors say I should try taking Imodium before going...
It only took a year for me to decide on the surgery route and here was my thought process and experiences that made me come to my final decision for surgery. I concluded the "light" medicines I was...
I had my j-pouch surgeries last year. I had 3 total (see my signature). At almost 6 months after the final surgery...pouch creation and hookup, I'm doing great and life is about 95% of normal. I...
All of my surgeries were at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Remzi was my surgeon and knows his stuff inside and out. He gets the j-pouch failure cases, so I figured I would let him take the first crack at...
Mine would itch too without any irritation. It may be just from everything healing underneath. I wouldn't worry if the skin around it looks fine....
I had an NG tube placed after 2 of my 3 surgeries (a few days afterwards), for about a day each. Yes, they are your stomach juices and anything else left in the digestive tract before surgery....
It will get better with time. It took 3 to 4 months before things began to slow down for me. I didn't take anything like metamucil or imodium. I guess it may have helped me. Anything I ate passed...
You should start to feel much better during the 3rd and 4th month post op. The recovery is very very gradual and you'll only see improvement month to month. I thought initially getting my j-pouch was...
When I had my ileostomy, I was not allowed to lift more than 30 pounds at a time. That was my only restriction. If you work for UPS they may need to reclassify you to a different position where you...
I only just read your initial post. I think there are a lot of people afraid of the surgeries and will try any other means to avoid it, and have convinced themselves that they are correct with taking...
I got osteoporosis at age 31 due to prednisone. T score of -2.5 spine and -2.6 left femoral bone and hip (osteoporosis T<-2.5, osteopenia -2.5
My be bloating, which is common after surgery and should subside after a few weeks. Just look out for a fever or blockage...that would indicate something more urgent. You should be feeling much...
If the pain is severe, call the doctor or go to the hospital. You'll normally have pain after surgery, but if it is really bad, may indicate a leak or something else. If you get a fever or start...
If your sick and tired of being sick and tired from UC and really considering the surgery, then it is probably time to go the surgery route. GI doctors are trained to save the colon at all costs and...
I had my j-pouch created and ileostomy reversal in one surgery about 4 weeks ago. I was in the hospital for two weeks, but when I got home, everything was fine until the butt burn kicked in about two...
Prednisone and other steroids not only softens the bowels, but all of your internal organ walls, heart, lungs, arteries, etc. Pray that you never get in a car wreck where you suffer internal trauma...
I just had a ileostomy reversal and j-pouch surgery during my last surgery 3 weeks ago. My first surgery was where they just removed my colon and created the end ileostomy. I'm surprised they...
Surgery is the cure for UC. The bag can be temporary if she opts for the j-pouch surgery, (I had one for 9 months before they could do all of the j-pouch surgeries on me). Life is a million times...
Wow OHIO76, that is really close we are probably neighbors. I'll just say I live on the busy road between a post office and the Raintree Country Club. That's pretty wild....
Yeah, I think he likes to tell you what you want to hear, then you wake up with a conservative approach that he probably always had in mind. I'll let you know if he combines them for me, which would...
I checked some of your earlier posts...Dr. Remzi is my surgeon also, but he was on vacation when I had the scar removal surgery, someone else did that one. Dr. Shen is my GI doctor. I live near the...
Your having a rare complication happens to 15% of the patients that have just the colon removed during the first stage of a 3 stage j-pouch surgery and the remaining stump has formed a fistula (or...
For me, I had my surgery on Feb 12th, was out of the hospital on Feb 16th (without any complications). I was back to work on April 14th (8 weeks later). I say allow yourself 7 weeks for recovery. It...
If the abdomen is sore when you touch it, similar to a bruise pain, that is from all of the internal work they did and from inflating your belly. I had my colon removed through a 10 inch incision...
I think that if you have an end ileostomy like I do, you can get away with more. I don't have any limitations on diet. I can eat salads, nuts, fruits, celery, carrots...all of the evil foods without...
I also have the same hollister 2-piece system. Change your bags every 2 to 3 days and they shouldn't balloon up. I change the wafers every Sunday morning. If and when they do balloon up, just burp...
Dr. Shen is my doctor as well. I didn't think he treated me like a freak. In fact, he even recommended the j-pouch surgery that I wanted. The meds didn't work for me and I didn't want to do the...
I think with any condition, the only ones who understand living with it are the people that have the same condition. Doctors reading about a million different conditions in a medical book cannot pick...
I work for a state government agency so they have to follow the state and federal laws, or they would lose a sizable lawsuit in court. If your diagnosed with UC, go to your BHR department and fill...
You cannot lose by going to the Cleveland Clinic, other than your colon. My surgeon is Dr. Remzi, one of the best there. My GI Specialist there is Dr. Shen. I read/researched about them prior to my...
Sorry, I meant rectum instead of anus in my earlier post. It's getting late....
I'm sorry about your situation. I was back to 100% normal after they took all of my colon out and I'm med free and can eat whatever I want. I have my j-pouch surgery on November 25th, and my...
I'm in between J-pouch surgeries currently, so I have a unique perspective. My UC was terrible - pancolitis right off the bat and it never went into remission with Asacol and Prednisone after a year...
One thing to remember, don't jump into a swimming pool, or water ski without a wetsuit, or you may wind up with a surprise. This was a good piece of advice I got from my CD roommate in the hospital...
After 3 months, I would recommend that everyone on prednisone get a DEXA bone density test...to see if you already have osteoporosis or to establish your baseline and see if you need to take...
ANTIGUA9 - My life after my defective colon was removed has been wonderful. These are the things that people cannot seem to understand who totally rule out the surgery option or don't want to...
I'm in the process of getting the J-pouch surgery. I had one surgery where they just removed the colon, because my internal organs were so soft from the year of prednisone, they couldn't hold...
Nope, everything passed right through me (the good foods and the bad), but I never went into remission after a year of severe UC. Surgery was the only thing that worked for me....
Surgery was the best option for me. Once they cut out that defective colon, it takes about 4 weeks before you feel better than you do now. My job is engineering and GIS related, so you need all of...
My stoma is 2" right and 1" below my belly button. I fought with the how to wear my pants issue before returning to work 8 weeks post-op. Top half of the bag is under my shirt and the bottom half is...
Yeah, let them go through the grieving process. I think they may be feeling guilty that they somehow caused it. So they may be blaming you, to divert the attention away from them. My parent's took my...
For me surgery is the only way to be cured of UC. I worried more about the long term complications from the drugs I was taking for UC, than from what issues the surgery may cause. And now that I have...
Prednisone is good for short term 1 to 3 months. After that, it becomes bad for you. It also turns your internal organ walls into butter. They cannot hold staples or stitches during surgeries. I...
I just went through surgery 4 months ago and had my entire colon removed and consider myself cured of UC. I had moderate-->severe pancolitis for a year. The initial flare never went away even with...
Interesting that this post came up. My parent's thought that my diet caused UC initially, for me also. But you and your mother will eventually know someone who knows someone with UC. Just give it...
UC Spouse, Yes, I'm now 12 weeks post-op and feel 100% normal again after they removed my colon. My energy level is about 90-95% now and I can do yard work again and eat out at restaurants again and...
Unfortunately, you have to be your own doctor when you develop a chronic condition and do your own research. I was surprised out how our medical profession runs. My neighbor summed it up to me the...