Thanks for all the advice everyone! I know this is a choice I have to make for myself and no one else, but it's incredibly helpful to hear what others have gone through....
bamagrl, I would DEFINITELY adopt if I made the decision to have kids. The thought of passing on Crohn's terrifies me and I just don't think it's safe for me to be off meds, I don't think my meds are...
Oh yes, I've already considered the fact that I'm pretty emotional right now. And I made an appointment to see a therapist already. And made a list of things to talk about while I'm there. I'm...
I have the WORST razor burn, omg. I actually started doing Slumber Parties for some extra income and one of the products is a rash-free shave cream. I don't mean to make this sound like I'm here to...
I'm just curious how the original poster is doing now...I've recently come across this dilemma myself. I've been sick since I was 15 and now I'm almost 26. I've been in remission for a total of maybe...
myIBD.org also sends out those "I can't wait" cards. I have a couple, but haven't had to use it. I gave one to my Chronie roommate and she hasn't either, but knowing that I have it really helps....
I haven't logged onto here in a LONG time, but long story short I felt the need to check this forum out again. Strangely enough the first thread is EXACTLY why I came here....I have this...
Thanks guys, I forgot to mention that I have increased my salt intake. Funny, when they sent me home after my surgery they told me "low sodium diet" which was fine since I never really used salt...
Hey guys! I've recently been battling some severe "dehydration." I hesitate to really call it dehydration because it's not that my electrolytes are out of whack because I don't drink enough, it's...
Yea, I figured the reabsorption of water thing would play a role, but I really do try to drink way more water. I just think it's weird that I get more drunk than normal off 2 drinks now. Good for my...
I don't know if maybe this is just me, but has anyone noticed that alcohol affects them differently now? I don't really drink that much, and I'm a small girl so I've always gotten drunk off 2-4...
I agree with summer, it all depends on the person. When I had an ostomy I would empty it sometimes up to 10 times a day just because I hated when it filled up too much. With my J pouch I go 2x a day...
I had UC for 7 years before I had the j-pouch surgery a few months ago. I was just like you, tried a bunch of meds and nothing helped, not even prednisone. Pred would help me a little by reducing the...
Hmm, maybe I should look into the tailbone thing then. I didn't get all sewn up, but I also didn't get a good look at the table (thank you drugs). My back hurt quite a bit after the first surgery and...
Well, the way I look at it is that if we're at the point where we're worrying/discussing our BBs, we obviously have nothing better to worry about. That's already a step in the right direction after...
haha, yea it is pretty funny. I've spoken to a few other people who have two for the same reason. I think we're all willing to share with those less fortunate ;)...
I agree, the urgency was the worst part of UC. That's what scared me the most about having surgery to begin with, I didn't want to end up having the same problems after going through 2 major...
I have 2 bellybuttons! Well, kind of. My incision opened up above my BB after my first surgery and I had to pack it for over a month until it closed up. There's still a small dent there that isn't...
So first of all, I think my tailbone was severely bruised while I was on the operating table. It's been bugging me since I got home from my very first surgery and even more so since my reversal. I...
Devin, I had my lieo reversal on Nov 14th, so pretty much the same day as you. I've been extremely lucky in the sense that after a week of hell in the hospital I've been doing great. I'm not sure why...
It's official, my surgeon is a miracle worker! He told me that as long as I'm not bloated, nauseous, or sick then I shouldn't worry....
Well, I'm not in any pain and that's how it's been pretty much since the surgery. I had a lot of gas pain in the first week so I was going around 6 times just to try to get to gas out. I have an...
I had my ileo reversed on Nov 14, so it hasn't even be two full weeks since the surgery. I'm going to the bathroom 2, maybe 3, times a day. This seems too good to be true...is it? Or am I just lucky...
I'm a nerd so my fav show is Mystery Diagnosis on Discovery Health. Funny enough, last night there was an episode where a 4 year old boy ended up with a colostomy for a while. He had Hirschprungs...
What do you guys do for nausea? Do you take something for it, or just throw up and wait it out? I just had my reversal 7 days ago (they finally let me go home!) and I've been throwing up pretty much...
Hey Katrina! I'm glad to hear everything went well :) I just got home from my reversal and mine went really well too. I'm still too exhausted to talk about mine as well, blah. I hope you get to eat...
Don't worry too much, I've eaten plenty of things that I was worried would cause blockages (I had my ileo done in Aug as well). If she starts complaining of stomach pain and you notice decreased/no...
I emailed my surgeon about it this morning. I'm just worried about increasing the chance of infection. I had a couple holes in my skin from the first incision opening up and one under my bag and he...
I have an ingrown toenail that recently started to look kind of bad. Any one know what the chances are that this will delay my reversal on Friday?...
Blossom, I'm gald to hear that you're home, recovery seemed to start speeding up after my first surgery once I got back to my comfort zone. My reversal is on Friday, so these tips are just in time :)...
I used to only wear the belt when I went out, it kept the bag closer to my body (those little plastic tabs the belt hooks into always stuck out and I didn't like how it looked). Recently, I've had...
I've never heard of a pouch exploading, but when I was in the hospital (due to a complication with steroids, about a month and a half after my surgery) my bag pretty much popped off. They were giving...
I agree with what everyone else has said. As time goes on you will start to forget about it, not to mention output will start to slow down a bit. I used to have to get up during the night to empty my...
Man, doesn't it suck to be that person that nothing works for? Before I tried 6mp/imuran everyone kept telling me it was their miracle drug and put them in complete remission. When that failed and I...
My surgeon told me I'll be taking fiber for the rest of my life. If you're scared of fiber, try applesauce. I haven't had my reversal yet, but it works wonders for thickening up my output; and the...
Thanks guys, I'm going to send my surgeon an email in a minute and see what his opinion is. I know I won't need it in the long run, just the first few days. I wasn't worried at all after the first...
Hey guys! I'm having my ileostomy take down surgery on Nov. 14th (8 more days, woohooo!), but I'm actually pretty scared that things will go back to how they were when I had UC. Now, I know this is...
In the 7 years that I had UC I was in remission for a total of 6 months. I was on steroids at least half the year every year. This time around I've been on steroids since January, so almost a year...
This also depends on whether you're having the surgery laproscopically or open. Open surgery extends recovery time. I had mine laproscopically and although I've never had open surgery, I'm willing to...
It's an option I'm keeping in mind in case my j-pouch ever malfunctions. From what I've heard and read it's fairly rare to find a surgeon who can do it. It sounds like a great thing, in theory, but I...
I'm not sure why you would need hospital admissions before surgery, maybe a few appointments to do a pre-op physical and talk to your surgeon in detail about the procedure. Your hospital may have a...
I seem to be having this problem now too :( The stoma nurses don't think it's pyoderma, and it doesn't hurt or pus/bleed all that much. However, I do need to cover the hole with something so that the...
I can see why being adopted would be relevant, but I don't see the importance of being planned or not. Maybe because if the pregnancy wasn't planned there's a higher chance that the mother was...
I wear a tight tank top under all my clothes too. And the bags I use have a notch to clip the ostom belt into which I also use to keep things more streamilned. The problem I've been having with that...
Wow, I am so sorry to hear that. It seems like everyone is getting their gallbladder taken out now. I hope it goes well so you can get back to recovering!...
To work your sphincter you just need to squeeze your butt muscles and hold it for a few seconds. Kind of like when you really have to go to the bathroom but you want to hold it in so you can make it...
I took iron when I had UC and it didn't constipate me at all, but technically that is a side effect so it could have been just me. I was incredibly anemic for pretty much the whole 7 years that I had...
Before I had my colon removed I kept wondering if I would physically feel that it was missing. After I woke up and the soreness from the incisions started going away I was actually kind of...
Trial and error is your best bet because everyone is different. Did you have surgery 2 weeks ago? If you're feeling ok (ie no stomach/intestinal pain) then you're probably going to be ok eating...
My surgeon said I could eat anything I wanted as soon as I was allowed to eat. Actually, the first meal they brought me was a cheeseburger on a wheat bun. I hadn't eaten whole wheat in years so I was...