agreed with anthony. it sounds like the nurse thought at first that her UC was in remission and didn't know about her surgery. and when the nurse found out about her surgery, she probably still...
3-5? haha wow, i'm jealous of you already. congrats! yeah my surgeon let mine heal the same way. looks like you were shot in the stomach, doesn't it? i forget how long it took to completely close up,...
it's perfectly normal, the pains you speak of mostly went away for me 10 days after takedown surgery. it may take longer for you as everyone's different, but they'll subside eventually....
well, my stools are more diarrhea-like if i have a lot of spicy food and/or beer, but i'm going to enjoy myself anyway since i know there's no urgency in going or any disease to be wary of. and many...
well first off definitely check out these links. mark & megan's UC to j-pouch story: http://ucstory.wordpress.com/surgery-3-jpouch-or-takedown-surgery/ and dennis' very informative j-pouch videos at...
anthony, i successfully went through the two j-pouch surgeries in december and february so if you have any questions just shoot them my way. my email address is in my profile. but yea, for the first...
yup, it's normal. my surgeon simply took a quick look to make sure i had enough healthy rectal cuff to attach the j-pouch to. at that point he saw how inflamed my rectum was, and made sure i was...
if you're receiving the infusions 8 weeks apart your GI could move them to every 6 weeks. I've also heard of people getting them every 4 weeks but again, that's rare. you could always try humira or...
i had a major improvement immediately after my first infusion in 2005 but the UC started breaking through a few months later after several infusions. my GI doubled the dose to 10 mg/kg & added 6-MP...
it depends on your weight. 10 mg/kg for me was 800 mg. i recall reading posts awhile ago (on another forum i think) about people receiving triple the dose at 15 mg/kg or even greater, but that has to...
bj's wholesale has 49 capsules of align for $39.99: http://www.bjs.com/ since my UC days i've used custom probiotics CP-1, 90 capsules for $40: http://customprobiotics.com. aside from VSL they have...
clicky, i think i was going 10 or 11 times a day after 6 weeks so you're right around where i was. you might see a noticeable reduction in bowel movements around the 3 month mark like i did, so you...
hey sara, i'm also 30 (a guy though) and had the j-pouch "takedown" surgery in february. i don't experience leakage and only did a couple times within the first few weeks after surgery - and they...
do you have an end or a loop ileostomy, anthony? the end ileostomy is reserved for 3-step j-pouch procedures i think. i understand your point of view since you're obviously feeling great, but i...
what's this about me needing to avoid foods? i'm a little confused by that, as i had a burrito, spicy chicken wings, and beer for dinner a couple nights ago. i'm not going to type up a long post here...
before my procedures, my surgeon reminded me that a good percentage of stories on the web about ostomies & the j-pouch are negative since people frequently go online to complain, vent, and/or try to...
i used imodium (loperamide) daily to slow down the temporary ileostomy output if you want to give that a shot (and still use it daily for my j-pouch). you can buy a bottles of it really cheap at...
yes, i was on 25 mg of prednisone at the time of surgery, had quit 6-MP ten days earlier, and quit humira a month prior to it. but 6-MP and humira were still in my system of course. i think a large...
good luck! btw i was also on prednisone for almost a year when i had surgery, but was prescribed a pred taper by my surgeon after both of my procedures. my taper (starting at 15 mg) lasted 6 weeks...
after a severe UC flare-up that lasted more than a year, i had laparoscopic j-pouch surgery step 1 (colon removal, j-pouch construction, and temporary ileostomy) in early december. the procedure...
i had the two j-pouch procedures in december & february and managed a quick recovery with zero complications. no more medications, i can eat anything i want, and life is great. reading the stories at...
I had my colon removed, j-pouch formed, and a temporary ileostomy created in December and had the j-pouch reversal surgery a couple months ago. I have my life back after a severe flare that started...
the trial drug being considered for you is probably either vedolizumab or golimumab. both are given via infusions like remicade, with vedolizumab specifically targeting the gut while golimumab is a...
yup, the cramping & bloating during the 1st week on probiotics (or a switch to a new probiotic) is completely normal. culturelle gave me the worst cramps i've ever had, haha. what you're experiencing...
the excessive stoma noise at first is normal but it will indeed settle down over time. :smile: i didn't have an end ileostomy since my surgery was only two steps, but i hear it's easier to take care...
bourne, massachusetts a ma$$hole my entire life. go sox EDIT: aww, the nickname of my state's residents is censored. booooooooo!...
bring comfortable pants for when you leave the hospital. i must've worn sweatpants for a week and a half after my first surgery. my ipod touch and the hospital tv kept me sane while i was in my room....
Yes I'm within 5 pounds of my normal weight 6 weeks after Step 2 "takedown" surgery. But I think the colon actually weighs about 5 pounds, so hey maybe this is my new normal weight heheh....
yes, it's rare, and remicade treatments carry the exact same risk. warnings for the possible development of nervous system disorders, among other scary side effects, are posted on humira.com and...
it's for life. in rare cases in which the j-pouch fails, another pouch can be constructed from your small intestine. also any patients who are unhappy with their j-pouch can opt to have a permanent...
i was in the hospital five days after step 1 and returned to work after 3 1/2 weeks. i'm a consultant and do both office work and typically light field work, as well as a lot of driving. i had the...
actually extended prednisone use didn't even come into the conversation with me & my surgeon in regards to it being done laproscopically... i simply had to be on a prednisone taper after both of my...
yes, i was taking 25 mg of prednisone while i was on it. aside from the UC flare not resolving, nothing awful happened to me :-)...
i believe melee meant that the laparoscopic surgery is painful just like the open procedure (even though the recovery time is typically less). you might've accidentally read her sentence as "it still...
yea i had mine done laproscopically; it definitely cut down the recovery time by weeks. but yes, sue is right; my surgery time was about 4 hours. and oh yeah, humira can take several weeks (often...
if not for remicade i would've had surgery in early 2005 instead of late 2009. it eventually stopped doing the job, obviously, but i had a long remission thanks to it and 6-MP. pooping once a day......
some doctors will start patients on humira right away after remicade therapy while others prefer to wait until the remicade has left your system (6-7 weeks i think?). the reason for this wash-out...
yeah, last year my GI had to write a letter to my insurance company requesting coverage for humira (stating that remicade was no longer effective and that the only other option was colectomy). my...
i just recently had j-pouch surgery and life is good! of course you'll poop more daily than a person with a healthy colon, but after the surgery there is no urgency, no pain when going, and no more...
prednisone can definitely reduce your sex drive. it's a typical and unfortunate side effect... one of many....
gotcha, but like you said before it's up to the surgeon. mine told me that he simply doesn't do 1-steps for anyone....
actually the new biologic vedolizumab is not a TNF blocker and instead binds to something that encourages the migration of white blood cells into the GI tissue, which causes bowel inflammation....
yup, two surgeries were all i needed. i was actually on prednisone (25 mg) at the time of surgery and had only recently stopped 6-MP and humira. my surgeon, who has been doing the j-pouch & reversal...
i was told by the pharmacy that i ordered humira from (caremark) that it often takes 2 to 3 months to see any significant benefit from using it. it's quite different from remicade in that regard -...
I would take them on an empty stomach in the morning, maybe 20 minutes before your breakfast for maximum benefit. either that or right before you go to sleep at night....
165 @ 5'11". Shooting for 175 (pre-surgery/UC flare weight)...
yes, this was among the first symptoms of a bad flare i had over a year ago. at first i only had urgency after eating really big meals (usually around lunchtime), but as my flare progressed i...
ugh i hope i have no other problems. the day after i tapered off prednisone in january though i developed a low-grade staph infection in my eyes. sounds worse than it was and it went away quickly...
Yup Christine, the standard amount is 5 but a lot of people here (even their children) have tried the double dose of 10 mg/kg, which can be done no matter what you weigh. Your GI might try something...
Has your GI considered raising the remicade dose? Unless he's uncomfortable with doing that, I'd look into it before moving right on to Humira - save that big gun med as one of your last resorts....