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Hi fellow friends/ostomates!
I wrote back in June - due to complications my surgery was rushed fwd. I saw my surgeon for the first time and was admitted to hosp. 3 days later. So there wasn't much preparation time.
I had my op on Friday 20th June at night and was quite sick for a few days after. Not sure if it was the morphine or the stoma not working or both but I quit the morphine and the stoma started working and then I was fine. :) I stayed an extra 24 hrs and went home on the 26th.
I'm recovering very well physically. I didn't prepare for recovery! I'm very independent so it was slow to start with but then I seemed to reach a turning point and all of a sudden I could walk stood up straight (and lose my duck waddle LOL) and was off painkillers very quickly, altho' I hate taking meds for anything and so after 20 months of UC and meds it's nice to not have to take any pills at all! My wound/scar split in 3 places but is healed over now. I'm managing well with my ileostomy. I'm using a 2-piece drainable that I only have to change twice a week and those are my most anxious days as then I have to look at my stoma but it's shrunk twice and so it's not half as bad now. :) I suppose it will take a while to get used to. I have had the post-op blues and been quite withdrawn at times and seem to have these yo-yo highs and lows but I suppose that is normal.
You know, I had been ill for so long and running on low-to-empty that I think I had forgotten what it was like to be/feel well and have energy. It's wonderful! Honestly, I find myself getting excited over the thought of being able to do the simplest of things again and have a new-found appreciation for life! I was merely "existing" with the UC and battling thru' to the end of each day. I'm not sure I want to risk what I have now by going for the J-Pouch surgery. I know I will have to have at least one more op to remove what's left if I don't. I think I still have some UC there which adds a bit of a twist to it all but I'll be seeing my surgeon again in Oct. to discuss what's next.
I guess I'm bound to have my ups & downs with this. Like sometimes I'm excited to be getting back to "normal" and then it hits me that no, my body is different now and won't ever be the same. Sometimes that makes me sad for a moment but it passes quickly as I think of how much better I feel and of all the life that the UC was robbing me of that I can have back now. And it's still early days so I'm not up & running yet but I am up & walking and that's an improvement on before. So far, there's more ups than downs and when I count my blessings I have so much to be thankful & grateful for. :) Rather than think that the UC has gone and taken a part of my body with it, I prefer to think that a small part of my body was sacrificed to save the rest of me. For that is what it comes down to.
"Thank you" to everyone who responded to my original post. You've all been a great help and support to me and I thank you sincerely. Love to all. :)
Warmly,
Vanessa  "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
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