Life Takes Guts

[...] can be challenging to put a bag on with this rod in place. I didn't have any trouble after my first surgery, but I sure did with this one! Within a few hours, I noticed it was leaking badly when I got [...]

[...] in my body's ability to bounce back after seeing how well I recovered from the first surgery. I also feel a lot of peace around knowing I will be back with the same nursing staff [...]

[...] removed that diseased colon from my body, that pain went with it. In the days following my first surgery, I had new pain to deal with, but there was much relief to have the pain from the illness gone [...]

[...] all on my own and got myself back on an antidepressant. I was taking one going into my first surgery, but quit when I started finding the pills coming out in my ostomy bag. It turns out [...]

[...] I pretty much spent them soaking up as much time with my boys as possible. On race day, my training group had a conference room at a hotel near the start. We were able to meet up there as a group and [...]

[...] news, I am back to running! Not far and not fast, but it is still exciting! Last Saturday my training group started up for the winter season and I was able to do a 2 mile run/walk workout (run 4 [...]

[...] or anything, I just was in a weird place mentally.  I found myself thinking a lot about my training group at home during this time, and I knew I had to finish no matter how bad I might be hurting [...]

[...] mean never, it just means not right now. The marathon isn't going anywhere and neither is my training group. There will be time and opportunities when I am ready. So that's where we are. I will see a [...]

[...] of my surgeon and I know I will be just fine. I am not looking forward to starting over with a new stoma. Mostly because it will mean back to square one with the soft diet and all of that. Oh well, I [...]

[...] to be home. What the heck is Spartacus, you ask? Well, that's what I've decided to name this new stoma. Don't really know why....it just seems right. At any rate, I want to catch up on things and [...]

[...] of all bedraggled from UC flares. The main problem I am having is some dissatisfaction with the new stoma. The opening is at the bottom, which isn't a huge deal. The real problem is that then opening [...]

[...] time of year and there are only so many times I can tell you guys about how much I hate this new stoma without driving us all insane. I do have a couple of items to report though. Back on 12/5 I went [...]

[...] off any longer. I prefer having this surgery and recovery in the earlier part of the training cycle as it seems like it will be easier to bounce back and rejoin my group for single digit [...]

[...] I was busy growing a human, so it was decided that 2011 would be the year.  As I started the training cycle that year, the ulcerative colitis I'd been battling for four years really decided to start [...]

[...] has also been tricky because I kind of felt like I didn't have anything to say since my surgery process is over. I finally remembered though how much I combed the Internet looking for stories of [...]

[...] I will again make the drive to Cleveland to meet up with Dr. Lavery and discuss Step 2 of my surgery process. As of two days ago, I was within two pounds of the weight loss he wanted to see before we [...]

[...] am feeling more like myself again. I feel like I can finally say it: the second phase of the surgery process was pretty much my own personal hell. The surgery itself went pretty well and was much less [...]

[...] ....for me it was going to go into my stomach, small intestine, and then start dumping into the ostomy bag. There was no way I needed to drink that much and I wasn't sure I would physically be able to [...]

[...] pouch on with an insane amount of paste. We decided that I would call for someone to empty the ostomy bag before I tried to get out of bed to go pee. Also, she arranged it so someone would come check [...]

[...] one going into my first surgery, but quit when I started finding the pills coming out in my ostomy bag. It turns out there is a different version of my medication that isn't time release coated and [...]

[...] an IBD sufferer, then you'll understand where I am coming from. I am seven days out from reversal surgery. I am averaging six to seven trips to the bathroom per day right now. I took an Imodium [...]

[...] placed me on hold for a few minutes. I then learned that Dr. Kiran had agreed to perform my reversal surgery. I could even keep my original date and everything. Oh, was I relieved. It seemed kind of [...]

[...] definite "Yes!" answer to the question, "Can I still lead an active life after j-pouch surgery?" To begin at the beginning....I ran TA for the first time in 2009.  It was a 5:07 [...]