Good news for Jer’s girl

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Jer's Girl

Jer's Girl

Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
905
Good news for Jer’s girl

For those of you who don’t know, I had an Ileostomy surgery back in April. My Drs could give me no time frame for how long I would have to have it and although my stoma has been very good to me; my hope was that I would be able to have it reversed in the future.

I saw my GI about a month ago and got a colonoscopy. My Dr said that my intestines looked very good, but he and my surgeon were in no hurry to reconnect me. I was very disappointed, but mostly I just wanted to know one way or the other what was going to happen to me and when so that I could plan my life.

So yesterday I went to visit my Surgeon to see if he thought that I would be able to get the reversal soon and he said that I could THIS MONTH!!!
I couldn’t believe it. After months of “I don’t know” the answer was suddenly, “yes and right away!”

I am very excited. My surgery date is September 28. I am well aware that I may have to have a bag again at some point in my life, but I am hopeful that the ostomy has helped my body heal enough that I will have a few years at least symptom and bag free.

Anyway, just wanted to share my good news! Hope all of you are well. :)
 
Oh wow that is excellent news! So happy, happy, happy for you! YAY!

Wishing you all the luck in the world with your surgery.........................


:goodluck::goodluck::goodluck:


All the best, :)
Dusty
 
Great news Nicole, no more wondering!
lots of luck on the 28th, we'll all be thinking of you!
xxxxx
 
Thanks so much everyone! I have to admit, part of my excitement comes from the fact that I get some time off of work LOL!

I just want to make it clear that although I am happy that I am getting the reversal, having the stoma was the best thing that ever happened to me and if I need to get this done again in the future, I will be just fine with that. I want anyone who thinks that having a bag is the worst thing that could happen to them (as I did before I got mine) it is not! In fact, in many ways it has made my life so much better.

It really hasn’t been an easy decision to get the reversal and I have gone back and forth on this many times. Before this journey, I never would have thought that it would have even been a question, but with the bag I have been able to experience life in a way that I never had before. I was able to eat what I want and live pain free. I was able to go on vacation without thinking about the bathroom 90 percent of the time. I cannot stress enough to those of you who might have to have a bag in the future, even a permanent one, it is not the end of your life, but the start of a new one!

In fact, my husband would prefer that I kept the bag as it has made me a whole new healthier person. He is supportive of my decision, but he cannot help but be afraid that I will go back to the way I was before, barely even functional and in and out of the hospital.

I understand his concerns, but ultimately it is my decision and despite my trepidation and fear that my symptoms will return after I get this reversed, there is a chance that that won’t happen and I feel that I need to put my fear aside and see for myself. Ultimately I decided to give life without a bag one more chance. My thinking is that I can always have another Ileostomy surgery in the future if I need one. I feel that I can live with that decision much easier if I have at least tried to see if I can live without it first. As with everyone with a stoma or with Crohns, it is a very personal journey and no one answer is right for everyone.

I just want to give a shout out to all of my stoma buddies who have been on this journey with me. All of you are so strong and I have been lucky to have people to show me the way (Thank you Cindy and Kello. Your strength gave me the strength to do this at all) and people who have taken this journey with me (Joe, Dan, Jeff and others). I have really felt like we have helped each other through this with all of our advice and commiseration. Thanks to all of you, as well as my extended Crohn’s family who supported me (Pen, Marisa to name a few), I really felt like I was not alone in this.

I know that I have left people out, but really, I appreciate all of you so much! So many of you have supported me through this. Thank you to everyone who posted here wishing me luck and offering me congratulations. I know that we are all on very different journeys and Crohn’s has touched us all in very different ways, but I truly feel that we are all a family of sorts and that we all understand what each other are going through better than most people who do not live with a chronic illness ever could.
 
@ Nicole- First congratulation on your decision and on the 28th. I know how much you were looking to have this opportunity to reverse the stoma and I am excited and cant wait to hear how you did with the surgery.
Thank you for all your help (and husband ideas...) and support throughout my ordeal and helping many others here on the forum.
<<<<<<<<Big hug to you>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
Congrats and good luck! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your stoma. Those of us that have had a temporary ostomy have probably all gone thru the same feelings - we feel so great with the stoma after being sick for so long that we question having it reversed.

Good luck with your reversal! -Amy
 
10 more days. I am counting with you. So very exciting for/with you Nicole!
Cant wait to hear how the surgery went and your experience post op.
 
Hey, I'm pretty new here, but wanted to extend my Congratulations. Hope the surgery goes well for you. I had a stoma years ago, when I was 16/17. It was not a pleasant experience for me, but after reversal, I had many years symptom free. I am currently facing possible permanent stoma and feeling a great deal of anxiety. I am much older now and do have great support from husband. I keep reminding myself that it is not the end of the world, but the beginning of another, just as you said. Good Luck.
 
ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!!

Jerman, thanks buddy! Rottengut, thanks for posting. Going through this at that age must have been so hard. It hasn't been so hard for me, but I have a very suportive husband, and I was in so much pain before i would have done anything to make it stop. I am going into this knowing that I may have to have a stoma again someday and after this year, I know that it is possible to live a wonderful life with one. There truly are a lot of things that I am leaving behind with this reversal.

That being said, I am so happy that I am (hopefully) going to get a few years bag free. Here are the things I am looking forward to most:

-Skinny jeans.
-Not having to spend so much money on supplies.
-Not seeing my guts hanging out when the bag is off (still have a hard time with that one).
-Being completely naked. I never feel completely naked with the bag. Don’t know why that matters but it’s just a thing with me. I never felt completely naked when I had braces on my teeth either. Yes, I am a weirdo.
-Seeing my new scar. I love scars and can’t wait to see my battle wound.
-Not having the skin issues that I have now.
-Not having to change it.
-Not having the fear of leaks.

I am not nervous about the surgery, but I am nervous about afterwards. I have read that right after surgery the urgency can be pretty awful. The urgency feeling is my least favorite thing about Crohns period. I just really hope that everything goes as well as possible and that it will be worth it.

I plan on posting pretty regularly after I get out of the hospital and letting you all know how it goes. I want to let others who might get a reversal know what it is like since I have found that there is very little information out there about what to expect.
 
Great news for you!!!! just think a week from now you will no longer need a pouch!!!! how exciting. Keep us posted and best of luck for a fast recovery.
 
Yes, I have it marked on my calander (lol) yes, I am counting with you Nicole.
I liked the post regarding the things you are looking forward to... will you send us pictures? lol
btw, Last week I swan in the ocean without a pouch or anything and it felt great! not sure what the fish thought...
 
Stop - Back up. What was that Dan about swimming in the ocean without a pouch? :stinks:
You must provide more details. Was a school of fish following you? :)
Did you have a flange on and just went without the bag? love it.

And Nicole, 4 days now!
 
4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND only one of those days will be at work (today) so I only have one more day to worry about leaks in the work place. :)
 
Thanks for the support guys! I'll be in the hospital starting tomorrow, so I'll
'talk" to you guys in about a week. Wish me luck!!!
 
good luck and big hug
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<hug>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
cant wait to hear from you after the surgery
 
Hey Nicole,

I hope all goes well with the surgery and you have a speedy recovery.........

:goodluck::goodluck::goodluck:

All the very best, :)
Dusty
 
:tongue:
I'm pretty new to this forum and by my post you've already and your refersal, I hope it all went well and thanks for your inspirational post!!!
Let us know how you got on and I wish you along with everyone else a very speedy recovery.
:ybatty:
 
I hope to have the energy to write more later, but i just wanted everyone to know that the surgery went very well and i just got home today. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words. I'll be in touch soon.
 
Heyyyyy Nicole - How are you? its so great hearing that the surgery went very well and you are home resting.
Big hug
 
Thanks Dan!

The surgery went well. They decided while they were in there to take out my appendix too, so that was an unexpected surprise.

I've been home for just a few days now and seem to be doing well, although still dealing with a little surgery pain.

Two things concern me. The Surgeon said that the passage that they closed was very small and that it would open up more with time but it would be pretty narrow for a while. My question is, why wouldn't they take that narrowed part out? Didn't I get the illeostomy in the first place because of narrowing? It makes me feel like this whole thing was pointless.

The second thing that is bothering me is that I still haven't had a full on bowl movement. There has been stuff coming through, but not a whole lot. I ca not handle another surgery if it turns out that this doesn't work.

Other than that, I am feeling okay, just a bit nervous about the future of this disease, but what Crohnie isn't?

Thanks for all of your support guys. I'll write again soon. I'll also post some surgery pixs when i get a chance. Those are always fun. :) My scars are pretty gnarley.
 
Hey Nicole,
Its so great hearing that you are home recovering. It’s a good thing they took out the appendix... you don’t need Appendicitis.
Logically it would make sense that if it was a permanent narrowing they would have removed it, so maybe its narrow due to post operative inflammation, connecting it back?
Have you been eating solid foods? Did you have any bowel movement post/since surgery?
You will know if you have a blockage but I would not worry about it too much unless you are in agonizing pains.
Can’t wait to see your pictures.
 
I have been eating solid food, but not a lot and still pretty bland. I have had bowel movements but not much of that either, and they are mostly mucus still, which, as you know, is nothing special for an ostomite.

Thanks for going through this with me Dan. You have been so there for me through this whole thing.
 
Thanks Mark. I am feeling more and more like myself every day.

I did have to go back into the hospital for a few days which is why I haven't written in a while. I am fine now. I'll write more about that another time.

Still adjusting to post ostomy life. There are certainly things I miss about the ostomy, but I am grateful too.

My Crohns symptoms have come back to some degree which is disappointing. Not back to the point where i can not leave the house, but when I had my bag I had zero Crohn's pain which was pretty amazing. I kind of felt like i wasn't a Crohnie at all any more. Guess I'm back in the club.

I have to be careful what I eat again which isn't a big deal but is a bummer. I had gotten pretty used to eating whatever I liked.

I do like not having to change the bag, which I always really hated. I hated seeing my stoma naked. However, I did not mind having to empty the bag, and felt that that was a lot better than dealing with the pain and cramping and urgency that goes along with Crohn's.

I like not having to worry about my pants smashing the bag. I like not having to worry about leaking.

Over all, I am glad that I got the reversal. I am also glad that I have had an ostomy so now i know that I could live with one again without too much regret if I ever have to.

I believe that having the reversal was the right choice for me and I don't think I ever would have forgiven myself if i didn't at least try to save my intestines. I just want to make it clear to any one that is thinking of getting an ostomy that it is a very rewarding experience and one that I do not regret at all. It saved my life, but beyond that, it gave me a life that was worth living again.

My hope for myself is that things continue to get better for me after my body gets used to being put back together again. I know I am doing all that I can to keep myself as healthy as i can and the rest is out of my hands.
 
Ach, this makes me feel happy and sad for you at the same time!! I hope you can get it under control so you can enjoy your reversal. On the other hand, it's nice to know that if you have to go back to the bag, you've got that experience and you know what relief it can offer. Good luck Nicole!!
 
@ Nicole - Glad to hear that you are recovering from the reversal surgery. Sorry to hear that you had to go back to the hospital.
I hope your Crohns does not come back as agressive as it was before the ileostomy.
I am sure you will do fine as you have a great spirit.
cant wait to see the pictures you prommised , lol
 
Hi Nicole,
Just sending good wishes your way and I hope this works out for you. I hope you start feeling great soon!!
 

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