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Marching Along!

It is time for an update!  I did not know until recently that March is Endometriosis awareness month.  After one miscarriage a little over a year ago, I am happy to say that I am blessed to be pregnant again! This time around, everything seems to be going well. There is a weird, almost old-wives-tale type of saying that implies if you let go of all your baby stuff, then you will magically get pregnant. In my case, the implication rang true because not long after I got rid of my 6 year old daughter's baby clothes, BAM, pregnant.   Before that point, I was frustrated with the previous miscarriage and infertility in general, but life has a way of sweeping you along through it, if you keep busy. Kind of like 'a watched pot never boils' analogy, I had to let go of my illusion of mental control over the situation. My husband and I took up a new hobby of building a pond and keeping koi fish. He also secured a new job and was happier in general. I was distracted with m...
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Long Overdue Update

First of all, THINGS HAVE BEEN GOOD!  I know I have not posted in over a year, but I am alive.   The recovery from the ileostomy reversal went well.  I will admit, it was a good thing I insisted on having adult diapers with me on the road trip home from the hospital in St. Louis.  I lasted about an hour into the 5 hour long drive before needing to change myself.  My bowels took the full 5-6 weeks of estimated time off to regulate.  The first week was the most difficult.  The second week was pretty easy until that Saturday when I had an "Oh shit, run to the bathroom now!" moment.  I had been hoping that those moments were over with since that week had been so smooth up until that point.  I had a few video calls with my gastroenterologist who was happy with my recovery and wished me the best.  She was one of the best doctors I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  She was the right amount of professional and tough love. On...
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So Far So Good

 The surgery is completed and  I am now in my room. It ended up being a 2 hour surgery instead of a hour to a hour and a 1/2 surgery. Fortunately, I woke up with a normal sized incision which means that there was not too much scar tissue near Frederick.  All the staff members have been pleasant so far.  The pain has been around a 5 out of 10.  If it gets much higher than that, then I ask for some meds.  I am keeping up the good work!  I am aiming for an earlier discharge.  Fingers crossed. My bladder is having a hard time waking up. I have been drinking water and a Sierra mist. I might need more sugar.  I have walked up and down the halls a few times already.  I anticipate the Bowel Surgeon doc to be on me about that once I see her.  At the moment, I am instructed to have a clear diet until told otherwise. No pooping yet. To keep busy, I have prayer cards to say every day.  I have a sudoku book that I did not finish around the ...
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A Light at the End of the Tunnel

  And it's been awhile since I could have enough information to post about my condition.  December 2020 ended with my second sig flex with dilation procedure.  It showed that I was still overhealing and the anastomosis site was trying to close.  What they changed was injecting a steroid shot at the site to see if that would keep it open.  Fast forward to January 13th when I had my 3rd sig flex with dilation procedure scheduled here in Louisville.  Good to know, if you have tiny veins then you should let the scheduling department know to have the IV team on standby.  I lost 20 minutes because they could not get the IV going.  They were getting a blood return, but the fluids were not flowing.  After 3 sticks and the use of an ultrasound machine, they got it.  Anyway, the gastroenterologist was able to expand the anastomosis site from 15 mm to 18 mm.  She confirmed that the steroid shot did its job and the site stayed open.  ...
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Disappointment

 Soooooooooooooooooo, you know how I have been waiting for this surgery to close my loop ileostomy?  First, I had to do a water-soluable (Hy-Pek) enema x-ray yesterday to make sure everything was clear at the surgery site where my rectum and colon were resected (anastomosis).  Well, I am one of the lucky 1% of patients who's anastomosis healed too well and caused a closure there.  They tried 3 different times to make the contrast fluid stay up my butt for the x-ray, but to no avail.  No clear pathway for fecal matter?  No surgery!  Not yet at least.   My bowel surgeon pulled a few strings and got her GI specialist friend to come in on his day off to perform a dilation procedure on my anastomosis.  That means that my clear liquid diet was not in vain.  After that, I had to get a CT scan with contrast.  Unfortunately, I am a bad stick when it comes to putting in an IV.  It is even worse to find a good vessel when I am dehydr...
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Ducks in a Row

 It has been almost a month since I last posted an update.   I have been back to work, scheduled my 2nd surgery, and are getting all of my ducks in a row. The 1st week back to work was painful. My stitches were pulling from Fredrick, the stoma.  I was getting used to wearing a mask during most of the day, which made me feel short of breath all week.  Additionally, my massages cannot incorporate forearm glides for awhile or leaning all my body weight on to one elbow.   I have realized that both brands of the ostomy bags (Hollister and Coloplast) given to me are good so long as they have the belt attachment.  Since I have an Ileostomy and Fredrick is close to my bellybutton, the concave bags are more suitable.  I have only had a leak once since my last update and it was my fault.  I had waited too long to change out my bag.  Rule of thumb: if you smell poop, but you don't see a leak or anything along the edges of the seal, change your...
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How The Time Flies

My time off is coming to a close. I double checked with my doctor and she said I am good to go back to work on Monday. My work is cautious and will likely wean me into my duties. Even if I will need to leave early due to exhaustion, I have been assured it will be no problem. My ostomy supply bag will need to be in my car in case of emergencies. My JP port was taken out this morning. Now I know that a good amount of lingering pain I still had was due to the port pulling on my skin. Quality of life improvement!  Also, my menstrual cycle started today. No medication has been needed to treat any pain.  I took some yesterday though due to either the elongated walk through the grocery store or premenstrual cramps.  The only other time I took meds before yesterday was a week ago.  My daughter unintentionally pressed her body weight into my abdomen to get my attention and I cried out in pain. Since then, a barrier pillow is nearby at all times to protect me if need be... Sid...
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