What a long strange trip its been. I had a colectomy last summer and take down in September. Bowel and sleep and overall energy-wise, I am doing much better than before surgery. So there is some good news for some of you. But here are some issues I have now... that I wonder if others have experienced any of these. As soon as my takedown surgery was complete and I was healing....I started having what I think are arthritis issues in my fingers...stiffness, they get stuck, or sore feeling. Sometimes my joints are stiff and muscles ache. Mostly in arms and legs. When I move around, it gets better, but if I sit for a while, I'm all cramped up until I take about 10-20 steps. I also now have large white spots on my forearms and hands...like my skin pigment is disappearing. Kind of like what Michael Jackson supposedly had. I've done some quick research and all these issues seem to be auto-immune related. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and will be addressing these issues with him, but wanted to see what others have experienced or know about such things. I'm 51 and I joke to my wife...50...its the new 70! lol
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how interesting. I also had step one July 2011, and take down in Sept... I'm 32 and joke that my body thinks it's 50. Anyway, I have been mostly good since my surgery too, but my right elbow has really been stiff lately. To the point it is literally impossible to straighten my arm all the way. Occasionally my knee gets stiff, but I assume it's left over damage from the years of UC related arthritis. No skin color changes, however I have something that looks like a whitehead on my skin, below the eye, that will not go away. And even though it looks smooth, the skin on my face feels different, rougher. Age?? Since my stuff is similar to your stuff, have you any news about yours?
I would like to hear an update as well as I have similar complaints (I also had my colectomy and reversal at about the same time - August and September respectively).
I was gradually getting better - muscle aches were less of a problem, could get up out of a chair without looking and sounding like the Tin man when first discovered by Dorothy, much less fatigue, etc. I have recently contracted pouchitis and have had the arthritis-like symptoms return with a vengeance. As an example, the bones in my hands and feet sometimes feel as though they are going to crack with the least pressure. My hand even swells up from time to time (then goes away again in the space of a few hours). Weird.
Wonder what it means should my various aches and pains be reduced as my pouchitis is brought under control (fingers crossed) with antibiotics? Hmm..
I was gradually getting better - muscle aches were less of a problem, could get up out of a chair without looking and sounding like the Tin man when first discovered by Dorothy, much less fatigue, etc. I have recently contracted pouchitis and have had the arthritis-like symptoms return with a vengeance. As an example, the bones in my hands and feet sometimes feel as though they are going to crack with the least pressure. My hand even swells up from time to time (then goes away again in the space of a few hours). Weird.
Wonder what it means should my various aches and pains be reduced as my pouchitis is brought under control (fingers crossed) with antibiotics? Hmm..