I think you mean COVID? I haven't gotten COVID19 and I sure try to avoid it. Not because of the j-pouch itself but because I'm on azathioprine still for other issues. Also I was born prematurely and my lungs weren't fully developed so my mother was always worried about my lungs. I'm sure that if I get it, I won't survive. I'm staying home and I haven't been outside in weeks. 

Once you have your large bowel removed, I believe your immune system is compromised, happy to be corrected on that.  

It sure seems like that for me. The Doctor tells me different but he has his Large Intestine.  I would love to know what other people think ?

@Pals posted:

It sure seems like that for me. The Doctor tells me different but he has his Large Intestine.  I would love to know what other people think ?

Some of this is because of long term steroid use and Immunosuppressants. I best not comment on Doctors.   

I was wondering if I had it at some point, I definitely felt sick with body aches, shivers and runny nose like 3 weeks ago. I will get the saliva test this Thursday.  They started testing asymptomatic residents in my county.  I am myself very worried about getting this virus since I'm allergic to a few meds like acetaminophen, aspirin, penicillin, sulfa and ibuprofen.  Let's be positive and consume berries and probiotics to boost our immune system. Stay safe!

The loss of the large intestine and rectum DOES MAKE US immuno-compromised. So, jst limit one's outside contact as much as possible. I am trying to as well, esp. being a frontline healthcare wrker/provider. Vry challenging situation. Gd luck .

Stay safe Twinkie

Thx! Have a gd holiday w/e!

Thank you and stay safe Twinkie.

It's possible I had it earlier in the year. My wife's a doctor and saw several patients who'd recently traveled, got sick but tested negative for the flu. Then their symptoms swept through her clinic and she and many of her colleagues had GI issues, hacking coughs, fatigue. Some had fevers, some didn't. This was before C19 was known to be in the US. We've subsequently learned that of course it was already here then.

When I got sick, I never had the hacking cough. I had chest pain and tightness, extreme body aches and fatigue, a fever that came and went, and nothing tasted right. I was sick for almost two weeks. Shortly thereafter, I started to enter a Crohn's flare. My GI's opinion was that I'd just had a virus (which virus, who knows) and the immune response was going a little nuts. Two rounds of antibiotics normalized my pouch.

My GI and rheumatologist currently say, on the basis of data that's being collected globally about C19 patients with the diseases they treat, that despite our conditions and, for some of us, immunosuppressive drugs, our risks are similar to everyone else's. The patients of theirs they're most concerned about are the ones with the most talked about risk factors, like advanced age or obesity, diabetes, kidney or heart or lung disease, hypertension.

As for missing intestines, I feel quite grateful I'm only down a colon! If you had an organ transplant for which you had to take a harsh daily regimen of anti-rejection drugs in order to stay alive, you're obviously in a high-risk group. A colectomy involves none of that.

I had 'something' in March...no fever or cough but an achy body, a killer headache, a knifing pain in my right lung, sore throat, and such bad exhaustion that I would cry when I had to work (video teaching)...it lasted a week and then I was fine then it came back for an encore a month later...for 4 days and again this week...Bad nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, sore throat, aching and a killer headache...my doctor believes that it is the virus but I am wary of going anywhere near a doctor's office or a medical laboratory because the lineups are around the block and half the people aren't wearing masks. 

The medical community is divided but believes that the 'encores' or 'reruns' are the person's immune system trying to fight the disease off.

My K pouch was ok, no major symptoms. No better or worse than at any other time...I just ate light meals, (toast, mashed potatoes, soup) and drank a lot of fluids. 

I wear a washable mask whenever I go out but avoid contact with people (more scared of infecting them than the other way around).

We are more 'fragile' than other populations and should take the necessary precautions. From what we have seen here, the highest risk populations are those with lung/heart disease, diabetes, suffer from morbid obesity or have had transplants...they do not have statistics for people with short bowel, Crohns or UC. 

That said, we are now seeing a lot of younger people who have contracted the disease without having any known diseases...

Sharon

Thanks for the info friends!!