Hello,
JD here. 1st time caller, long time listener. 44 as of the time of this post.
I got my surgery back on NYE, 2018. I woke up the next day, 1/1/2019, less 5 feet of large intestine, plus a gurgling bag taped to my belly, and feeling the greatest sense of relief in the world that I had finally moved on to whatever the next step of this weird life is.
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at 18 in college. After 20 years of living with UC, trying every form of pill & infusion there was at the various times, I had finally had enough and voluntarily had my J-Pouch surgery. 6 days into recovery, my surgeon (who had been doing this procedure for over 30 years) walked in and told me that I had also just been (mostly cured of Stage 3B colon cancer).
Unbeknown to any testing, a tumor had developed in my large intestine just below the connection to my small and had metastesized to 3 lymph nodes. My surgeon, bless him, had removed everything as if I had cancer, not knowing I actually did, and the biopsies of the tissue after is what told him the truth of the matter.
Congratulations JD, you now have a J-Pouch, also, btw, you just survived cancer. Here's your reward: 9 months of chemo.
Chemo sucks. 0/10, do not recommend. I almost died twice in the process and had to get dialysis at the end.
But hey, that was my 2019. It's currently 2024, and I am here now, typing this out, with a smile on my face and a not even the hint of a tear in my eyes.
Life is *awesome* now. Yeah, I poop a lot. I work from home as an IT Product Manager, so my career hasn't suffered in the slightest by my frequent bathroom breaks. My employer supports my disability. I buy a fresh case of "Medline Remedy Clinical Refresh Barrier Cream Cloth 3-in-1 Skin Protectant" wipes on a monthly basis. Otherwise, life is far, far, far superior with the JD-Pouch versus the UC
I think the only thing I haven't done well in all this health journey is the "train your J-Pouch" process. Mine is still tiny. I'll be searching the interwebs for tips on how to do that, but if you have any personal recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
If you are fresh on this journey of health and potential cure, my only advice that when you are traveling through hell...
Just keep going. Life is so much better on the other side. All of the pain, ick, and whatnot is worth it. Everyone, everywhere is going through some kind of struggle. This just happens to be your flavor of epic quest. Stay strong, drink your water, and be kind to your medical support staff.
Peace be with you.
-JD
