Hi All,
I've been mostly a lurker here. I posted shortly after my takedown back in 2009 after struggling heavily with my UC and the surgical procedure. The ileostomy I had for 3 months was nearly unbearable due to issues with poor seals around my stoma and it was simply maddening. I basically spent the summer of 2009 locked away depressed and alone.
I've learned how to live with my J Pouch over the course of the last few eyars and was able to maintain a solid active lifestyle with relatively good health, save for a few Pouchitis flare ups that were quickly treated with Cipro. In 2013 I had a blockage that required surgery and I have not regained my health since then. I was running a 10K about 4 times a week, and in the best physical shape of my life prior to the blockage. It was a major blow to my psyche and I have lasting "trust issues" with my body, particularly my abdominal region.
In the past few weeks I developed a case of pouchitis or maybe cuffitis. No pain, just runny diarrhea and unexpected leakage. It's different than anything I've had before. I am wearing depends at night, had at least one daytime accident. It's strange. It doesn't feel like Pouchitis normally does, with that type of burning indigestion feeling. This is more of my body just not knowing how to close up properly and leaking. My general physician put me on Cipro. Well, 3 days into it, my Achilles started aching on both heels. I've never had issues with my achilles tendons. Not only did this area ache but I started feeling weird pain in the fingers, toes and other joints such as knees. I immediately stopped Cipro, 3 days into the cycle. The doc flipped me to Ampicillan. Been on that for 2 weeks and am not yet fully better. Tomorrow I meet with my surgeon's office here in Portland to check things over and maybe he can recommend a medicine that can put an end to this that isn't Cipro.
I'm full of questions right now. My knees, hands and feet feel fine, but after two weeks my tendons still ache. I can't run, can't walk very much or it starts hurting me as soon as I get off my feet. Is there hope of this going away? I've been trying epsom salt baths and magnesium cream and it seems to help a little but I'm scared this is permanent.
Do my symptoms sound more like Pouchitis or Cuffitis? Are treatments typically the same? Or since the cuff is lower would a suppository type treatment be more effective? I was cleared as not having Chron's so I'm hoping it isn't that and I am fairly certain it is not.
Lastly, my abs feel really weak. I am afraid to really use them. I used to do a ton of ab work every day, prior to blockage and surgery. Now, when I'm in the bath, my abs feel wrong, on one side under where the stoma used to be. I'm not even sure how to explain it, but it feels different, kind of harder in that area and maybe I'm feeling scar tissue? Also, in the bath, when I lay there and turn sideways, it is sore or uncomfortable feeling. I even twisted sideways once to reach for something out of the bath, with my legs straight ahead, lying flat but rotating through the obliques... it felt like a quick sharp burning type pain right around the stoma location and heading into the belly button area. Incisional hernia maybe? how can they check for that? Possible adhesions binding the small intestine to the back of the abdominal wall? I'm just wanting to get in good shape again and need some self esteem work, honestly and this is really holding me back. Anyone with some advice or just encouragement out there with nothing better to do today?