Hi All - So far, so good. I've had my first two sessions of chemo. Some side effects, but since I know what to expect, they're not scary. Sessions are every 2 weeks, so the second week, just before...
Thanks, everyone! I am trying to keep a positive attitude. OH - Thanks for your thoughts! Ugh, I'd had my old port removed 3 years ago when I had a minor lumpectomy for a Stage Zero DCIS. So... had...
Hi everyone - Between doctors' appointments and packing up our home of 23 years for a 250 mile move... at least I'm not bored! Pathology results show that this is a recurrence of the original cancer....
Hi all - Well. First they did allll kinds of prepr; epidural placement, etc, for pain relief over the next few days... then (as planned) they took me in and started with a laparoscopic camera...
Thanks for all the encouraging words! OH, this is a TAH. The mass is between the ovary and the intestine. My CR surgeon will be there to take care of my J Pouch, as well as the GYN. (MY CR surgeon...
Thanks for the kind words, clo! I appreciate all prayers, positive energy and vibes! Champ, I "retired" because it was more polite than saying "I quit" lol! But it was sweet, they honored me and made...
Hi all, especially those I knew from back in the day. I hope you are all doing well. I "retired" a month ago, with the idea of going back to work part-time after relocating to a smaller house in an...
Hi Champ (and everyone else!) Happy New Year! I am well! Gosh, it's been 4 years since our colons went bye-bye! For me, that means it was about 4 years ago that I started 6 months of chemo for the...
This is great to hear! To be able to report that you are doing so well even this soon after the redo - wow! Best wishes for continued improvement!...
I am not sure if I qualify for the booster yet. I guess the way to tell would be to get the antibody test. Other than whatever effect autoimmune response gives me, I am not on meds; but should I...
I've been lurking. Soooo sorry for your troubles! How are you doing now? You are so strong to go through all this, and I hope the new stoma is a rock star! My surgeon had told me to drink water with...
Hi all - I have been lurking and following this thread. I thank everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge! I especially have appreciated your updates, OH! I work with a religious...
Hey New - gosh, you are just starting the post-colon journey! It is a marathon, not a sprint, for sure, and you bring up a great point: the older one is, the more difficult and the less options. I...
I don't chime in too often these days, but I needed to, here. Sorry this is long. I was against surgery. I developed UC in my late 20s, had a few bad flares (hospitalized for them) and then learned...
Interesting! My flares always had a seasonal appearance. Spring and fall were the worst, summer the best, winter medium....
I had Moderna. First shot 1/13, no issues; a red bump on the arm at the injection site. (Just a little more pronounced than if I'd had the flu shot.) Second shot, 2/10. The next 1 1/2 days I had...
Hi Siren - I have not dealt with covid and uc/imuran (my colon was long gone by the time COVID came along) but I wanted to say, hang in there, keep us posted, and I am thinking of you!...
Gosh, what a world. Our statewide hospital capacity is 78%, ICU beds at 61% as of several days ago, according to the state government website. I got my first vaccine shot the other day! Moderna. I...
I got my first shot the other day - I was eligible because my work expects me to visit hospitals and nursing homes. My arm was less sore than it usually is from the annual flu shot. Otherwise I am...
I'd agree with OH here. The interesting thing would be to see if medically trusted sources, Mayo Clinic, medical centers at universities, etc. publish anything about this....
Hey Dog, Champ, valli! Sorry about the lockdown. We are not on lockdown but with the 2 cancers in my background I am so nervous... have not been to a restaurant since March. We get take-out...
Gosh, it was 3 years ago I had my 2 week post-op (colectomy) appointment with my surgeon. I remember that they switched things, so I met with the ostomy nurse first, who gave me a bunch of tips.........
Hi valli! Good to hear from you. Some of us have been giving updates on the Merry Christmas thread started by OH and also on the Class of 18 thread from 3timechamp!...
Yes, I was wondering about him recently also. He was so helpful after my J Pouch surgery!...
Hey Teacher and all - I feel almost guilty saying this but I had a great Christmas. My 2 adults sons both work from home so were safe to come to our house for two days, which has not happened in...
I agree with OH. I was a counselor at and HIV testing site in the 1980s and came to respect Dr Fauci then. I still do!...
Merry Christmas and a hopeful, healthy New Year to all! Meg...
Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! I am doing well. JPouch has been great. I think it continued to improve for more than a year! I am feeling good these days, stronger than I have in several years. I...
Yes. More frequently and pure liquid....
hi - I am not on here as often as I once was, but I was browsing and saw your post. I hope you've had some success getting opinions from jpouch.org. I had pouchitis a few times in my first year, and...
I just realized my 2 year take-down anniversary was the 8th, a few days ago! DH and I rented a small cabin on a lake in Maine for a week. We'd reserved it pre-pandemic! For months we figured we...
It's good to be in touch! OH, we are about to head to northern New England for a week on a secluded lake.... and now we're hoping this hurricane doesn't mess us up! Bug spray is packed. And...
Hey Run, Champ! Champ, I am so sorry about your mom. She fought the good fight, and her legacy lives on in you, her family. From things you'd posted I had the impression she had a strong will, took...
Hi Everyone - Sorry to be late to the July 4th greetings! Thanks for the thoughts, Champ, OH, and all! My standard answer to "how are you?" is "In all the important ways, I - and my family - are...
Hi friends! Valli - glad things are ok. Not sure what the watery yellow is about... how's your gall bladder? I remember my surgeon saying it gets full of liquid until you eat something (he was...
Wow, Champ. I am glad you are home. I was so worried about you! Do you have some way to get in groceries, meds, etc., without going out? In our area a lot of the pharmacies that don't usually do this...
O gosh, Champ... hope the road to recovery continues without bumps!!...
Yikes. The US healthcare coverage is so iffy. For decades we were covered by the insurance my husband got through work, even through several jobs... and then they laid him off due to restructuring...
Hi OH! I am working from home. I had seen my oncologist for a routine check just as the COVID thing was beginning to land in CT, and he told me I should consider myself high risk. The last work thing...
Lomotil is stronger than Immodium.......
I've been thinking of everyone, especially my long-time friends on here. It's a scary time always, when there's an illness going around, and this COVID thing is unlike anything we've seen. I see 3 TC...
Champ!! Please keep us posted! I am sending my best healing vibes your way....
Hi all - Sorry to have disappeared for a while! Hernia repair, week away, busiest time of year at my work (right up till about midnight on 12/24) and my SIL's extended family at my home for Christmas...
Hi Champ - Probably the Zithromax? Although when I am on an antibiotic, the results happen much quicker. So let's hope that your intestines or pouch or something is absorbing water! For me, the...
Hi Champ - My hernia is where my stoma was - a little above the belly button, over a few inches, on the right. He said they'd make two small incisions over on the left side, the opposite side, blow...
Hi all! I hope it's still going ok for you, Valli. Champ, how's mom? I saw the surgeon today for hernia repair. It has gotten bigger over the last 10 months,(the CT scans I've had for the oncologist...
Thanks, geezer and Flowers. I am so happy to report that my j pouch function has continued to improve even past the 1 year "takedown" mark. I saw the surgeon today. He is recommending me for a...
Hi all - I've been off the boards for a while. I've been trying to read and catch up but thought I'd just ask. How are you all? Valli, have you recovered from the peanut issue? Generally, when I've...
Sorry, UBT - I haven't had a chance to post in a while. I don't really remember; I guess I had to cover it until it healed? But then it was just skin. And it hardly showed! To be honest, the removal...
Hi all - Yes, Andrina, of course you are welcome to this class! I would think all who consider their most dramatic surgery to be in 2018 (mine bridged 2017-2018) are part! I started gaining weight...