drumdude92

I was pooping between 10 and 20 times a day. Since diagnosis, I've had about 15 accidents since I can't really control when I go....this lead me to fear leaving my apartment since I couldn't stop going...which lead to depression and anxiety.

I lost about 30 pounds since August due to lack of nutrient absorption and no appetite.

Bleeding while pooping, abdominal pain, lack of sleep due to waking up for bathroom use....this lead to constant fatigue.

Due to immunosuppressant medicines, more likely to get sick.

And just crying a lot. I rarely cried in the past but I soon became vulnerable to even the stupidest thing and tearing up over it haha

It's crazy what the medical field is capable of! And yes! The large intestine removes water from waste which is why the normal persons poop is solid...mine will be an applesauce consistency in the future. I will also have to go more times a day than the average person since there is less storage for poop (lack of large intestine lol)...I will go LESS than I was going though, which is what really matters.

It depends on the disease...to summarize my surgery, this video really helps. Mine is temporary because basically, they are making me a new rectum (the storage unit that holds poop). While this process is in the works, I poop in the bag.

And it can hide in my waistband pretty well. Bigger clothing also helps.

And the adhesives are pretty strong...I can basically do anything with it (I haven't really done much yet but if I wanted to, I can go scuba diving or play football or run around). There are accessories also that are designed for certain activities like that.

Luckily, no. Some bags have filters that allow gas to leave the bag (so the bag doesn't get blown up too much) without smell. Also, since my bag is at the end of my small intestine, it doesn't really smell like your typical poop when changing or emptying...it smells more like food.

In regards to sleeping or ripping the bag out, the worst that can happen is things get messy. The stoma (the end of my small intestine that is now outside of my body) can't be injured too much accidentally (it's pretty flexible and has no nerve endings).

Currently, my rectum is still inside me and diseased, so I have to go to the bathroom sometimes to pass blood/mucus. But no farting and no pooping.

Haven't had anything like that happen yet...but I don't see it being a problem.

Removing my colon took about 3.5 hours. They do it laproscopically so I don't have too much scarring. The second surgery removes my rectum and repurposes a piece of my small intestine into what's called a "j-pouch." This will ultimately allow me to poop normally again in the future. The third surgery is reconnecting things to the j-pouch after it's healed...then voila, pooping relatively normal again (no more bag after about 6 months).

I'm sorry to hear that, I feel lucky that my disease is so specific and surgery is an option...my mom has Crohn's and surgery isn't really a move she can make.

Honestly, outside of some post surgery pain, I'm super happy about it! I went out to dinner last night for the first time in forever! I even got ice cream afterwards ! I'm really optimistic about the future.

And I don't feel any need to pass stool. It all happens in the bag (even farting). I still pass blood/mucus a little but that's due to my rectum still being present and diseased. It isn't too often though and there isn't any urgency with it, unlike before where I was worried about shitting my pants if I left to get the mail haha