Cramping My Style

*J-Pouch Complaint Alert!*

It feels wrong to say that I have a complaint about the alternative to an Ostomy life, but dang it if it doesn’t has it’s downfalls. I think the combination of the Colitis symptoms disappearing and the stories I hear about people having lived with a j-pouch for years convinced me that a “normal” life was just around the corner. I didn’t take into account that I’ve not only circled the drain a couple of times, but in under three years my body has been through a lot! I’ve had a baby, several colonoscopies, surgeries, weight loss, internal inflammation…blah blah blah! Unless I flew to Africa and touched an alien space ship floating in the Ivory Coast, my body wasn’t going to heal that fast. Oh…yea…you like that X-Files reference, eh? LOL! Okay so basically I got ahead of myself.

So now almost 9 months out from the J-Pouch surgery, I still get floored by the occassional cramp. And it’s not just one of those, go grab a tylenol cramp. These tend to be the mother of all cramps! Imagine running a marathon for like three hours and then you stop and suddenly a charlie horse takes over your leg and you can’t walk. Your muscles are bound in a serious knot! Now take that feeling and move it from your leg to your bowels! Let me tell you something, if I didn’t know know where my bowels were before, I certainly can point them out to you now! I was so freaked out by the whole thing afraid of obstructions and blockages, but apparently its just the J-Pouch “settling in”. Hmm…wow!

There really needs to be more information and resources for us J-Pouchers because there are just so many surprises that come up! A bunch of do’s and dont’s! Yes it beats the alternative and it isn’t that I am not grateful, but the little surprises the J-Pouch brings can throw a monkey wrench in the plans. What are some of your favorite J-Pouch resources?