Comments on: Just Dance!

By: felicia

felicia — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:59:31 +0000

thank you ^_^ all of your stories and advice helps. 2 days now O.O thank you =]

By: Julie Missal

Julie Missal — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:08:39 +0000

Your grandson is completely normal. My son turned 18 in June and had his colon removed and jpouch created 4 weeks later. His last couple months trying to get to 18 so he could use the surgeon we wanted and get thru high school and graduation were miserable. He went into surgery weak, taking 100’s of pills a week and looking like a skeleton. The first few weeks of recovery were hard but he headed off to college in September and just had his takedown surgery 5 days ago. In between first and second surgery he gained 40 pounds back – close to his pre surgery weight and he has more energy and no pain. The bag seems like an awful thing but he admitted the other day after it was gone that it really wasn’t that bad – and even kind of handy sometimes. Support him and the family emotionally – the best thing that happened to Sean was getting support from close friends and feedback from other people who had been there and gotten thru it and returned to a “normal” life. If your grandson has questions I’m sure that Sean would be happy to chat with him via email or IM or whatever the kids do nowdays.

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:11:01 +0000

Yes, it is normal to have depression, avoidance of foods since food is the enemy, fatigue, pain, unwillingness to leave the house due to accidents due to urgency. UC has stripped him of his life and he feels worse than you can even imagine. Only 10-15% of UC patients are sick enough to need surgery, this indicates your grandson is sick. My advice to accept how sick he is now and let him be. Your families job is learn everything you can about his surgery and what will happen with his temporary ileostomy (the stoma and bag). Make sure to stay POSITIVE and excited that the surgery is coming because it will give him his 17 year old life back. He will be able to live normally again and healthy. The scars on his belly will be minimal (assuming he is having lapro surgery), so in a few months all this will be in his past and wonder why he waited to have surgery. Here is Mark’s (my husband) 9 month update after his takedown surgery (his second surgery) http://www.jpouch.net/2008/08/08/mark-9-month-jpouch-update/

By: Colin

Colin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:17:42 +0000

At least in my situation, there’s really nothing you can do. In the weeks before my first surgery, I was absolutely miserable. In-fact, for the last two weeks, I only drank liquid protein shakes because I couldn’t eat food without immediate bowel movements and blood loss. My best advice is just to be very accommodating of him and do what you can to make him comfortable until the surgery day comes.

By: concerned grandma

concerned grandma — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:22:51 +0000

I appreciate reading all these success stories and it makes my mind a little more at ease. My grandson is having his first surgery right before Christmas and one week before he turns 17. He has been miserable and so tired. He does not want to eat, because then he has to use the bathroom and he bleeds alot.Can someone tell me if there is something we can do to help him at this point.Is this normal, lack of appetite and being so tired?

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:40:07 +0000

Felicia, You will be very much able to dance your heart away in a couple weeks after you’ve recovered. Don’t worry about that. I’ve regained my physical ability 100% to snowboard, skateboard and do the things I love. Lizz, is a blogger on here and a dancer too – She has Chrons with her jpouch so her situation is a bit more serious than just a jpouch surgery, but even with her challenges she still dances http://www.jpouch.net/2009/11/10/just-dance/

By: felicia

felicia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:47:04 +0000

im a dancer to! im 17 and hiphop is my life… i am going in for the j pouch surgery in 2 weeks and was/am afraid ill not be able to acheive my dreams as a dancer… then i read this story and started to cry you made me feel so much better about it! thank you! keep dancing!

By: Brevin

Brevin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:22:18 +0000

Dangit you just inspired me to post an update as well.