J-pouch Life » Eric

Colston Thomas Mills

Eric — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:30:10 +0000

Dear fellow Jpouch.net readers, hello and how are you? I know you don’t know my full story and I apologize. It’s mainly because I’m too lazy to type it all up that you haven’t seen a complete posting from me. If you’ve stuck around long enough, you’ve seen my hernia (which is still there), you know that I keep track of numbers, that I’m healthy again and like to ride bikes, and that I’m the guy behind the pouchoscopy entry on Wikipedia. But you don’t know that I spent most of 2008 in the hospital (or at least it felt like that) or the specific circumstances surrounding my bout with Ulcerative Colitis. I promise to write that all up for you soon. In the meantime, drumroll…

I’m a father!

So welcome to world baby Mills. His name is Colston Thomas Mills, born on 3/6/2010, he was 8 pounds 7 ounces (big!) and he’s perfect. Like Mark and Megan’s joke about the bowels, I have a bit of concern for the future of his colon. But, just in case you’re wondering, it’s working really well right now, and he has some fantastic pressure in both ends of his plumbing!

There was a time when I couldn’t lay on my left side because it aggravated my Colitis too much. 4, count them, FOUR years of my life I couldn’t sleep on my left side. Take that, Colitis! Here I am asleep with the little guy. Sleeping with him (on my left side!) is my new favorite activity.

I promise a full story of my Colitis, waiting too long to get it treated, surgery, and recovery. For now, though, please join me in welcoming our baby to the world.

You see, it gets better, I promise.

These posts might also help out:

April 5, 2010 -- Home from Surgery #1 (1)
April 6, 2009 -- 4 feet less but still the best: My Jpouch Story (7)
August 8, 2008 -- Mark 9 month Jpouch Update (48)
June 6, 2008 -- NY TIMES Jpouch Article (0)

Blood, Poop, and Tears

Eric — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:40:51 +0000

I love the logo for Jackie’s new blog! If you have a minute, go check out her posts, and hopefully she won’t be a stranger around these parts.

Check our her blog here.

These posts might also help out:

April 5, 2010 -- Home from Surgery #1 (1)
March 27, 2010 -- Colston Thomas Mills (5)
February 8, 2010 -- A little insight on my insides. (12)
December 13, 2009 -- Welcome Lisa to the “No Colon Club” (1)

Haiti Earthquake Support

Eric — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 03:39:05 +0000

Friends,

Over the last 72 hours we have been asked for any possible effort(s) to help people, families, and caregivers in Haiti. For now we would encourage our readers to support relief agencies like the Red Cross . Currently it is too early to develop or provide support other than those connected to search, rescue, and recovery efforts.
Please pass this information along to your loved ones and ask everyone to keep this country, their citizens and the rescue efforts in their thoughts.
Thank you.

Eric Mills,

Webmaster, jpouch.net

These posts might also help out:

February 10, 2010 -- Making Ostomys HOT! (2)

Jpouch Life Now iPhone Friendly!

Eric — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:37:16 +0000

Well, I know, it’s no fun sometimes, that is, sometimes you have to spend time in the hospital. Hey, we’ve all been sick, had surgeries, or been visiting someone who has. Sometimes the computers don’t work in the hospital, or even on a sunny day at the beach. Now we have a new way for you to get your Jpouch.net fix – we’re mobile. If you have: android, aspen, blackberry9500, blackberry9530, cupcake, dream, incognito, iphone, ipod, opera mini, webmate, webos our site will now dynamically redraw itself just for YOU. Yup, that’s sweet. You’re welcome.

Oh, and I’ve made the comments over to the right scroll so we can all see who’s talking about what. Your comments are what make this site great, so keep talking!

These posts might also help out:

February 13, 2010 -- Take a walk in my shoes (59)
February 8, 2010 -- A little insight on my insides. (12)
July 22, 2009 -- Jpouch Life is on Twitter (0)
July 3, 2009 -- Dave Barry’s Insight into the Colonoscopy (2)

Plaid Pantry Denies Bathroom to Crohn’s Customer

Eric — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:35:10 +0000

Time to boycott the Plaid Pantry, whatever that is. (Is that like a 7-11?). Reading through posts on the Consumerist weblog, trying to decide if I should subscribe to its RSS feed, I came across this article about a fellow IBD sufferer who was denied access to a bathroom. As a result, she pooped her pants.

Granted, it is an “employee only” bathroom, but hey, what is the world coming to when someone poops their pants because someone else is worried about… er… what? What, exactly happens if you break the rules and let a customer into the bathroom? You get fired? They steal toilet paper? Fine.

I would gladly get fired for breaking the rules if it were in the name of humanity, decency, or any of those other words that end in a ‘y’ and connote positivity.

Here’s hoping the next clerk is a nice one.

These posts might also help out:

June 15, 2009 -- Teen Diagnoses her Crohn’s Disease (1)
March 15, 2010 -- “You’re Fired.” (15)
November 10, 2009 -- Just Dance! (8)
September 3, 2009 -- From the WTF? Files: Man East Colostomy Bag Contents (3)

Colitis by Numbers: Days Since Module Tracks Flares, Tapers, and more

Eric — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:46:26 +0000

People always used to give me strange looks when I would tell them that it has been 485 days since my first surgery. I’m no “rainman” or anything, I just use a bunch of different forms of technology to keep track of my health. I’d like to start sharing them with you. Starting with the first one, well, aside from graph paper the first one: “days since”. It’s a “module” for Google’s personalized homepage, igoogle. You can add the module by clicking ‘add stuff’ from igoogle’s page or by visiting the author’s site here.

As you can see by the screenshot, it’s really simple. Sometimes simple is better. Most of the time simple is better. I like watching the numbers go up, and this helps me feel better too. Other possible uses for this could be: tapering on Prednisone, keeping track of how long it has been since your last flare, or just remembering when you last mowed the lawn!

I have a bunch of these technology tips, so check back for more of what I call “colitis by numbers.”

These posts might also help out:

February 25, 2010 -- Commenter with Questions (8)
April 5, 2010 -- Home from Surgery #1 (1)
March 27, 2010 -- Colston Thomas Mills (5)
February 19, 2010 -- Blood, Poop, and Tears (2)

From the WTF? Files: Man East Colostomy Bag Contents

Eric — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:37:50 +0000

James Orr, 66, was on trial in Cincinnati, Ohio yesterday for robbery and kidnapping when he disrupted the hearing with an extreme act of grossness. Orr reportedly asked his attorney if he had any food. When the attorney told him no, Orr apparently put his colostomy bag on the table, squeezed out the contents, and then either ate, or pretended to eat, his own feces. The Sheriff’s deputy cuffed him and removed him from the room which the judge then closed for cleaning. Orr’s trial will continue next week. [ Link ]

These posts might also help out:

September 16, 2009 -- Plaid Pantry Denies Bathroom to Crohn’s Customer (9)
July 2, 2009 -- Jpouch Happenins’ (3)
June 15, 2009 -- Teen Diagnoses her Crohn’s Disease (1)

Jpouch Life is on Twitter

Eric — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:40:00 +0000

All right, we did it, I know I know… well, we’re over on Twitter now with the handle JpouchLife. Will you still respect us in the morning? All jokes aside, Twitter is a really great place to connect with new people and spread our community understanding and awareness. Hope you’ll give us a follow.

These posts might also help out:

May 27, 2009 -- New Comment Features for Jpouch Life (1)
May 25, 2009 -- Jpoucher Happenin’s (2)
November 29, 2009 -- Jpouch Life Now iPhone Friendly! (1)
September 8, 2009 -- Colitis by Numbers: Days Since Module Tracks Flares, Tapers, and more (1)

Dave Barry’s Insight into the Colonoscopy

Eric — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:36:21 +0000

Dave Barry's Colonoscopy Certificate

Everyone’s favorite humor columnist, Dave Barry, has a great piece on Colonoscopies that a co-worker recently dug up and sent to Brevin. Too long to reproduce here, there are some highlights that I’m sure we all can relate to (especially in the case of his hospital descriptions). Since I was in the hospital 47,000 times last year, and I work as a web consultant for that hospital — I have to go to meetings there, too, eek — these are my favorite parts:

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the hell the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Check out the full article over at the Miami Herald where you can download and print your very own Dave Barry Colonoscopy Certificate (displayed above), and happy 4th everyone!

These posts might also help out:

February 8, 2010 -- A little insight on my insides. (12)
April 5, 2010 -- Home from Surgery #1 (1)
February 25, 2010 -- Commenter with Questions (8)
February 13, 2010 -- Take a walk in my shoes (59)

New Comment Features for Jpouch Life

Eric — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:33:55 +0000

Your comments, questions, concerns, jokes, and advice are the bread and butter of Jpouch.net. With that in mind, we’ve added some cool new features that we think you’ll like.

Threaded comments. You can now reply to a specific comment on a post or on the bulletin board by clicking the reply link below that comment. This way, comments can get grouped together to form a more cohesive conversation.

Subscribe to comments. You can also check the “subscribe” box near the post button to be notified of any new comments on any post via email. So, if you leave a comment on Megan’s post about being “that sick couple” and then Mark comments on it, you’ll get a nice little email and won’t have to check the same post every day waiting for a reply! More time to read the new stuff!

And, as a thank you to everyone who comments, just on the first comment you’ll get a nice little thank you note for speaking up and telling us what you think.

Have some more features you’d like to see? or if you’re just curious to try the new functionality, as always, your voice is welcome in the comments below.

These posts might also help out:

July 22, 2009 -- Jpouch Life is on Twitter (0)
May 25, 2009 -- Jpoucher Happenin’s (2)
January 15, 2009 -- Comment Spam (6)
November 29, 2009 -- Jpouch Life Now iPhone Friendly! (1)