How Am I Supposed to Go Swimming?

When I was told that I was going to be getting a permanent Ileostomy I had many questions.  One of those questions was how am I going to go swimming?

I mean really think about it I have a "Bag" attached to my stomach with just adhesive and lets not even go into what it is full of:)  I was so nervous about how am I going to go swimming again.  This was a big thing for me I love swimming and my parents live in Arizona so we go swimming every time we are down there.  Lets be honest who wants to be in Arizona in July and not be in a pool, not this guy!

When I was first told about my Ileostomy I began doing some research on different types of wraps and things that people use to have what they call a "normal" life.  I do wear a wrap every day to keep my Ileostomy closer to my stomach so it doesn't show as much and also makes it easier to wear dress pants but think of this wrap as a tube top that I wear on my stomach.  It more or less holds it there but doesn't do much else from there.  

This is when I stumbled upon an AWESOME company called Stealth Belt (www.stealthbelt.com).  This belt is amazing.  It holds my Ileostomy in a little pouch that is held very tightly against me by Velcro straps.  So it doesn't just cover my Ileostomy it actually holds it while I am doing active things.  Also it is made from the same material as swim suits so I can wear it to go swimming.  How awesome is that.  The other thing that I love about this wrap is that it is much smaller than my day in and day out wrap so when I do have my shirt off for swimming it is not as big of a deal.  

They do make the Stealth Belt in a variety of different styles and also patterns so one can wear it no matter the occasion.  The other thing that I love about my stealth belt, especially as I am now hoping to get back to working out, is that because of its design it also is a hernia support.  This is a huge deal when you have an ostomy.  The Stealth Belt can be found at www.stealthbelt.com and it is easy to measure yourself for it and get it ordered right away.

 

Here is a picture me wearing the Stealth Belt prior to going swimming with Teagan for her swim lessons.  This is an amazing belt and it has made me feel comfortable enough to go swimming again.  I cannot wait to put it to good use this summer when we go to Glenwood Springs with my family and Jude and I go down the water slide together.  

Please pass this information on to anyone you know that has an ostomy or my be facing a future with one.  The more we know the more comfortable we are.  I know this was something that scared me at first when thinking about having a permanent Ileostomy.  

Disclosure:  I was provided with a FREE Stealth Belt in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

The Things That They Can Do with Surgery Amaze Me!

So I am going in for another surgery on December 12^th, 2013 at 7:30am to have a reconstructive surgery done.  I have been going to the doctor almost daily since January 9^th due to having a wound post-surgery that would not heal.  We have tried EVERYTHING to have this wound healed but my body is saying Nope I don’t think so! 

My body has been acting this way for a while now so it is not a surprise that it would go ahead and decide to do it now but we gave it a lot of time.  This week I hit my 300^th doctor visit this year.  That is a lot I know the nurses on a first name basis and I bet if you ask them they have seen way more of me than anybody ever wants to see.  

When they do a proctocolectomy they remove the rectal stump because you do not need it any more they give you as we in the ostomy call it an action figure butt or a Barbie butt.  You know the kind that is there but completely closed up and serves no function?  Well that was supposed to happen to me, you have no idea how happy I was to have a GI Joe butt, come on my wife would love a GI Joe butt right?

Well my body decided not to heal the wound so instead of GI Joe butt I went back to a complete dysfunctional butt that would not heal.  I have a six inch by 1.5 inch cavity that will not heal or close up. So that means going in daily to have the wound packed with gauze to try and keep it from closing up too quick and causing an abscess to form.  So not only do I have to go in daily what they do to me is not pleasant by any means.  Luckily I have had some very amazing nurses and doctors who have been trying to provide the best care for me possible.

So with this surgery I will be a human jigsaw puzzle as I like to call it but I am so thankful that they are doing it so that I can hopefully be healed and moving forward.  They are going to use the two small muscles on the inside of my inner thigh the Gracilis Muscle to pull through the wound and fill the cavity and then allow my body to just heal the outside wounds.

Here is a wonderful write up about it on Wikipedia:)

 

The gracilis muscle is commonly used as a flap in microsurgery. According to the classification of Mathes and Nahai, it presents a type II blood supply, allowing it to be transferred on its artery derived from the medial circumflex femoral artery. This artery enters the muscle about 10 cm from the pubic symphysis. At this point (or 1 cm proximal) the nerve also enters.

Gracilis muscle is widely used in reconstructive surgery, either as a pedicled flap or as a free microsurgical flap. Both pedicled and free flaps can be muscular or musculocutaneos (the so- called "composite flaps"). As a pedicled flap, gracilis muscle can be used in perineal and vaginal reconstruction, after oncological surgery, in the treatment of recurrent anovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas as well in the coverage of the neurovascular bundle after vascular surgery.^[3]

As a functioning pedicled flap, the gracilis muscle can be transferred for the treatment of anal incontinence. This technique called graciloplasty was described in the 1950s by Pickrell and was revolutionized in the late 1980s by the introduction of chronic muscle electro-stimulation. The gracilis microsurgical free flap is commonly used in the reconstruction of upper and lower limbs, in breast reconstruction and – as a free functioning flap – to restore forearm function or in dynamic reconstruction of facial paralysis.Gracilis Muscles Clinical Role

So I only have 20 more daily visits to get through and then we will have surgery so please keep my family in your prayers as we go through one more but hopefully this will be the last one!

The Hospital Must Have Missed Me!

I'M Back In The Hospital!

 

 

As many of you know I have been dealing with the recover from my surgery for the past two months,  This has required me to have a nurse come to my house, and since I have been at work I have had to go into Kaiser every single day to have a wound packed and changed.  There have been ongoing issues.  Most of these issues have been from the nurses not knowing how to pack a wound and doing it incorrectly.

 

My nurse on Saturday packed it wrong and put too much packing in the wound.  With there being too much packing in the wound, the bacteria did not get a chance to come out it just sat there in the wound and they think the bacteria grew into the wound.  So Monday I started to feel very sick and had a fever, chills, and aches.  My doctor then wanted me to come in and we did a CT Scan and blood tests.  After all of those tests he still could not figure out what was going wrong with me exactly so I got admitted to the hospital. 

 

 

When they admitted me they hooked me up to IV antibiotics throughout the day.  Sadly this did not seem to work.  They were pumping the antibiotics but my fever still stuck around and even got worse.  It got all the way up to 102.6 this was not good and I was getting irritated, scared and nervous. 

 

 

Today, Wednesday Morning, my surgeon took me down to surgery and cut the wound open more and then cleaned it out.  Basically he power washed my wound.  He thinks that he was able to find out where the infection was coming from so that is good.  Since I have been back in my room I have feel like my fever was gone but we will just have to wait and see.  I have been here at the hospital since Monday night and looks like I am not going home till Thursday at the earliest.  I think that we are ready to be somewhat normal and not have to deal with all these illnesses.  This one has taken its emotional toll on me and I have had a few breakdowns.  Luckily I have had many people to lean on.  I appreciate every one's support and I will work on keeping up with my blog more and making sure that you all have the most updated information.  Thank you again for everything. 

 



World Meet Gustav, Gustav Meet the World!

Drum roll please..............................

 

 

Ladies and Gentleman..........................

 

 

I am pleased to introduce to you my Ileostomy and Stoma that I have named Gustav!

 

As many of you know I had to go in for a proctocolectemy in January and at this point I have a permanent Ileostomy. 

 

This is something that I am still coming to terms with but I have named it and Gustav just seemed to fit.  A long time ago I had a kid introduce me to his Gerbil who's name was Gustav Thomas.  So when I thought of a name Gustav just came to the front of my mind. 

 

I think that the hard part for me has been the healing, sad to hear huh?  I am still healing and we are almost two months past surgery, and to be honest I was not really prepared for all the healing that I am dealing with but we are almost there.

 

Since having my Ileostomy I have joined many groups on facebook and it seems as though one big step for people is to post a picture of them with their bag.  I get it, we are no longer hiding and we want people to know that this is who we are, and in my case will be for the rest of my life. 

 

My Ileostomy has saved my life and has given my life back to me as well.  I am trying to make sure that I never become ashamed of it.  I will do everything I can from here on out to wear my bag with pride and honor because the scars show the fight that I gave for so long before having this surgery.  So without further ado I present to you Gustav!

 

 



Let the Journey Begin!

So I know that I have been MIA for the last couple of weeks.  As many of you know my family and I have engaged in a huge journey.  I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2009 and it has come to an end here in 2013.

 

I am going to be doing a series of blogs about the proctocolectemy surgery that I had on 1/9/2013, the day I was cured of ulcerative colitis.  This is how I am viewing it, as you will hear throughout the next couple of weeks, as I am at home recovering from surgery and processing what has changed.  I AM going to remain optimistic about this process and will view it as I am CURED of this illness and I get my life back.  Now I know that this is going to come with many lumps and bumps, lucky you guys are the ones that get to hear about them, but I know that we made the right choice.

 

So this journey began on the weekend on January 5th.  This was my last weekend of solid food before I had to do the prep for the surgery.  Censie was great we went out to dinner a couple of times and spent some time with the kiddos.  It was a great "last" weekend, I cannot thank her enough for this because as you will hear the next couple of weeks were not the easiest.  I then went on clear liquids on Monday.  This is something that I have done many times due to having colonoscopies.  I have had 12 colonoscopies in three years, however I am done with those now.

 

I began eating jello and drinking Gatorade.  I am a huge food guy so this is hard for me but I knew that it was something that had to be done.  I was also able to clean my house and get everything ready that I could because my parents were coming out to help with the family after the surgery and to be here with me.  I felt that this was the least that I could do because I knew that Censie was going to have her hands full after the surgery.  I then had to begin the cleansing drinks on Tuesday. 

 

I like to call it the liquid flu because as soon as you start drinking it you get so sick to your stomach that you do have to stand there by the bathroom.  My parents came later that night and I was able to spend some time with them.  These are all going to be times that I am going to and have looked back on with happiness because of being able to laugh and have joy with them.  The next day we had to get up super early to be at the hospital so that I could have surgery.  I will be working on that post soon, it is going to be a lot of medical jargon stuff since I don't remember much, thank goodness!  Thank you for following this journey and like I said I have a lot to put down on paper.  Thank you all for following me on this journey and please if you have any questions please leave a comment or email me!  

Secret Subject Swap!

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. 17 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. 

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

 

www.BakingInATornado.com                             

 http://menopausalmother.blogspot.com/ 

http://lifeonthesonnyside.blogspot.com/

http://suburbiainterrupted.com/                             

http://www.bigaandlittlea.com                               

http://ibddaddyandme.blogspot.com

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/

www.3monkeysandamartini.com

http://sadderbutwiser.wordpress.com/

http://www.somethingclever2point0.com/

http://www.themommyref.blogspot.com/

http://rushingforbagels.blogspot.com

http://gocheapgohome.com

www.rebekaches.com

http://mooreorganizedmayhem.blogspot.com/

http://slackermomof4.blogspot.com/

http://www.mommyunmuted.com/

                

My subject is Share a bloggy goal that you hope to achieve this year.  It was submitted by http://www.bigaandlittlea.com . Here goes: 

So my goal this year is to tale over the Daddy blogging community (insert diabolical  laugh at this point).  No really I want to be able to grow my audience and share with other fathers and also others dealing with IBD and after Wednesday now dealing with an Ostomy.

This has been a major change for me over the last couple of days and actually I am in the hospital as I am writing this.  I have a permanent Ileostomy on my stomach so I will be blogging about how the surgery and the recovery goes. 

I am pretty new on the blogging scene so I am just starting off so I have a lot of goals. I think that I keep coming up with new goals everyday.   I think that there a lot of daddy blogs out there but I feel that there are several that control the whole scene and I would like to infiltrate that tight knit group and bring in a fresh look and also a armature approach.  I am not a professional writer, I actually suck at writing but I am not going to give up.  Thank you so much for everyone for letting me be part of this blogging post.  I will try and type more as the pain meds wear off but thank you again!

I Am Scared!!!

I must admit at this point I am scared! 

 

 

 

Today is Monday January 7th, and on Wednesday January 9th I will be going in for a total proctocolectomy.  This is a major surgery, I have been told that the surgery will last about 6 to 7 hours. 

 

I am very excited to be able to get my life back and no longer deal with Ulcerative Colitis.  I am ready to start healing and moving forward but I am scared about the surgery.  This is going to be a major life change and I know it is going to be a difficult road ahead but I just need to get through the surgery.

 

I will be keeping everyone up to date from the hospital after I am done, they are telling me that I am going to be in the hospital for 7-10 days.  I will have my computer there with me because I am going to need some connection to the outside world.  I will be providing all of my IBD companions about the surgery and the recover from beginning to end so that if someone else is going through the surgery hopefully I can answer some questions.  I know that all the information that I have read on line helped me so much, so I am hoping to return the favor to someone else. 

 

Thank you again for everyone who has supported IBD, Daddy and Me! as we have gone through this journey together.  Thank you again!

Jeremy

2012 What A Year!

2012 You Win!

 

I have been sitting here for the past couple of days thinking about how do I write a creative post for my first review of a past year  I have read over many blogs and have seen how many people have done their review, but I want to try and be somewhat original in my post.  I am still working on trying to find my blogging voice as many have said but I just started this blog fully a couple of months ago so I think that it will be coming so watch out!

 

 

This year has definitely been filled with its ups and downs.  We found out earlier this year that we were expecting our second child, as you know this was a huge point of excitement for Censie and I.  The pregnancy was not easy by any means but we welcomed Teagan on 10/20/12 and she is a beauty.  I consider myself very blessed to be the father to two wonderful children.  Now next years blog could be about the challenges of having two children and all that those things mean.

 

Jude had a good year, even had his first broken bone.  Have to love how kids want to put their fingers in doors.   The way that Jude is I have a feeling that we will probably be at the doctors for these types of things in the past.  He is pure boy and likes to be rough and tumble.  We celebrate his second birthday with a train themed birthday party, he loves his "Choo-Choos".  We were lucky enough to have my parents come out for the birthday party and Jude loved having both of his Grrrrmama's and Pa's at his birthday party.

 

Sadly we lost my Papa three days before Teagan was born.  This was a difficult and trying time for me. I was very saddened by the lost of my Papa but then also taking in the excitement of my daughter being born.  We knew that he had been sick for quite some time, but as everyone knows it does not make the passing any easier.  I continue to miss him and wish that he could have been here longer but know that he is watching over my family and I an is no longer in pain.

 

The last couple of months of this year as you can tell kicked our family's butt.  We had the death, the birth, the funeral, then Censie got sick and needed surgery, then I got sick and ended up in the hospital.  Censie's surgery went well and she was able to recover but during that time my Ulcerative Colitis flared up and I ended up in the hospital again.  We decided to move forward with the surgery option at this point for my Ulcerative Colitis and had a plan and were hoping to make it through the Holidays.  We made it to the 27th and then I ended up in the hospital again that is where this great post is being written from. 

 

This year has been very tough for health but the good news is that it seems like we will be starting 2013 moving forward.  I will be having a total proctocolectemy on January 9th.  Now I know that this is going to have its challenges because I will have a permanent Ostomy, a "Crap" bag as Censie calls it.  I am ready for these challenges and am ready to be healing and not just trying to maintain without any success.  This illness has run my life for the last three years and I am ready to grab life back and take it and run.

 

I am so excited for this upcoming year of hopefully good health and being able to have a life again.  Censie and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year, it is amazing!  We are trying to find something special to do.  I am hoping that we will be able to go up to the mountains more this summer with the family so that I can go fishing with Jude and teach him about my love of fishing.  I am excited to see my family grow and the children grow upand be more active with us.  I have a lot to smile about despite some of the low points of this year.  I hope that everyone has an amazing new year and a great 2013!!

 

 

 



Seriously?!?!?!?!?!

DAMN YOU ULCERATIVE COLITIS!!!!

 

So I made it out of the hospital through Christmas!  I was able to be there in the morning and see Jude's face as he opened his presents and then the awe and wonder of Santa and his fish tank.  I am thankful for that moment.  Sadly though I didn't make it long past that.

 

We were able to go get more fish for his fish tank last night, you know Santa told me he could go get more fish, and we got them all set up and they are doing well.  However 20 days after being discharged from the hospital I am back here again.  I had been struggling off and on since being discharged but was looking forward to having my surgery consult on the 2nd.  I started bleeding again and having a lot of urgency, which led to me having two accidents.  Yes that is where we are at, I have no control of my body which sucks ass literally! 

 

They told me that they felt that it was the best idea for me to come in to the Emergency Room so I did and now am admitted to the hospital again.  We are talking in the morning about the surgery and what we are going to do.  The scary things for me is I am afraid to be discharged again because I don't know how long I am going to make it through.  I just don't know but hopefully we can come up with a plan because I cannot live like this.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!  I will keep everyone updated!

Does Anyone Have a Map?

There are many times in life that I wish that it came with a Map on which to go.  This time is no different than others and I wish that I had a map more now than ever.  These last six weeks have been crazy busy and a lot has gone on, you can read about those in my other Update Post.  I am still in the hospital, this is only day three but if you have ever been in the hospital it feels like forever.  I hate when I don't look sick and start to feel better just have to stay in my room because I need to have Prednisone administered through IV so that I can feel better.

 

I have been in the hospital for a Ulcerative Colitis Flair.  I was having 18 bowel movements a day with quite a bit of bleeding.  I was trying to stay healthy so that I could take care of Censie after she had her surgery, but my body decided that it didn't want to allow that.  This has been something that has been a concern for my family the entire time that I have been dealing with this illness.  I finally got the call from my doctor that I needed to come into the hospital. 

 

After I came in they did another colonoscopy, this is number 11 in three years.  That is a lot but it could be worse but it is not something that I look forward to doing.  I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy in September, this is a colonoscopy but not as invasive, and it showed that I was healing.  During this check up it showed that I have moderate to severe Ulcerative Colitis throughout 2/3rds of my colon.  This shows that the medicine that I was on was not working and that it was not keeping my body out of a flair, which it should be.

 

So why do I want a map?  Censie, my family and I are going to be faced with a huge decision that is going to affect our family for the rest of our lives.  We have the possibility of trying one more medication.  This medication also comes with the possibility for a lot of negative side effects and my doctor has described it as a "Hail Mary" attempt at stopping my Ulcerative Colitis.  The other option which would cure my Ulcerative Colitis would be surgery.

There are two different options for surgery to take care of Ulcerative Colitis.  The first one would be a total colectomy which would remove my entire Colon and then they would give me a stoma with an ileostomy bag for the rest of my life.  If we go with this option it is not reversible.  This would be difficult as I would have to get use to having a bag for the rest of my life but would also cure all and I could move forward.

The second option would be to have them construct a J-Pouch which would be an internal pouch but would require two surgeries.  They have stated that I am younger and that I don't want to have an ostomy bag for the rest of my life but it is something to consider.  If I do the J-Pouch there is the possibility of developing Pouchitis and having to have that treated. There is also the possibility that it will fail and then they would have to do the ileostomy anyways.  Also if they do the J-Pouch you still have to go to the restroom 4-8 times per day, I know that is an improvement but still it would be difficult to have to deal with. 

I was going to post images but I figured that would be going to far.  So as you can see there are a lot of things that we have to think about and then hopefully make the right choice.  Please continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we make these decisions and I hope that the Map we decide to follow leads us to a great place!

UPDATE!
So I wrote this while I was in the hospital and was waiting trying to figure out what direction I was going to go with my health.  I met with my doctor and she felt that the medicine that we had discussed was not going to be an option for me.  She has recommended the surgery  She has stated that the J-Pouch Surgery was not an option for myself.  My body is just to severely infected, especially my rectum, yes I said rectum :)  I also have had issues even when my colon is doing well so at this point I will be meeting with a surgeon to have a total colectomy and having a permanent Ileostomy with a bag for the rest of my life.  I am nervous about this and know that this is just the beginning of this journey but I will keep everyone updated and share my thoughts as we travel on this road together.  Thank

Nominated for a Liebster!

I am so honored and humbled I was nominated for The Liebster Award by Photography by Beverly! What is a Liebster? Well, it's a shout out to blogs with less than 200 public followers, who are interesting...quirky...awesome to read.

 

 

The Rules 

- Each blogger that is nominated must post 11 things about themselves

- Answer the 11 questions that the blogger who nominated them asked

- Nominated blogger creates 11 new questions to ask the bloggers they nominate

- Choose 100 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate, link them in the post

- Notify the nominees of their award

- No tag backs!

And away...we go!

1. I just started blogging this year and am hoping that I can get my blog to grow and help others.
2. I am honored to be a father to my son Jude who is 2 1/2 and my daughter Teagan who is just over a month old.
3. I have been married to my wonderful and extremely supportive wife Censie for over 9 years, we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in August.
4. I am a huge sports nut, I enjoy watching almost any type of sport but Baseball is my favorite sport.  I am a huge Red Sox Fan.
5. Music is an essential part of my life and my daily routines.  I enjoy all types of music but classic rock is probably my favorite.  I am a huge Beatles fan if you can't tell by my son's name.
6. I started going to school to be a youth pastor but changed my mind and have been working as a social worker for the past 5 years. 
7. I am currently surviving a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis, this has resulted in three hospital stays in three years and now we are looking at possible surgery to cure this illness.
8. I have recently started getting back into making art and had an art show in August at a Denver Gallery, I have also opened an Etsy shop The Eccentric Mind. 
9. I love watching the Food Network and have a dream to be an awesome cook.
10. I have 11 tattoos and am in love with this type of body art, if I could have many more I would!
11.  I have been diagnosed with depression and moderate social anxiety, these are challenges that I also must face every day as a person, a husband, and a father.

Here are the questions that Shannon challenged me with!

1. What is your favourite holiday tradition? My favorite tradition is putting up our Christmas tree, it has been something Censie and I look forward to doing every year.  I am excited to start building more traditions with my family, taking Jude and Teagan to go see Santa is also amazing. 
2. What is your favourite movie from your childhood? This is a hard one for me!  I would have to say that my favorite move as a child was "Never Ending Story"
3. Do you have any pets? How many? What are their names? We have two cats Pun-kin and Sophie.
4. Do you consider yourself *green*? What do you do to be eco-friendly? I do as much as I can but it has been hard but we do as much as we can to recycle and not cause extra waste.
5. Do you love your home? I love my home immensely.  It is my favorite place to be because it is full of laughter and love. 
6. What is your go-to night-on-the-town outfit? Hmm I don't really get dressed up to go out but usually just a dress shirt and jeans.  Nothing special. 
7.  What is your favourite appetizer to serve guests? I don't really have guests over but I would say that chicken wings are the best to give to people.
8. If you could have a dream vacation, where would it be? For me my dream vacation would be taking my family to Disneyland or Disneyworld.  I have never been there so I am excited to share the excitement of going for the first time with my family.
9. Where did you go on your honeymoon?  Censie and I went to Meadow Creek Bed and Breakfast in Pine Colorado.  We have gone back several times after!
10. Do you believe in paying it forward? I do I think that we as humans should always step up and try to help out someone else that is not in our position. 
11. What was your first ever blogpost about? My first blog post was about an introduction to myself and about being a Daddy.


Whew this has taken a while!  Good thing I am just sitting in the hospital so I could complete this!

Here are my questions for my blogs that I am nominating!

1. What is your favorite Season of the year?
2. What is your favorite book?
3. Why did you start a blog?
4. What is the one thing that you can always go and do to relax?
5. Who is the most influential person in your life?
6.  What is your favorite type of food to eat?
7. If you were given one million dollars what is the first thing that you would do?
8. What was your first car? Did it have any special meaning?
9. Do you have any daily routines that you would consider to be weird?
10. Why is blogging important to you?
11. If you could have dinner with any person in history who would you have dinner with and why?

Want to know their answers? Go check them out!

1. http://theheartofahomemaker.blogspot.com/
2. http://ihaveulcerativecolitis.wordpress.com/
3. http://stolencolon.com/
4. http://mywifemykidsmydogs.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.idads.co.uk/
6. http://forcefamilyjourney.blogspot.com/
7. http://www.thecrazychaotichouse.blogspot.com/
8. http://www.bloodpooptears.com/
9. http://readbradthedad.com/
10. http://www.lifeonthesonnyside.com/
11. http://itsadomelife.com/

Whew!! I hope you made it this far, and if you did...two big thumbs up!

I Have a "Boo Boo" in my Tummy

I have a "Boo Boo" in My Tummy!

Today is one of the days that it is so fun living with Ulcerative Colitis.  I had been having issues with my gut, it could be a little bit of stress, who would have thought that but I had to call my GI doctor.  I am trying to make sure that my body doesn't go into a full flair, that is not something that I need to put on my family right now or my own mental health.  This morning Jude kept asking me to eat breakfast with him but I had to tell him that I couldn't, something that is impossible to explain fully to a two year old.  The best way to explain it was that I had a "boo boo" in my tummy and that I had to go see a doctor.  He continues to lift up my shirt and check my "boo boo."

Three months after Jude was born I ended up spending seven days in the hospital due to an Ulcerative Colitis flair.  Luckily my doctor knows me super well so when I call her and tell her that I am having problems she gets me in right away.  I called her yesterday and she told me to come in for a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy.  Yeah if you haven't had one or a colonoscopy they are as much fun as they sound.  

Here I am sitting in the waiting room waiting to go in.  I had not eaten anything since 9pm on Monday so I was hungry by this point, and some lady was eating in the waiting room but oh well what can you do.  So they then took me back and got my IV all hooked up.  While they were talking to me they were asking when my last procedure done was.  I couldn't remember so we pulled up the history.  I had a colonoscopy in February and one in September of 2011.  It was kind of saddening knowing that I had three procedures done within a year.  I couldn't help but think of when my father called me asking me for advice on what to do during a colonoscopy prep, something that I shouldn't have to tell me dad about.  The Dr. completed the flexible sigmoidoscopy and we did get good news.  My colon is still showing mild signs of Colitis but definitely saw signs of healing.  I did get a talking to about my enemas, I am having to get over the mental block of having to do one every night but it is the best for me and my family so I have to get through it.  

Here I am recovering after the procedure.  It is always tiring even though I don't have to do much.  I am so thankful for my doctor for always providing me with support and help when it is needed.  She is aware of my family and she always helps us get through this illness as a unit.  I am thankful that we got the good news that we did so that I do not have to consider the surgical options that there are.  I know that this is a possibility eventually but my mind and my body are not there at this point.  I am thankful for my wife for taking me and always being there by my side and supporting me.  I am also thankful for my son who is always there with a smile and a hug!  We will beat this illness together!  

Hi my name is Jeremy and I'm a Daddy!

Hi I would like to get started with this blog by introducing myself.  My name is Jeremy I am 31 years old.  I have been married to my wonderful wife Censie for 9 years, she has an awesome blog herself I don’t think mine is going to compare but please check it out www.buildingourstory.com, I am also father to our wonderful son Jude and our daughter who is going to be here in a short time.  I love being a father it is truly an amazing joy day in and day out.  Now granted being a parent to a two year old in and of itself can be challenging having that hug, smile and I Love You at the end of the day makes it all worth it.  I am writing this blog about being a husband, father, brother, dealing with illness, Ulcerative Colitis, and Anxiety.  All of these describe me. 

            I think that there are a lot of blogs out there about mom’s and how to handle being a mother but there are not many about being a father.  I think it takes a special person to be able to talk about the challenges that we as men face with being a father and being an individual.  I know all you guys are thinking ok here comes the Kumbaya crap, well maybe you will consider it that but after being in counseling for my Anxiety for about 6 months at this point, get over it!  It is perfectly fine to talk about your feelings as a “Manly Man.”  I am hoping that this blog will help me connect with other dad’s out there and also help provide my insight to being a dad and dealing with daily challenges.

            I am not going to be serious all of the time but there will be some serious moments from time to time.  I am always open to suggestions about what I should talk about but I will probably always throw my own twist into things.  Some of the things will be hard for me to talk about and may not be socially appropriate.  You know dealing with Ulcerative colitis for three years has made me talk about things that most people would not.  I am hoping that people enjoy this blog and people will connect through it and hopefully it will help someone else.  Thank you and please stay tuned for things to come!