So I Forgot

Yeah Yeah Yeah

I know

I have been neglecting my blogging duties. I have to be honest though, it is because I was feeling so great.

Everything just seemed to be falling into place. My strength, speed, and stamina were all returning.

I had some major CrossFit accomplishments the past few weeks: my strict pull-up returned, my toes-to-bar found their way home, even my deadlift got stronger.

And then it all came crashing down on me....

After about five days of wondering "was it something I ate?" I called my surgeon for a prescription to get rid of the pouchitis. That nasty little infection apparently has decided to make itself comfortable in my small intestine and that in turn makes me very uncomfortable.

But I started the magic cipro today and I know I will be feeling better by tomorrow. God this is so much easier than having colitis flares!

Strength

Sometimes we don't know where our strength comes from.

You hear about those women able to lift cars to save their children. Pure adrenaline right?

I think people who live with chronic illness have this super strength all the time.

I was talking to one of my friends yesterday. She is plagued by her chronic illness, but you would never know it.

Her husband went in for surgery this week and she confided in me that she has been working hard to put on her "happy face" while caring for him. She's pretending that her illness is fine so that he won't worry. She is working hard to take care of him, the house, the dog, and smiling through her own pain and stress.

That is strength.

For many people with chronic illnesses just getting out of bed, or for me - out of the bathroom, can be a major challenge. Yet we manage. We hold down jobs, take care of others, and take every step every day in pain. Yet we survive.

I am happy to report that things are getting better. It has been 13 weeks since my final surgery and my pain is less and my strength is growing.

Oh wait!

My strength has been there the whole time.

The Date

The hubby and I had a GREAT time on our date. The movie was hysterical and dinner was delicious!

It was only 7pm when we finished dinner so we decided to go and have a few drinks.

This is the first alcohol I have consumed in almost 2 years.

I am not a big drinker to begin with, so this was going to be a major first for me.

My hubby must have asked me three or four times if I was okay to be drinking. He didn't want me to get sick.

I am happy to report that the two Tiramisu martinis I consumed were delicious! I did not even get a hangover, probably because I drank 32 ounces of water with each one. (I am a little nutty about my hydration levels to begin with so I wanted to compensate for the alcohol.) But I did have more active bowls. 


Some people said that alcohol made them lose control of their bowls following their surgeries, but I was fine in that regard. 


Although it was only two drinks...
and I have no intention on testing my limit!

Caregivers

My husband and I are going on a date this Saturday. To a movie and dinner.

I am as excited for this date as I was for our first date.

I am getting my hair done today. I did my nails last night. We have a babysitter.

I realized that this is the first date we have been on since February 4th. 5 months ago. It was three days before I went in for my first surgery.

We have been so caught up in nursing me back to health, getting back in our routine with the baby, etc that I think we forgot about "us" as a couple.

As I started to feel better I would try to take the baby for a while to give him a break, but I never thought about that fact that maybe - just maybe - he would want to spend time with me.

The surgery is just as stressful, maybe even more so, for the caregivers. They feel the frustration of not being able to "fix" the problem, not being able to take away the pain. They have the sleepless nights. They go through it with us.

I am going to say thank you today, especially to my mom, grandma, father, and sister - all of whom came through big time as caregivers during my surgeries.

And thank you to my husband - even though he doesn't read this blog - I love you and appreciate everything you have done and continue to do as we find our way into normalcy. I am so grateful to have you by my side, holding my hand.

And I can't wait for Saturday!!!!!

Why Did I Wait So Long?

So It has been three days and....

BAM! Pouchitis is better.

I actually can't believe how much better I am feeling. After all the pain, frustration, and anger I now feel like a new person.

So "Why did I wait so long to call my surgeon?"

I thought it was "healing pains". Aftershocks of the surgery if you will.....

I wonder how long I had the pouchitis. 

Next time I will call right away.

My faith has been restored. Tomorrow I may try some fruits and veggies again.

Pouchitis

Okay so I have been a little behind on the blog.

To be honest, I have been behind on everything. Flu-like symptoms, nausea, feeling exhausted. I blamed it on my daughter and chasing around a one year old.

Then I started having more pain, frequency and urgency with my bowels. I blamed it on the fruits and veggies.

Then came the blood and I was all out of scapegoats.

I called my surgeon.

In five minutes he diagnosed me with Pouchitis. It's an infection in my new J-Pouch and can very easily be fixed with antibiotics.

I will let you know if he is right. We should know within the next three days.

After all I have been through I tend to be a skeptical when it comes to diagnoses.