Later taters!!!

Hi Eric,
I, too, can eat anything & everything & not put on a pound. I'm always hungry. I'm a junk food junkie - just love salty snacks - popcorn, cheezies, etc. Years ago I had a weight problem, but no more - it is just wonderful!! Maybe because of the fast transit time it takes for food to go through us? Not complaining, just grateful I haven't gained 20-30 pounds. A few people have commented on how skinny I am, but I would rather be skinny than overweight.

How is your valve doing? Is it still moving around? Mine seems to be fine for 3-4 days & then moves. I then spend the next 3-4 days struggling with the correct angle to get the catheter in before it goes back to normal again. I try not to force it in, but sometimes it is really quite painful trying to get the catheter in at the right angle. I'm having to use two different catheters - one a softer flexible one for the times when the valve is in it's normal position and another harder one for the times when the angle is off. You & Sharon have given me some great tips on how to get it in at the right angle. Thanks!
- Dixie

Any skins not meat shouldn't be consumed.

As for weight I dropped a lot but now I gain just as easy as before. It crept up on me. I ate cake, panckaes, etc. Lost lost lost then bam put on 10 pounds

Eric,
I peel everything including grapes...takes longer but it is worth it (and I eat less that way!)...yup, it took a while for the weight for come off post pouch but once it was off and I was eating anything and everything that I wanted my pouch decided to say 'stop, I am absorbing everything now' and bam...the weight came back on with a vengence!
Beware of the revenge of the twinki!
Sharon

You guys kill me! The Twinkie and I are best friends! He wouldn't turn on me! Lol! Dixie, glad to help, as for my valve, as time goes on, I've been adjusting much better, and my valve, over all, has been great. The only time I have a bit of an issue opening the valve is if I've slept too long without waking up to drain my pouch, also depends on how much I eat before bed. It's actually quite simple, if I allow my pouch to get too full of gas and poop, I always have a hard time opening the valve, but even still, I've learned not to panic as I did when I was still learning. I just relax my abdominal muscles, push the catheter and hold until I hear the first bit of gas release, after that I know I can push it all the way in. If, as happens occasionally, I can't even get the gas to flow, and my valve seems glued shut, I use a lot more force after running the catheter under cold water to stiffen it (the plastic isn't very stiff when warm, and you need to apply a bit of force sometimes). I hold it against the valve for a few seconds, and release (don't panic if you see blood, at times I bleed quite a bit, but according to Dr Cohen, it does no real damage) and repeat, until, eventually, it opens. For me, I have to angle up about 20 degrees for optimal intubation, but I'm now fully confident with it, and, touch wood, am healthy again, going back to work in a few weeks. Please, accept my most sincere appreciation, gratitude, and love for talking me through all this, I could not have done it without your help, and I got to meet Sharon, what more could I ask for?! (If we were both single, and I wasn't so gay, I'd be chasing you! Lol! For those that haven't had the pleasure, Sharon is a very beautiful women, inside and out!). Thanks again, if there is anything I can do to help, I'm always here for you,

Cheers!
Eric

You are so sweet Eric,
Thanks.
I have another trick for those times when you have overslept or over-eaten prior to going to sleep and your pouch is just too full to let the tube in...empty your bladder. Twice.
The first time you will release a bit of pressure behind the pouch and it helps too and the second time really allows those abdominal muscles to relax (what abdominal muscles???).
If not, take a few deep breaths or gently (I said gently!) pull the skin over your stoma upwards with the other hand...it helps to straiten out the angle...
Eric, you and I are going to make a date with Dixie for a chocolate and ice cream fest the next time that I am in town! We will celebrate our healthy pouchs and happy valves!
Sharon

It's a date!!!!!

Eric I have to think your pouch is a full time job are you able still to work the exray machine at the hospital?

quote:

I flushed it out, and chunks of the potatoe skins was coming out,

So typical of J Pouches Reminds me of why I keep away from lettuce too!

Eric has a K pouch...and my hubby, who has no pouch at all still finds the potato skin in his stool...so do the grandkids and they laugh about it...they think that corn makes their poop look pretty with all of the yellow polka dots! (they call us in to look!)
Sharon

I eat lettuce and potatoes and have no trouble. In fact, potatoes have always been one of my go to foods for slowing things down.

quote:

Eric has a K pouch

Same difference, cuz no colon leads to the same sad output.

I eat both raw and cooked green veggies every day...the lettuce looks kinda funny coming out of my tube and too much can clog it up so I need to chew well but other than that...I eat tons...but on that note, k pouches are very different...We need our output to be liquidy so the veggies actually help us...For j pouchers some of the stuff that we eat could be a challenge...in the same way as too much starch for us is a no-no because things get too thick inside.
Sharon

Thanks guys, and yes, I'll be able to work, I'm actually looking forward to getting my life back, that includes working. I have no plans of slowing down any time soon, it's amazing how much the human body can adapt to, or, as my doctor said to me, you can't keep a good bitch down (pardon my French!)! I've got my strength back, so look out world, here I come, again! And a gigantic THANK YOU to all of you (especially my darling Sharon) for helping me through the most difficult surgery to date, you kept me smiling, and gave me so much hope, you all will forever hold a special place in my heart,

Cheers,
Eric