Pre-Op #2

I had my pre-op appointment today at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta (the same place as the first surgery). It was even more uneventful than my first pre-op where I almost had a panic attack in the office with the nurse (Pre-Op #1).

Today was a simple "paperwork-fest" where I filled out what seemed like the same forms twice! These were the typical medical history questions regarding previous surgeries, complications with anesthesia, etc. I also got the bottle of special soap (hibiclens) that I have to use the night before and morning of surgery. My prep for surgery this time is much more simple and hopefully less awful than last time! I am on a clear liquid diet the day before and have to drink a 10 oz bottle of Magnesium Citrate (an over the counter saline laxative). Hopefully, this will not taste like the concoction I had last time (movi prep - yuck!). I also have to take a few antibiotics at specific intervals, which is pretty common for the type of surgery I'm having. 

I am only about 5 days away from surgery now, and have begun to get a little nervous. It is nothing compared to the first surgery, but the nerves have finally surfaced. I think I am mostly afraid of not knowing how quickly I will adapt to using the pouch once I begin recovery. I know the pain will be much less than last time and hopefully I will be in the hospital less than the last time. However, I am unsure of what to expect once I being using the pouch. Will my output be too thin? Will I spend too much time in the bathroom? Will it be painful to use the pouch? Will I have accidents? All of these questions are the cause of my concerns and fears as I approach the big day! 

When I have these concerns though, I think about getting rid of the bag which seems to help me relax a little. Throughout this whole process, I have been really good at always expecting the worst. Most of the time, I have been surprised at how "easy" things have been. I have had few or no complications and have felt pretty good for a while now. I hope this bodes well for the future of my JPouch and my recovery will be complication free!

Depending on how busy I get, my next update may not be until after surgery (next Wednesday, March 20th). In the words of Michael Scott, "Catch you on the Flippity Flip!"