Alison is an 18-year-old J-poucher who I ran across recently on YouTube who is just starting a colitis vlog called ToileTalk. Like many others, she suffered with colitis at a young age, had an ileostomy, and now lives with a j-pouch.
She’s kind of silly but has a great attitude in spite of everything that has happened to her. In this video she shows us her scar from the takedown surgery and doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. The first 3 minutes of the video are really all you need to watch. I wanted to show everybody that it is possible to be happy with your body in spite of scars and changes because of surgery.
For those of you who haven’t browsed any of the links on the right side of this vlog, I have a link to fernpixel’s vlog. She’s had colitis for a number of years and mostly keeps it under control through medicine and by following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (ask her how it works…I don’t really understand).
Anyway, she posted a video recently about prepping for a colonoscopy. We’ve all gone through this at least once and this video shows what she went through. Her preparation was a little different than when I did it, and she was suffering a minor flare up at the time, hence the poor appearance.
For all who want to remember what this glorious procedure is like, watch her video!
Hey everybody, I want to point out a new video that I’m really excited about. Last week Toshio, an engineer from Japan, contacted me about using some of my videos in a Japan ostomy association that he helps lead. One thing led to another, and he has offered to help translate some of my videos into Japanese!
Check out the first video so far. I have no knowledge of Japanese so I can’t confirm how accurate the translation is, but based on the massive number of views this video is getting every day, it seems somebody in Japan likes this video.
If any of you know somebody in Japan who is suffering with ulcerative colitis, pass this video on to them. I know that’s a very specific request that almost nobody can fulfill, but you never know.
To my Japanese viewers: if you stumbled upon this site I send you my greetings. Unfortunately this video is currently the only Japanese translated content on this site, but more videos should be coming. I’m open to emails but unfortunately I can only respond in English.
This video also marks the start of the Translation Project. My videos are surprisingly growing in popularity around the world. Maybe there isn’t good medical information available in other countries? I’m not sure. But up until now the only people that benefited were those who knew English.
Toshio is helping me with the Japanese videos and I have another contact in Barcelona who is helping me with Spanish videos. If anybody wants to help translate these videos into other languages there are three ways you can help:
1. Do the grunt work of downloading my videos, translating them to your chosen language, and then uploading them back onto YouTube for all to see.
2. If you don’t have the capabilities to edit videos, do the hardest work of translating the video into your chosen language, send me the transcript and I’ll figure out a way to add subtitles.
3. If all you know is English, help me transcribe the words of each video into a transcript that can be used by others who know how to translate. Working from a transcript assists greatly in translating accuracy and speed.
Translation is a slow process and not every video will get translated, but anything is better than nothing.
So for those who have found this site useful in dealing with your ulcerative colitis and other bowel diseases, give back and help me out with this new project!
Earlier this week I introduced you to the group Ostomy Lifestyle based out of the UK. They had their first ostomy fashion show recently, featuring models proud of their ostomies.
They have a new video up interviewing one of the models of that show, Krystal Weir. Krystal has Crohn’s disease and has lived with an ostomy for three years now. Watch her video to see that it is possible to enjoy life in spite of an ostomy. Being comfortable in your skin is exactly what I’m talking about with the Gutbending Declaration.
Ostomy Lifestyle is an ostomy support group based out of Reading, Berkshire in the United Kingdom. One of their main projects is Careline, a telephone service offering support for those going through ostomy surgery.
Recently the group put on a lingerie and swimwear show for people with ostomies. I’ve posted the video from the event for you to see. Hopefully it will show everybody, especially women, that you can be confident and live a happy life in spite of your ostomy.
This might be a tough message for some people to hear but I think they need to hear it. Some people delay or ignore the possibility of surgery because they are concerned with what their appearance will be post-surgery. They have a hard time accepting that they will be living with an ileostomy and have scars on their body.
While I acknowledge the concern, I don’t think it’s valid. Your health takes precedence over your personal appearance. It’s not worth it to let yourself get sicker and sicker just because your body will now look “less than perfect.”
As if living with colitis is an attractive alternative…
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Question: Do you put too much concern into your appearance post-surgery? Reply to this post.
This video finishes the train of thought established in the first Ileostomy Forever video. Now that I have my j-pouch, I reflect on what it would mean to go back to having an ileostomy. Would I be okay with it after experiencing the luxuries of a j-pouch? Watch to find out!
And this Gutbending Declaration project is just getting underway, but I’d still like everybody who’s had an ostomy to consider making a short video making the Gutbending Declaration and send it to me! This will be a good project, just wait and see!
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Question: How would you feel if you lost your j-pouch and had to have an ileostomy again? Reply to this post!
Everybody is still wildly concerned about what life is like post-j-pouch surgery. This video discusses how my pipes worked four months after my takedown surgery. Not too much different than at three months, or really two months. The changes and improvements I’m making are happening much slower as time goes on, suggesting that I am nearing the point when this point in time will be my new normal.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Question: For the j-pouchers, what did your life look like at four months? Respond to this post please!
I’ve made a video before about using Imodium, an anti-diarrheal, with an ileostomy, and I suppose using Imodium with a j-pouch is essentially the same. This video describes how I use the medicine. I certainly don’t use it as much as with my diverting loop ileostomy, and I don’t use it as much as some people use it with their j-pouch. In the end it comes down to what kind of frequency you want to live with, and how much medicine you want to take every day.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Question:For the j-pouchers, how often do you use Imodium? Reply to this post!
Yesterday I introduced you to Nadia, a young woman who has suffered terribly with Crohn’s colitis. This girl has had so many flare-ups and hospitalizations that it’s unbelievable that she’s still here on this earth. Letting her disease go unchecked by surgery was not an option.
While the first part of her testimony tells of her early days with colitis, this video discusses her surgeries and recovery. She literally had no life before surgery, and now she has Life Abundant. She is further proof that life drastically improves after surgery.
Take note of her courage in showing pictures of her post-surgery condition, her ileostomy, and her diseased colon. While it’s always hard to see these sorts of images, even after I’ve been through it myself and know what to expect, they are a good reminder of where we’ve been and where we are now. Seeing her post-surgery condition compared to now, six months out from surgery, you can definitely tell that Life was returned to her.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
If you would like to contact Nadia visit her YouTube Channel and send her a message or comment on this video!
