Story

Thanks for taking the time to read my story, find out a bit more about myself, ulcerative colitis, ileoanal pouches, and hopefully make a donation. In March 1997 (15 years ago! - I know I don't look that old) I was in my final year at university studying Mechanical Engineering. I had a few weeks to go until I would be free! But, when revising, I had diarrhoea. After a couple of days it didn't go, so I went to the doctors. Had some medicine, and it still didn't go. After 4 weeks of constant trips to the doctors, I had lost 3.5 stone (49 pounds or 22kg - great diet!).  The doctor sent me to hospital as I was severely dehydrated and couldn't keep anything in.  I thought it would be a quick bag of saline and out the next day. Oh no! After 2 days of tests, my stomach swelled up overnight so my whole abdomen was rock solid. The surgeon came to see me (at 2pm when "Neighbours" was on TV) and said "we're going to operate in 2 hours and remove your colon and fit you with a bag". I vaguely knew what it was so signed the form and was duly put to sleep. I woke up and found myself attached to all manner of instruments, and spent one night in the high dependency unit (intensive care). When I came round properly (morphine made me hyper and talk like Spud from Trainspotting), I found I had an ileostomy bag (the end of my small intestine was poking out the side of my stomach) and that it could be reversed at some point. I was just glad to be alive, as I found out my colon had expanded from 5cm diameter to 9cm diameter, perforated, and "fell apart like blotting paper" to quote the surgeon, and I also had perotonitis (not good either. This condition is known as "toxic megacolon": "Toxic megacolon complicating inflammatory or infective colitis carries a high morbidity and mortality and surgical intervention is necessary in up to 80% of cases. Perforation complicates toxic megacolon in about 35% of cases. After perforation, the death rate nears 50%." So, I was just glad to be alive. But, I made a brilliant recovery, and 12 weeks later I was out on my mountain bike in the Derbyshire Peak District, going faster up hills than my mates (presumably because I was lighter - as I was "missing a bit"), however I wasn't as fast downhill, as "I just didn't have the guts for it any more". In September 1997 I had an "ileoanal pouch" formed, where (in layman's terms) they make a pouch (approx 1 pint in capacity) from small intestine (ileum), and staple it to your bumhole (anus), hence "ileoanal pouch".   This was the biggest decision of my life, as people can live with an ileostomy for their whole lives, and there is a risk of infertility or worse (due to nerve damage during the operation), so it needed a lot of consideration. But, as Yoda says "Do, or do not. There is no try". So I went for it. In October I had a small operation to finally connect the pouch to the rest of my intestines, at which point the ileostomy bag was removed and I "looked good naked" again (in my opinion!) - I even celebrated by buying a pair of budgie smuggling Speedos (which I still have......). Since then I have lived life to the full. Finished my degree, spent 3 months on a Royal Navy destroyer in the Baltic, and am still having an interesting and fulfilling (and varied!) career as a Mechanical Engineer (sometimes plasterer!). I have also run a few half marathons, but never a full marathon, so this is a personal challenge to me, and I hope you will join me on the journey, either physically or mentally. I have a beautiful and supportive wife, and 4 perfect children. Life couldn't be better.

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