Reality Check... Again.

It's been a while, sorry (not sorry), I've been too busy living life now that I'm not sick :)

Unfortunately, I've been partying too hard with the cookies and crackers, and good ol' gluten-pain is back.  I went strictly gluten free on Sunday, and I'm already feeling 75% better!  I've also been having some mild UC symptoms (I do still have a rectum) and have been feeling like I need to go to the bathroom a few times a day, which is a little weird since I don't actually pass food through that part of my body at the moment.  Phantom pooping!  Is that a thing?  Like a phantom limb?

Life has been moving along quickly - work is busy, kids are growing up too fast, Holidays are in full swing, and we even took our first real trip in over 2 years!  We went to Florida to visit husband's father and brother, it was a very nice trip :)

Bahia Honda State Park

On Abuelo's boat

A floating bar!  I wanted to go, but the sun was setting.

It was so nice to travel and not be constantly worried about where the nearest bathroom was... although we did check out some really skeevy gas station rest rooms with our 3-year old.  At least the car seat stayed dry!  We were unsure what to do about traveling with kids and car-seats.  In the end we decided to rent car seats along with our car, and they worked out fine.  We made two different reservations just in case there was a shortage of carseats, but it turned out to be unnecessary.  We did bring our own stroller... though we ended up forgetting it in the keys and had to buy a new one for our trip home!  Turns out $25 umbrella strollers aren't so bad... though they don't compare to napping comfort of our city mini.

I did get to enjoy a trip to Mount Sinai though in early December... though this time I got to be on the outside looking in - my poor mom had a severe intestinal obstruction at the site of her old temporary ileostomy (what I have).  This was her 3rd time in 15 years, but this was by far the scariest - they very nearly performed emergency surgery.  Luckily (?) mom was able to overcome the obstruction without surgery, but she did have to endure the really awful nose tube of hell for about 24 hours.  The doctors wanted to leave it in longer "just in case," but having been on mom's shoes 6 months ago, I made it very clear that that was not an option (I also asked each and every one of those doctors and nurses if they'd ever had one up their own nose... none of them had)!

I am very nervous about my follow up surgeries next summer.  Even if I decide not to be reconnected, I still need to undergo at least one more surgery to remove my rectum (a proctectomy).  Along with that I either get a J-Pouch and reconnected, or I make my ileostomy permanent.  Either way, the surgery is comparable to a c-section incision, with a lot of repair work on the inside, and can be pretty miserable to recover from and requires attentive nurses... which Mt. Sinai doesn't have the best reputation for.  I've had good experiences on their 9th floor GI ward, but the surgery floors 7 and 10 seem to be pretty lacking. My mom had 2 surgeries at Mt. Sinai, one recovery was AWFUL and scary, and the 2nd was great (because of the stink they made about the first one...).  What will mine be??  The doctors are wonderful... but will I be able to endure the recovery??