Ten Weeks (and a bit...)

This is the first time I can use the word 'good' to describe how I feel since the reversal operation. The last few weeks have been better and better, partly because I have started to use more Imodium. With the long trip to Chasamba, I took plenty of Imodium and had a good experience. I really didn't have any problems at all, even though it was 36 hours of travel, three planes and lots of airport time. As a result I have carried on taking it since then, playing around a bit with timing and amount to see what works. So, I've got to the point where 2 tablets first thing in the morning and another one some time in the afternoon seem to have the desired effect, which means that I feel safe to go out, usually have only two or three lavatory visits per day and no out of control rushes at all. I am still taking Metamucil, although I keep forgetting and I'm not really convinced that it makes that much difference. One thing which has helped a lot is that I have started having porridge for breakfast; my stomach really seems to like it and the silence afterwards is remarkable, no bubbling, volcanic eruptions or even squeaks! And, I had SALAD today! Only three spoons, just in case, but everything is ok so far. I was amazed at the crunch of fresh vegetables, I had completely forgotten how salad feels. Papaya is another food which is fine, I had half a medium sized one yesterday, and bananas of course too are ok, so I'm getting enough vitamins. I won't take vitamin supplements since there is some data which suggests that antioxidants help cancer cells survive. I'm still drinking lots of green tea too.
I can share with you now the fact that until a short time ago I really thought I had made a mistake having the reversal. I had perfect control with the ileostomy, and then suddenly, I'm shitting all over the place, stuck on the loo all the time, having a sore sore bum and afraid that that's how my life is going to be from now on... It doesn't help that doctors are vague about what to expect, and reading other people's experiences can be very scary too. Some people still have no quality of life years after reversal. I didn't want to post my fears because I did hope that I was wrong and that things would get better, and thank goodness, they have.