“Belly Button Window” is a Jimi Hendrix song, but my use is much different than his.  My belly button window is referencing my “ileostomy appliance”(aka: “my bag” – to learn more take a gander).  The bag is a clear plastic.  I can peek at it and see what my food looks like immediately after leaving the stomach.  It can be quite fascinating and sometimes concerning – like a science experiment everyday.  A lot of food is broken down in the stomach, and a lot of food is not.  It can be concerning because it makes you realize how many calories you aren’t getting out of your meals, and how much water your body loses each hour or so.  It’s important to stay hydrated!  This is common cautionary advice/demands I hear from my doctors and nurses on a regular basis.  It should also be noted that the food coming from the stomach smells more like the food when it was presented to you on the plate than the smell we associate when it hits the toilet bowl.  This is a good and bad thing.  It’s good because of the proximity to my nose, and it’s bad because you begin associating certain foods with what you are seeing and the actions you are taking.  For example, there’s a local restaurant’s [bean free] chili that is delicious, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to order it again.  The horror.  On the bright side, I have a poor memory, I easily forgive and this leg of my journey will be wrapping up soon.

Last week I met with my surgeon to determine the status of my J-Pouch (aka: my new colon).  As a refresher, here’s what the agenda looks like:

•  The first surgery was to remove the entire large intestine and the lining of the rectum, but left the rectal muscle intact.  A reservoir or “pouch” was made out of small intestine and then connected to the anus.  Next, a temporary ileostomy was made.  The ileostomy is surgically-created between the small bowel and the skin of the abdomen through which stool and gas are passed.  This temporary ileostomy diverts the stool to the aforementioned appliance or “my bag”; protecting the reservoir (J-Pouch) while it heals.  

• The second surgery removes the ileostomy and reconnects the small intestine.  The pouch now becomes functional so that waste passes into the pouch, where it is stored.  When an “urge” is felt, the stool can be passed through the anus, out of the body.  In most cases, the second surgery can be done at the ileostomy site without re-opening the first incision.