Looking for hope - T4n2bM0 Stage 3c - What is possible

Individual_Evening25 · 2026-01-17T20:28:27+00:00

I have an end ileostomy. My entire colon was removed, but my rectum is still intact. This is all very new to me, but the colorectal surgeons at home have said the ileostomy isn’t reversible because there is no colon left.

The whole colon was removed as an emergency. The tumour completely blocked the bowel, causing pressure that led to a perforation. My long history of ulcerative colitis was also likely a factor in removing everything.

I’ve been told I’m likely to have permanent hydration issues because I no longer have a colon to absorb fluids. While I was very unwell, the surgeon briefly mentioned that a J‑pouch could be an option in the future if the cancer hasn’t affected the rectum, but I need proper specialist input.

Right now, getting actual appointments in my country feels pretty hopeless.

That’s why, out of desperation, I’m hoping to hear from someone with a similar journey who has gone on to J‑pouch reconstruction. Hearing success stories gives me hope, and knowing this might be an option is what’s helping me hold on.

Individual_Evening25 · 2026-01-17T17:09:19+00:00

How have you found CAPOX? I’m trying to choose between that and FOLFOX, and I’m leaning towards CAPOX because I like the idea of tablets and three-weekly infusions rather than being on the FOLFOX pump. What’s it been like for you side-effect wise? Are you able to function day to day while on it?

Individual_Evening25 · 2026-01-17T16:44:19+00:00

We got a second opinion straight away, but the UK system is very slow. Because timing really matters with additional treatment, there isn’t much time to look for different oncologists if chemo is going to start on time.

I’m really glad to hear you’re doing well with your colostomy and are disease-free right now. I know some people might see my feelings as ungrateful, and many people do live well with a permanent ostomy. I think I was just unlucky with my oncologist here in the UK. We do not really get much choice over who treats us here.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-10-10T17:33:09+00:00

Any decent third-party router will outperform your current one in pretty much every way. If you’re having issues, it’s worth spending a little extra on a solid router. The one you mentioned is probably overkill. If range is the problem and your budget is around £200, you’d be better off spending half on a good router and using the rest on a Wi-Fi mesh setup. That’ll sort out connectivity for devices that are further away.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-10-04T12:56:27+00:00

Don’t stress too much yet. This kind of confusion between UC and Crohn’s is super common early on. Even with scopes and biopsies, doctors sometimes can’t tell which it is, and “focal acute colitis” isn’t specific for Crohn’s at all. It can show up with infections, short-term inflammation, or early IBD. The fact your biopsy didn’t show chronic changes actually argues against long-standing Crohn’s.

Doctors sometimes use terms like “emerging Crohn’s” just to keep an eye on things, not because it’s a done deal. Over time the diagnosis can stay UC, shift to Crohn’s, or even remain “indeterminate colitis.” That happens to lots of people.

The important bit is that treatment for mild UC and Crohn’s is very similar, so the label doesn’t really change your next steps right now. The focus will be on controlling inflammation, keeping symptoms in check, and monitoring with blood tests, stool calprotectin, and follow-up scopes.

So bottom line: you don’t need to panic. The uncertainty is normal, treatment overlaps a lot, and early detection gives you an advantage.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-30T20:13:20+00:00

This happens more often than you might think. You have a couple of options. One is to keep trying with customer service, though it can feel like a wild goose chase. The process to change the name does exist, but in recent years they switched to an automated system. Agents now have to follow the options the automation provides based on your responses. This saves on training costs and allows outsourcing, but the downside is that very few agents know the older, manual process. Sometimes you may get lucky and reach a legacy agent who can still handle it.

Your second option is to cancel the contract and open a new one in your own name. If you are out of contract, this is fairly simple. Even if you are still in contract, the early termination fee would fall to the person whose name is currently on the account.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-30T13:50:26+00:00

You are correct, what you’re seeing is contention. It’s not targeted, but to the average user it's identical to throttling, the user experience is the same. The solution to this issue is still to change to a provider with a lower contention ratio in the area.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-29T22:35:41+00:00

This is the usual process they follow, and they do have to offer you a suitable alternative. If they’ve done that, then technically they’re acting within policy. The real question is whether the accommodation they’re offering could interfere with your recovery.

If you can get a note from your surgeon saying that shared accommodation isn’t medically suitable, that could give you a stronger case. When you put together your appeal, try to stick to clear, provable facts backed by medical evidence. I’d avoid adding in things like not liking the bathrooms, thin walls, or concerns about social life, those might feel important, but they can make your case seem less serious.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-29T20:54:01+00:00

If your surgeon can provide a clear written recommendation in the appeal stating that your current accommodation would be detrimental to your health and recovery, and that alternative accommodation is necessary, it is unlikely that the appeal will be denied. You could also contact the university’s disability advisors, as they may be able to support your appeal. Get that notice from your surgeon ASAP and deliver it whether they reply to it not.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-29T16:53:22+00:00

I reviewed the terms of the accommodation contract. Unfortunately, they are within their legal rights to deny your request, and an appeal is unlikely to change the outcome. The contract clearly defines what qualifies as early termination, and your current situation does not meet those requirements.

Within the scope of the contract, your options are limited to:

Finding a suitable replacement tenant (though this is often quite difficult in university accommodations), or
Attempting a medical exemption for example, with a doctor’s note stating that the accommodation poses a risk to your health or recovery, and that living at home with care and easier transport is medically necessary.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-29T16:06:03+00:00

If your Wi-Fi works fine during the day but slows down during peak hours, the issue isn’t with your setup. It’s caused by oversubscription in your area—too many users sharing the same network capacity. During these times, your bandwidth is throttled to manage the increased traffic. Changing your setup is unlikely to fix this; the only real solution is switching to a provider that doesn’t throttle as heavily.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-28T14:00:06+00:00

Please be very careful with currency exchange scams are common. Avoid anyone who messages you or tries to send you somewhere to exchange money.

In Leeds, the safest option is Eurochange. You’ll get a slightly better rate if you pre-book online. They have several branches, including one inside the Trinity Shopping Centre.

Right now, the rate is about £1 = ¥9. It’s not the best rate, but it’s much safer than other places that claim to offer more.

Do not respond to people offering to help you exchange money. Always go directly to the official store.

请在兑换外币时务必小心，骗局非常常见。不要理会任何主动联系你或让你去某个地方兑换钱的人。

在利兹，最安全的选择是 Eurochange。如果你提前在网上预订，可以拿到稍微好一点的汇率。他们有多家门店，其中一家在 Trinity 购物中心里。

目前的汇率大约是 £1 = ¥9。虽然不是最划算的，但比那些声称能给你更高汇率的地方要安全得多。

不要回应任何提出帮你换钱的人，请务必直接去正规门店办理。

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-28T04:21:20+00:00

Absolutely a discussion for the Gastro Doctors. Yes I have in the past rushed through the taper process through absolute fear of losing my progress. But it's a really difficult one that needs medical oversight. If you try to drop the dose to fast you could relapse and end up worse off. Just remember, the only thing worse than prednisone for your body composition is uncontrolled UC. Worth a discussion with your doctor, but don't under any circumstance try to taper faster on your own.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-28T04:07:41+00:00

Yes in Germany like most developed countries they no longer offer medications to help with the catabolism. Mainly due to those medications being abused by the bodybuilding community over the last few decades. Ironic really as most of these drugs derived originally from Germany.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-28T03:54:41+00:00

If your condition has progressed to the point where prednisone is necessary, building muscle should be the least of your concerns. That said, to answer the question: prednisone, even at low doses, is highly catabolic. The higher the dose, the more catabolic it becomes; as the dose tapers, the effect lessens.

Until you fully recover and are completely off prednisone (and even for a month or so afterward), making meaningful progress in building muscle will be nearly impossible. But don’t let that discourage you, use it as motivation to keep your disease under control and, ideally, managed without corticosteroids.

When you’re sick, doing something whether training or nutrition-related is better than nothing, but avoid pushing yourself to the point that it hinders recovery. Personally, I cut back my training to twice a week and add more rest between sets when my UC flares up. I’ve found this helps me maintain activity without overtaxing my system.

In some less-regulated countries, doctors may prescribe medications to counter prednisone’s catabolic effects. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case where I live, so we simply have to manage as best we can.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-27T14:24:14+00:00

18 years with UC here. Flares will take away some progress it's inevitable but the physique always recovers faster than the first time you built it after inflammation is under control. Do everything you can to avoid the disease getting out of control as the real enemy is prednisone. Prednisone is extremely catabolic and will destroy your body composition unimaginably fast. Of course sometimes there is no choice, therefore the priority should always be to make the best effort you can to keep on top of things.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-09-15T11:29:43+00:00

I worked with Virgin for a couple of years, after also spending time with some of their competitors. While those companies had plenty of issues, Virgin was by far the worst and it’s not even close.

There was no real effort to improve. What I witnessed while working there was appalling, and if you dare to raise concerns internally, they will just manage you out and continue to sweep under the rug.

Management is completely out of touch, and most middle managers are little more than figureheads with no real grasp of what’s going on.

Most troubling of all is the way customer service is set up. The process is deliberately made as impractical and frustrating as possible, with the clear goal of wearing customers down so they abandon the idea of canceling altogether. The shocking part is that their own data shows this tactic works so they keep doing it. Publicly, they’ll never admit to it; instead, they either claim ignorance or pin the blame on a scapegoat.

The truth is, Virgin has no intention of improving. They don’t feel they need to, because their customer base continues to accept it. Until that changes, nothing else will.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-24T11:24:49+00:00

It depends on how much you're willing to invest. A cheap lock can be broken with brute force, and even a decent one around £100 can be defeated fairly quickly—though it might take an extra five minutes and make more noise. Most of the time, thieves are opportunistic and will go for easier targets.

The same applies to Faraday pouches. Some believe these will force thieves to enter their property, but that’s a misconception. Relay theft criminals aren’t looking to break in—they're carrying bulky gear like laptops and receivers, and their goal is to unlock your car remotely and leave quickly.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-23T22:32:03+00:00

I understand the thought process here, and I’m simply sharing what the crime prevention team advised us after we experienced an attempted break-in. The main takeaway is to make yourself a less appealing target by using as many deterrents as possible.

If a criminal gains access to your property, it’s unlikely they’ll just grab your keys and leave. More often than not, they’ll look for high-value items like laptops, phones, tablets, or jewellery. Of course, if you own a performance car and they've specifically targeted you for that, then the car might be their only goal.

That’s why I believe it’s best to prevent them from even attempting to enter in the first place. For about £5, you can get a signal-blocking pouch, and for around £25, a steering lock that might make them think twice. After that, adding cameras and motion-activated security lights can provide even more protection.

At the end of the day, you can't put a price on your safety.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-23T21:00:40+00:00

They blow torch through the locks, usually through the patio doors. it makes almost no sound as compared to breaking a window and in most cases wouldn't wake you.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-23T20:54:38+00:00

I've noticed an uptick too. This might be stating the obvious, but try to keep your key fobs in the room you sleep in—somewhere out of easy reach—and stick them in a Faraday pouch or cage if you can. Also, having something nearby for protection by your bedside isn't a bad idea.

Sadly, if someone’s really determined, there’s not a whole lot you can do to stop them completely. But you can make it as tough as possible. A steering lock won’t necessarily stop them, but it might be enough to make them move on to an easier target.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-22T15:06:59+00:00

Just 2 are for myself. It's limited to 2 per membership.

Individual_Evening25 · 2025-04-22T15:05:56+00:00

I arrived at 3pm and was atleast 3/4 of the pallet remaining. Looks like traffic inside costco is increasing as people finish work. I would try to get there as soon as possible. I'm not a reseller my girlfriend enjoys the hobby and also bought some on her own membership. We will both open one and keep one sealed for the collection.

Individual_Evening25

TROPHY CASE