UPDATE: May 2002 When I was about 14 years old, in the late 80s, I started having severe problems with my digestive system. I had a lot of cramps and diarrhea, and often had a fever and low energy. My doctors originally diagnosed this as Crohn's disease. And so I went for many years controlling it with medication and coping with it the best I could. Having this disease severely limited my lifestyle. Due to sometimes uncontrollable diarrhea, I could not travel very much. When I did travel, I had to fast for up to 24 hours beforehand, to ensure that there would be no "bathroom emergencies." I had to strictly control my diet, since eating anything spicy or hard to digest would often cause severe pain. In 1999, my condition took a turn for the worse, as the powerful medication (Prednisone) stopped being effective. When I was hospitalized, my doctor revisited my medical history, and decided a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis would be more appropriate. This meant I was a candidate for surgery, which I rapidly agreed to. My life was going down the tubes and I couldn't take the illness anymore. The surgery was called a J-Pouch (ileoanal anastomosis). Essentially, they constructed an artifical colon inside of me, made up of non-diseased parts of my small intestine. Getting the surgery was a difficult decision to make. The "Colon Wars" website was a daily log that I kept before, during and after the surgery. I am keeping it available online, in the hopes that it will help people who are facing this kind of challenge in their life. As for me: the surgery was a success. I can now eat whatever I want to eat, and I travel extensively (here's a link to our big road trip last year) without concern for bathrooms. My only problems now are watching my weight (it was never a problem before the surgery) and heartburn from eating too much spicy food! I don't talk about this part of my life much anymore, as it was very difficult and it all feels like a bad dream that happened such a long time ago. But I very much want to help out wherever I can. If you or a loved one are facing this procedure, or if you are coping with ulcerative colitis, if you have any questions please drop me a line at joe@monkeydepartment.com and I'll be happy to offer input or help in any way I can. Click here to view the daily log! The log is in reverse chronological order. To read it in order, start at the bottom and work your way up. Potentially Helpful Links These are links that I hope you might find helpful. Shaz's Ostomy Pages - This site is worth a visit, especially for the hilarious image of the OSTOMY BAG WITH A FACE! I love it when people approach this stuff with a slightly ridiculous sense of humor. Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America - This is the Mother Ship for people dealing with Crohn's and Colitis. J-Pouch.org - A great place for info on the J-Pouch procedure. Let me know if you have a website that should be included on this list. Continue...