This topic is about the challenges someone is facing after having emergency ileostomy surgery due to advanced ulcerative colitis. Although she has adapted well to some aspects of living with a stoma, she is dealing with several issues that feel overwhelming. Here are some of the concerns and advice shared:

- She is experiencing heavy hair loss since the surgery and steroid treatment.
- There is persistent anal discharge from ulcerative colitis in the rectal stump, which requires her to wear thick pads and avoid swimming.
- She suffers from severe vaginal pain and dryness, making intercourse impossible, and her doctor mentioned it might take up to a year for nerve trauma to settle.
- Eating away from home is challenging; she misses vegetables and red meat, relies on carbs, and is concerned about regaining weight while feeling she has lost muscle.
- She feels constant fatigue despite taking vitamins and minerals.
- There is worry about developing parastomal hernias, and she has started wearing a hernia belt after learning that many everyday tasks increase the risk.

She feels that doctors often minimize these problems with comments like "be glad you're alive" and struggles to see them as minor issues herself.

Additional details include:
- She sets an alarm for 3:30 a.m. to empty her pouch but otherwise sleeps well and can fall back asleep easily.
- She is determined to keep pushing her doctors for better care, believing that she is doing her part and they need to do theirs.

Advice and insights from others include:

1. Do not let doctors trivialize post-surgical problems. Insist on thorough follow-up and treatment, as current medical practice should focus on quality of life.
2. Consider a nutritional work-up. Check levels of serum albumin, vitamin B1, B9 (folate), B12, vitamin D, and iron, as deficiencies can contribute to hair loss, weight loss, muscle wasting, and fatigue. If levels are low, use easily absorbed supplements.
3. Manage fatigue by keeping a diary to identify high- and low-energy periods and plan demanding tasks accordingly. Some find a large glass of V-8 vegetable juice at midday provides a quick energy boost. Broken sleep from night-time pouch emptying can add to exhaustion, so daytime rests may be necessary.
4. For rectal discharge or incontinence, a rectal surgeon suggested taking 4-6 Tums (calcium carbonate) daily to slow digestion and provide calcium, along with biofeedback exercises to strengthen the sphincter, which helped reduce leakage for one person.
5. Pain should never be accepted as normal. If vaginal or other pain is as intense as childbirth, demand further investigation.
6. Emotional support is important. Accept that hair loss and body-image changes are legitimate concerns and share feelings with supportive friends, family, forums, or counseling.
7. To prevent hernias, continue wearing the fitted hernia belt and avoid activities that strain the abdominal wall.