It has been almost two years since I got very sick and was close to death. My immune system thought my colon was a foreign invader and mercilessly attacked it. It was a severe case of ulcerative colitis and it hit me quickly and completely. I had a colectomy in September of 2017. I experienced postoperative pancreatitis and had numerous collections of fluids in my abdomen causing inflammation in many organs. I was in a lot of pain, extreme pain, and lost almost 80 pounds, about 43% of my normal weight. After three months in a Des Moines hospital, I was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. What an incredible place! In a matter of weeks, a team of skilled medical professionals drained the fluids and set me on the path to recovery. It took about a year to recover my strength and to gain about half of my weight back. Today I have the constant reminder of the ordeal in the form of an ostomy pouch that collects the output from my small intestine. Yes, this has been a big ...