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What is a J-pouch?

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Posted 6/4/2012 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
My husband have seven inches of rectum removed due to rectal cancer.  Doctor said he got all of the tumor.  He was given an ileostomy while rectum heals.  Surgery to reconnect the colon and rectum should be in July.

I read a lot on here about J-pouches but don't know what that is, whether or not my husband will have one, and does this mean he will not have normal bowel function after July?  He is already saying no to post-surgery chemo because he wants his normal life back.  If there are more "pouches" or other issues in his future, I am afraid he will deny any further treatments for cancer that might still be lurking...one lymph node was positive for cancer out of the 13 they took out.

Posted 6/5/2012 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
A j-pouch is an internal pouch that is formed with the small intestine that is connected to the rectum. If he has that done in July, he would not have an ostomy or a bag anymore and would go to the bathroom 'normally'. Hope that helps!

Cece
Posted 6/5/2012 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
I thought they would just pull down the rest of the colon and attach to what is left of the rectum to do the reconnect.   Guess I need to take a look at an anatomy book to figure this one out!
Posted 6/5/2012 5:14 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, j pouch is only if no large remains
Posted 6/5/2012 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
They remove the entire rectum when doing this procedure. The j pouch takes the place of the rectum.
Posted 6/5/2012 11:39 AM (GMT 0)
Your husband's large colon was NOT removed so the jpouch would not pertain to him. He has the ileostomy for a temporary situation so his rectum can heal and then have the reversal.
Posted 6/5/2012 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
The function of the colon is to absorb liquid from the stool back into the body. That's why stool from an ileostomy is so much thinner than ordinary bowel movements. So, when people don't have a colon at all, they need a place to hold that thinner waste -- either in a bag, or in a reservoir (j pouch is one type, there are others) made from part of the small intestine.

It sounds like your husband kept his colon, though, so a j pouch is not relevant to him (a lot of us here had bowel diseases that required removing our entire colon and rectum).

I'm not sure what kinds of issues come up from having only a partial rectum, but if he has his whole colon, then all the digestive functions can happen normally.
Posted 6/5/2012 1:25 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you all for the answers regarding a J-pouch.  I am grateful that Bill had the lesser issues.

I am praying for all of you on this board who have had such terrible problems and issues.  You all inspire me to be particularly grateful for my own health.  Although I traveled to India for a gastric bypass for morbid obesity (cured my diabetes II, sleep apnea, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, and lessened the impact of my arthritis), I don't know that I would have had the courage that all of you have on a day-to-day basis.  My inability to control my own compulsive eating led me to surgery.   I don't know what causes Crohn's disease but it sounds like a terrible way to live.

I hope someday they will come up with a cure or at the very least a way to prevent this from happening.  God bless.

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