A few questions

Hi Brian
your first question needs to be answered by a surgeon. But I would say, because the rectum is ultiamtely removed in the process, yes, you are still a candidate for a jpouch if the rectum is inflamed.
The time period is diffferent for everyone, between colectomy and take-down. For some people it is as little as 3 months between 2 operations. For others, for example, those taking prednisone at thet ime of their colectomy, it entails three operations over about 9 months.
As for food after takedown, that's a whole other conversation. People on this forum are writing a lot about it. Some people have to give up certai things like sweets and alcohol while others can eat whatever they like, gradually, after waiting a few weeks or months after take down. And some people eat what they like as soon as they likke with little consequenes. It is all very individual with food.
Age doesn't really have so much relevance. Teen agers on this forum have had surgery and jpouches, as well as seniors. The important question, regardless of age, is will it enable you to live the full life you cannot lead now with UC.

I am responding here to your other thread about cigaretts and UC, just becuase I am "at home" in this forum. Sorry to sound so tough but that's how it is.

OK Brian this business with cigarettes is getting a bit crazy and scratching the bottom of the barrel. Smoking cigarettes is not going to help your UC and it is also not going to help prevent or even postphone surgery if that is what you need. I smoked for years with UC and it made no difference if I had a flare or was in remission. I smoked up until the very last flare when things got out of control and I was not responding to the pred. That is when I suddenly stopped smoking, because i became horrified by the level of unhealth in my life. I had surgery about 4 months later. But please do not think that if I had continued to smoke, I would have not had to have surgery. I really do not see any connection. UC is this wild thing and it will do whatever it wants, regardless of what you smoke or do not smoke or eat or do not eat.

I do understand your questions about how much time all this is going to take, because you are in college. I don't know how to convince in a comforting way, that if you ending up having to take off an entire semester for surgery, it is really nothing in the big picture, it is really only one semester and the semesters that follow will be so free and unburdoned by disease that you will fly right through them, get more out of it and be able to participate in a lot more activities. Sex will also be much better when you don't have to deal with flaring.
If you are taking pred, like I said, the surgeon wills say six months between removing your colon and forming your jpouch. Both of those OP's will take you out of things for a good 4 weeks. You could do one between semesters and the 2nd one at another between-semester time. And yeah, you will have an ostomy bag during those inbetween months. The take down could be as littls as 4 weeks after the 2nd OP and you will only need a couple of weeks afterwards to recover and get your jpouch sort of settled and routinized.
I promise that none of this is as horrible as you think it is right now.

Dan, I think that is just awful. I know we spoke before, but here you were trying to do something that we are told is "good for us" by giving up caffeine and nicotine and look what happened. Maybe sometimes our "vices" are not so bad after all???

So far so good with "the burn." Turns out I did not even need the convexity after all. All I needed was to switch from the Eakin seal that the poop was getting under and change to Stomahesive paste that the poop cannot get under and I can keep wearing my flat covatec wafer and bag that I am so used to. THis whole thing is sooo trial and error. I still have and will keep the Friar's tincture. Actually it is good for clearing out sinuses too.

Did not mean to change the subject, just wanted to catch you up as I was messaging to you.

Brain, had no UC so not familiar personally with it, but wish you all the best. Rosemary