HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

J pouch

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/29/2010 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
It’s me again, but I’m no longer DRinWI. I’m out in Portland now. It’s nice to be colitis free and have more freedom to do what I want. So I’m happy that I had the surgery. However, I’m getting really sick of these bags. I’m really not a big fan at all. At first the J-Pouch surgery was never in my mind, but right now I’m thinking I want to set a date ASAP. I know this forum gets this question a lot because I have searched through old post. But I just wanted to ask some questions for myself. I guess since I’m tall (6’7”) this surgery can get a little more complicated.

Does anybody regret the J-Pouch? How much time can I expect to be down from the start of the 1st surgery until the end of the recovery time of the 2nd? Compared to the “bag surgery” is the recovery time/pain/etc. similar?
It sounds like there is no urgency at all after everything is healed. But what does that mean? Do I have an hour to find a bathroom or 30 minutes? (I’m guessing it depends on the individual) I ask because I like to fish and bathrooms aren’t readily available all the time.

I figure I could always go back to the bag if the pouch doesn’t work out. So I would like to give it a try.

Any other input would be great.
Posted 9/30/2010 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
Go to J-pouch.org....loads of info there...

Thanks

Carmen

Posted 9/30/2010 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
The jpouch surgery has a very high 90%+ satisfaction rate and I have been a very happy poucher for the past 9 years. The second surgery isn't as invasive as the first so there is minimal pain. Adaption to foods can take time but this is to be expected as you are asking your small intestine to function like a colon. Don't worry about bathrooms; after some recovery you will not need to know where every bathroom is. I backpack, do 100-200 mile hikes, and never have the UC-like urgency. You can hold it for hours if you need/want to.

Sue
Posted 9/30/2010 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
DRinWI....my teenage son had a colectomy last September, his J pouch built in Jan and his reversal the end of Feb. For him the second surgery was pretty major but the difference is that you are healthy going into it so you recover much quicker. He had a complication during surgery so the surgeon gave him a loop ileostomy to allow the pouch to completely heal before it was put to use. For him the reversal surgery was very minor. He has now had his J pouch working for 7 months and he is doing GREAT. The number of bathroom trips completely depends on what he as been eating but there is NO urgency. I don't know that he knows really how long he could hold it but he has plenty of time to finish a class at university and then find a bathroom. I think it is pretty much like before UC. You knew that you had to go but you could take your time and put it off if need be.
Posted 9/30/2010 2:25 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks a lot everyone. I love this forum. That J-pouch.org was helpful. I would be getting the temp. loop I guess. So my surgery would be in 2 steps. (form the J-pouch and then hook it all back up.) Before I had my colon removed I was thinking that this bag wouldn’t be so bad and the J pouch surgery was almost out of the question after the colon removal surgery because I didn’t want to go through that again. But this bag just sucks and 2 more surgeries doesn’t sound that bad anymore.

Posted 9/30/2010 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
This just came to mind, How do I pass gas? Is it like normal again? I hope so...haha
Posted 10/1/2010 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
For some people this can actually be difficult and take a while. My son was a couple of months post his reversal before he could tell the difference between gas and stool. For the first while he would always have to go the bathroom even if he thought it was just gas.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply