J pouch

David, you can't be without the appliance at all. You do not have control like you do with a pouch or a colon. Output comes out as it gets through the intestines. There's no "Holding tank". There are also no nerves so you don't feel it much, you can eat anything without "butt burn" - but you have to be more cafeul about blockages. It's a bit different from what we are used to.

There are some advantages to the ileo, and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage to me was gas. It can fill up the pouch. The other problem with gas can be noise. You have no control. You can be in a quiet meeting and BOOM, weird noises from your stomach area. They do not sound like farts, more like gurggling or an upset stomach, and you can muffle them by putting your hand over the bag, but it's not the best experience in the world. If air fills the bag you have to release it somehow, otherwise you have a balloon under your shirt, which can look weird. As we all said, it is more active in the evening, so during the day, this isn't a huge issue.

Dressing for an ostomy is a little different too. I wore a lot of higher waist clothes and tucked it in. With sex, I would wear a wrap to cover it. You can also swap a smaller bag on or a cap, but caps really can't hold much output, so you can only do that if it's inactive. I can't imagine having sex with a new partner with an ostomy, but I don't date, so I am the last person who knows much about dating. I think it's best to make the situation known in advance. I wouldn't want to drop that news on someone at the moment. Though, a lot of women are probably more open-minded than you think. People care about people, an ostomy bag is necessary for some people. If that's a dealbreaker, I don't know how that person would last with anyone. Everyone has something at some point... we have to be able to accept people for who they are.

If you choose a permanent ostomy but end up with a misdiagnosis that then becomes Crohns then you’ll probably need to stay on a medication.

If you choose a jpouch and end up with a misdiagnosis that then becomes Crohns (chronic pouchitis) then you’ll need to stay on medication.

Different surgeries but the outcomes are similar with a CD diagnosis afterwards.

Most of the jpouch removals that I’ve seen are because of structural issues. That is why finding the most qualified surgeon is very important.

There are different ileos. The end ileo, I ate everything and never had any concerns about a blockage. With the loop, totally different experience. You can get blocked easier. It's important to chew well regardless of what type of ileo you have. With the jpouch, I haven't had much concern about what I eat or blockages. Blockages aren't always related to food consumption though either, sometimes a stricture can occur because of scar tissue or adhesions. It's hard to say why some people seem to be more prone to them, and people who have had past abdominal surgeries especially so. I have been very lucky. I never dealt with these things. I would imagine they aren't THAT common once your healed. A blockage shortly after surgery, while your healing, is more common.

As for dating, I think it's all about how you feel about yourself. The pouch is really not a huge deal, it's all enclosed, doesn't smell, you can cover it with a wrap... If you're not confident, I could see it being difficult to accept yourself, especially when you're getting to know someone. Probably of an issue for you than on the other person. I wouldn't toss someone I care about aside because of an ostomy so I think most people wouldn't. I have a friend with an end ileo and she is in a serious relationship that started after she got the ileo. She's a very strong confident person though, she was before, and she still is. She lives a very full life.

Mak u were diagnosed at 7??? How old are u now? How were school years dealing with UC?

Wow,wild how many get disease so young.I was 26yo when i got disease.My daughter who is 23 and had a boy who had IBD in her class.He had seat by door so he could make a bathroom run.That sucks with what u had to go thru.All behind us[little joke there] now.Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.Ill never forget 2018-great year for many of us