It's been 4 weeks since take down and I have good days and bad days. Today was horrible. I've gone to the toilet about 20 times and just barely made it some of the time. The stool is formed. My inside (I think its the pouch) is so sore that I can hardly exercise enough control to get to the bathroom. Imodium doesn't seem to slow things down enough. Only heat seems to help. Do you think I have pouchitis?

If you are going 20 times and your stool is formed, you may need to back off on the immodium. You may need to have looser stool and take more time in the bathroom. Try deep breathing with forceful exhale, and reach your hands above your head and stretch toward the ceiling to give more room for the "stuff" to move around.

It's also possible you have a stricture (narrowing of the anal exit or a narrowing of the pouch inlet where the stool enters the pouch.) An anal stricture can be diagnosed by a digital rectal exam. A pouch inlet stricture would need some type of imaging or possibly a pouchoscopy.

All that said, it doesn't mean you don't have pouchitis, but I'd go see the GI or surgeon for a scope if possible to get diagnosed. If you have one of the other problems, you would want that addressed first.

Keep us updated...Lori