I am posting this in hopes that others read what works for me and try it themselves with good results.

Let me start by saying about a year into the pouch I started getting all the bad symptoms, urgency, watery stools, pain,cuffitis, five or so fistulas, I actually got bad back acne, pancreatitis and arthritis in my hips so bad I could barely walk.

Ok with that being said I am nearly symptom free now and not really on any meds. I've experimented with many things and I will just mention what works for me. I cannont eat a regular diet like a regular person. I have to eat vegetables with almost every meal (I usually eat them with breakfast and lunch then have more of a normal dinner). Not just any vegetables though, overcooked squash seems to pass through my system the easiest. I also eat a lot of overcooked broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. My meals usually consist of about half vegetables now. I like to buy frozen bags because they seem to cook up quicker and get mushy faster. I eat about a pound to a poound and a half a day. I am still on a product called candigone also, I may try to get off it again soon. I also supplement with metamucil in pill form, a couple a day, just one pill at a time. Oh and the most simple thing is I now chew my food very well, I don't swallow food that is any bit tough or stringy larger then a small pea. The part where I was reconnected must be fairly small because it gets blocked farily easily and it took me years to figure this out because the sympotms where just mild cramping that would eventually pass through.

My theory on why this works is that I think I was having bacterial overgrowth somewhere is my intestine, probably just before where the stoma was, which would spread and overpopulate much of my intestine with bacteria quite often. I just always imagine the conditions in there being like if you were to fill a blender with meat and sugar and how fast that would fill whith bacteria sitting at 98 deg. I believe the vegetables aren't as good at supporting these bacteria as meat and carbs and they actually are somewhat bulky and pull the bacteria through the intestines. .

Almost anyone can try this, do it in addition to your antibiotics just be carefull for blockages (overcooking / boiling them to death really helps).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GlennF,

I totally agree with this. Cooked veggies seem to do very well with my pouch (carrots esp) and I too suffer from chronic pouchitis. I stay away from sugars, white bread and anything pre-packaged and eat mostly healthy whole grain food, lots of salads, veggies and small amounts of meat/chicken fish nad lots of water. I am still on antibiotics, but feel much better with this diet. Thanks for the tips.

I wish I had more willpower to eat a stricter diet. While on the antibiotics, I can eat whatever I want. It just seems so much easier, but I do realize that cutting out the sugars would lead to less bacterial growth.

I wanted to add a comment about cooking veggies though. I tend to eat raw ones (yes, they are much harder on the digestive process), however, they are healthier for you. There are a few exceptions (like garlic and onions), but the general rule is that the longer you cook a vegatable, the more damage you do to the nutritional value. If you do plan to cook all your veggies, I would suggest steaming vs. boiling as there is less nutrient loss. Also, try to only cook them as long as you have to for the texture you want.

Agreed, cooked less/ steaming is better for normal people, but for us 2-step pouchers I would say its not worth the risk. besides that, overcooked veggies still have way more nutritional value then the processed filth that is sold to us by the corporations as food these days.

I have had obstuctions that cleared themselves with time and I think I have caused some permanent damage in there, raw veggies are definately risky, in the first few years I didn' think so. Another important thing to watch out for is partial obstructions. When I think back, I am pretty sure I have had many partial obstructions from not chewing tough meats and veggies well enough. the the only symptoms I experienced were cramping and watery stools.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GlennF,