Well, I'm 4 months out from last surgery with new pouch and valve. Everything is going GREAT. I intubate about every 5 1/2 hours and will soon try for 6. My question is how often do you intubate and how long did it take to get there?. If I don't make it any longer it would be ok, but would be nice to get to 7hrs.

Terrific news!!!!!!!! hahaha not age oldtimers! But anyway...it depends on what I eat. If it makes me gassy, I'm emptying out some gas (don't have to do it all, just the gas and whatever will come out quick).

Or, if I've eaten foods in the day that turn me loose, then, I'm emptying more frequently.

But, yesterday I didn't empty for 12 hours. I think at four mos your pouch is mature. I would continue to take it slow and empty no more then 8 hrs or before if you feel it stretching at all.

I just have a habit of emptying before a car ride, or about an hour after meals to relieve me, etc.

What I'm saying not so eliquently, is that it's really day to day on what you eat.

Other than lately when I have been either pre-op or post -op and keeping the pouch more/less empty I usually empty at wake-up, before leaving the house and then just before/after lunch again a 4-5pm and then before/after dinner and before bedtime...but I am usually very liquid...the whole process when all goes well takes less than 2 minutes...in...gush...out..rince+pad...so it isn't a problem...I also do tons of coffee+prune juice...don't like that full/heavy feeling...If I want to go longer I need to build up to it slowly..and then the max is still 6-8 hours...(a full night)...
Hope you have better capacity than I do..I may be a bit shrunk/small..
Sharon

I do sleep through the night. I empty when I get up at about 6 or 6:30 then again at about 12:00 or 12:30, then again at 5:00 or 5:30 and once again before bed at 9:00 or so. This is very do able for me. I don't know if I'll ever get to 12 hrs. I am trying to get more than 6 hrs but its hard.If I can make 7 that would be perfect.

I am coming up on a year from my surgery and I usually empty 3-4 times a day. However if I have to I can do less in a pinch. I tend to eat foods that make my output pretty thick (college life!) so it is probably very much diet dependent. I can't remember the last time I had to wake up to empty but I do wake up and feel a bit full but fall back asleep and deal with it when I wake up. You're still pretty early in the game so I would think you could expect things to bet quite a bit better in the coming month or two.

I'm just over 2 years old. I pretty much empty on a schedule during the week. I suppose I could probably go longer but it just makes life easier. Right b/f I got to work, on my lunch break, after dinner, before bed.

On the weekends though I usually only intubate when I need to or right before I go out for the afternoon or something. I"d rather do a preemptive strike then get stuck having to empty at Target !

And I just empty when I get uncomfortable. In the beginning I thought I should try and wait as long as possible to try and stretch the pouch, but really, I'm not trying to win any contests here and the bottom line is I go to the bathroom half as often as I ever did before and I'm never running towards it!

--
katie