My 15 year old daughter has been eating solid foods for only a week with her Jpouch. We are still learning and not sure if what she is experiencing is normal or not so I thought I would ask my "Pouch friends" for some advice.
Her main complaint is she doesn't feel as if her pouch is emptying all the way. She is in and out of the bathroom more often I notice and I am worried that she is straining to much and might hurt things down there. When I talk to her about what foods she might want to avoid she says that she just wants to eat what she feels like and deal with the consequences. She has been through a ton and just wants to be "normal".
Any tips on what she can do to be more comfortable? Hydration? Is it to early to use some sort of catheter to flush it out? When is it a good time to see the doctor? Should we be worrying about her needing dilation? what are the symptoms of fistulas? I am frustrated because I feel as if her doctor and surgeon said she seems to be doing good now go on your way. Come see us if she has problems but what problems should I be watching for?
Geez I am SO at my whits end with this. I feel for her and just want her to be healthy and happy. ANY help you can give is greatly appreciated.

if she is eating and pooping then she is on her way. as time goes by she will get used to her new plumbing and be able to empty it better or at least know when to hang about the toilet for a few more minutes so as to finish the job. let her try new foods and see what happens as they happen. Her body will give her indications of what she can eat and what she should avoid

If she isn't complaining of anything specific, no blood, severe cramping, diareah, pain etc then let her do trial and error...she has got to make it her own and now is the time to do it...Your fear and concerns are all normal..she did not go through all of this alone, you were there to suffer through it with her and for her some times...but she wants to be 'left alone to learn for herself' and you have to respect that...if she needs help, she will call for it...until then just keep shopping and stocking the house with healthy foods and keep her hydrated at all times...
Sharon

I am very happy to say that Sharon you were right. The doc said that she had the most beautiful pouch he'd seen and he thinks her problems are just because her body is getting used to it. He said that he can't even tell that she had 2 leaks in it 3 weeks ago. Such a relief. I think though that this opened my daughters eyes a bit and now she is going to be keeping track of what she eats and how it affects her.
I am happy to tell you that I have also come to terms with this a bit more and I am going to try and just back off. I know I am driving my daughter crazy always asking questions. She is old enough to know her body and I just have to let her do it. As hard as that is.
Thanks so much for the advice all and for talking me through this. I love this site!

The adaption can take a year, so your daughter will have plenty of ups and downs but overall she should be fine. Many of us experience improvement in function even years later. I agree that you should probably let her figure these things out on her own, or recommend that she start visiting this site to get an idea of how life will be. It must be very hard to have experienced this from the parent's side and although you care very much, many of us like to put it all behind us and move on.

Sue