I am 7 weeks past a total colectomy, I had the pouch surgery dome all in one go without the temp stoma.

I am experiencing serious problems past 7pm in the evening. All things are fine during the day and I can go from waking up to 5pm without going. If I do go during this time it is pretty uneventful and pain free.

However in the evening and during the night I am never off the toilet and things are EXTREMELY painful and itchy. I need to take 15 minutes afterwards just sat down to try and recover. Thats if im not ready to run back to the toilet.

Has anyone else had any simaler experiences and has any advice.

Secondly, how do people handle alcohol post opereration? I am a social drinker and at 26 like to be out with my friends. Currently I think all the drinks I have tried have affected me negatively.

Please help

7 weeks is still very early. I wouldn't try drinking for a few more months. Wait until all your issue have resolved themselves. And they will. Alot of people post about the evening issues. It will get better. I had takedown in December, and am really feeling good now. Don't rush it. I think you need at least 4 months, just for the healing and everything learning to do it's new functions.

For some reason pain seems to be worse in the evening/night hours. As for the frequency at night I had the same problems for a while (takedown in May '06) but they have settled down and now I usually sleep through the night or am up once.

The pain will lessen with time, many people swear by the ilex cream for the butt burn. As for the drinking, I agree with Cataja, hold off for a bit. Your pouch is still new, i personally ate a very bland boring diet for a couple of months after to let things settle down.

By the way Manchester....

It's happy hour, I'm having an Amber Bock...it does get better!

Just give it a little more time.

Welcome Manchester. It seems a little odd that you don't go at all from the time you wake up until 5:00. Are you taking any meds, such as immodium or lomotil, or are you taking metamucil? If you are not taking anything, and you're eating during the day, you should be emptying more during the day.

I also had a one step surgery, and in the very beginning went about 10 to 12 times in a 24 hour period, but it got much better as time when on. I started very slowly with foods, adding new foods one at a time and keeping track of how things worked. If you aren't emptying at all during the day, then it makes sense that you would empty at night, it has to come out sometime. You need to figure a way to empty more during the day, so it's not so full at night. If you can give us an idea of your diet, and meds, maybe we can help you better.

janna

I had my surgery 6 years ago. I started drinking at 14 years old, and it didn't ever really bother me, but of course, I was only having one drink. Then I started to really get into drinking with friends, and I noticed that beer is the worst. It must be the carbonation, but it makes my stomach hurt so bad. Oddly enough, I was able to tolerate 5 shots of vodka with no problem. But then drinking turned into a bi-weekly thing and I somehow hurt myself because I started passing blood every time I drank. So, really, I feel your pain. I shouldn't be drinking in the first place, as I'm underage, but I live in a very small town where drinking seems to be the only thing to do. I stopped drinking about 7 months ago, and have basically lost each and every one of my "friends." But in short, I think moderation is key. A hangover is going to hit you like a truck 10 times worse than a normal person. But also, you should probably give it some more time.

As people have said, you just have to take it slow.
The last real drink I had was June of 2006- a few months before surgery. I was afraid to try it after my surgeries but I recently thought I would give it a try. I had a few sips but got a killer headache. I think the dehydration was just amplified so now I know next time to drink plenty of water.

Any problem I have with consuming alcohol has nothing to do with having a J-pouch. I have one or two martinis every evening. No problem. Sometimes wine with dinner, as well. I do like carbonated beverages and tolerate them well. I had a two step surgery with takedown 4 1/2 years ago. So, my J-pouch is well seasoned. It likes all foods and drinks. I feel so fortunate to be able to lead a normal life once again. In fact, having this J-pouch....for me.....is better than normal!

I've had a one-step in December (IRA, no pouch), and I still have the same problem of being mostly fine during the day (well, more or less) and having these crisis-like painful bm-cascades at night- doctors still keep telling me to be patient because it will eventually get better.

So, you're not alone!

Alex

Manchester,

It is very common to experience what you are going through. Many people have problems in the evening - I think because: 1) our bodies seem to get tired an react differently in the evening; 2) after a full day's intake of food - it has to come out.

My best advice for changing things it to find a way to go during the day. As nice as it is to go that long a time without going - you will end up being up more at night. This may even out on its own, but if you can help things during the day you will probably find you get more sleep at night.

Early on, however, it didn't matter that much how many times I went during the day - I was still up a LOT at night. Time heals things and they will get better. As you move along, don't be afraid to experiment with things: more or less immodium, fiber, Salba, etc.

As for the alcohol - everyone reacts differently it seems. Having a j-pouch, I find nothing is off limits but I have to be ready to pay the price for some things.