Hi everyone
I'm new to this site, though I have been reading for a while. I wont go into too much detail about my story except to say that this all happened very quickly and Ive gone from not being sick a day in my life to 12 months of mayhem overnight, so Im basically a bundle of nerves about what's happening. Im two months out from having the j pouch surgery. I had a 3 step procedure because the first one was in an emergency. Im due for takedown in a few weeks (hopefully). Im freaking out a little because a week ago I started to get some pain around my back end and had some bleeding. The pain became unbearable so I went to ED. I Was told there was some inflamation and the term "pouchitis" was thrown around. Im on a course of antibiotics which seems to have cleared it up. Im worried now though because what if this means Im one of those people who always gets pouchitis now? I havent even had the takedown surgery and I already have it? Does this mean it's not going to work? What if it's something more serious? What if Ive done something wrong? Will the enema test I have next week to check the pouch is ok hurt now? As you can see Im a little frazzled. Has anyone else had this? Can anyone calm me down? Any info would be great. Sorry to sound like a crazy person in my first post! Nice to meet you all

Hey jbear!

Welcome. I sometimes forget what it was like when this was all new to me. I mean, I remember, but it gets harder and harder to recall all the scary feelings that went along with everything.

Don't panic. Before I had even started using my pouch I had complication after complication. And today (3 years after takedown) I am living life wonderfully with my jpouch. It gave me my quality of life back.

At first you are going to panic about every little thing that happens. I know I did. Try to relax and take things one at a time. You made it over your first hurdle! I don't think anything you described means that your pouch is going to fail. And it is always the hardest in the beginning. Your body has been through a lot and needs time to heal and adjust.

Best wishes to you.

The bad news is that it could go either way...too soon to tell.

The good news is that having pouchitis before takedown does not necessarily mean you are doomed to have chronic pouchitis. Unfortunately, just having the pouch diverted can trigger inflammation, so it does not mean it is related to IBD. Again, too soon to tell.

Like the rest of us, you'll have to cultivate some patience and hang on to the fact that things can and should improve. But, as you've probably already gathered from lurking here, things are usually much worse before they get better. The first months of using the pouch seem to catch most people by surprise, with comments like, "I heard it was bad, but didn't expect it to be THIS bad!"

So, if you prepare for the worst, but hope for the best, you'll have it covered. Best thing of all, you can always come here for answers, support, or just to vent!

Jan