Sometimes I read that the'pouch hurts'. What does this mean? Is the pain in the front or back? Is it in the buttocks or right above?
I'm really curious and am also trying to make sense of some really strange but problems with increasing pain and leakage every time I try to 'hold it in'
So where does it hurt when the pouch hurts? Where is the j-pouch anatomically anyway?
-sara

I know how you feel! I wish they could take an xray and show me where it is! I went to a doc the other day who'd never heard of the j-pouch, but when I explained what they'd done (how they make the pouch) and explained where my pain seemed to be, he said he thought it must be behind my bladder, between the bladder and the spine. That's why gas or a full pouch could transport pain down my urethra and make it feel like I have a bladder infection when I don't. Jan thought that theory was quite plausible, so I think he must be right as regards the position of the pouch.

I've also noticed when I get a lot of gas, I usually have to pee more often. But also when my pouch is full of gas and stool I can actually see my stomach kind of expand, and when I empty it's more flat.

On this site under "illustrated j-pouch" there is a diagram that may answer your questions about j-pouch location.

When I got my j-pouch back in 1995 my surgeon referred to it as a "pelvic pouch." In other words, it's tucked down in the pelvis.

The k-pouch, on the other hand, is placed higher, I think, behind one's stoma. I bet that once again Jan would know exactly where it is.

I asked my surgeon where was J-pouch was just because I was curious! He said mine was behind the urethra and vagina, low in the pelvis by my tailbone. I also get the sensation of a bladder infection when my pouch needs to be emptied. I'm not sure if it is in the exact same place for all, but probably really close.
Cheryl

LOL i'm not entirely sure but i can tell you it's low in my abdomen. I have distinct pain and cramping low in my belly.

I was told it was located in back by your tailbone......makes sense...right by your butt!!

Visualize this:

Everyone knows where their anus is right? (At least I hope so!)

Your pouch is directly above your anus and lies between the bladder and the sacrum (the part of the spine between the low back and tailbone that connects with the pelvic bones). For you ladies, there is a uterus between the bladder and the pouch.

So it is all very low, below the level of the hips, deep in the pelvis where you sit.

Jan

Thanks everyone for the input. I tried deciphering the diagram on the site, but it doesn't show front and back too well.
To follow the question up:
So pain in the lower back, almost the buttocks could be described as pain in the pouch? Does this mean that any pain we feel in the front is not specific to a pouch issue? If the pouch is so far down, how does one tell if the pain is radiating from a stricture or the pouch?

No, low back (such as lumbar) is above the pouch (but you can get referred pain there) the back pain that would be directly related to the pouch would be in the area of the mid/high buttocks down to the tailbone (which is very near the anus). You can have anterior related pain too because inflammatory pain can irritate structures around it, including ligaments and nerves.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the deeper in a body cavity the inflammation or source of pain is, the more difficult it is to localize the pain. That is why it is so difficult to describe at times. Plus, the pain can migrate, making it even more confounding.

Jan