I am 58 and have UC. Been a rollercoaster ride for the last year. Now it has attacked my lungs. I have tried Remicade and no luck. Also was on Lialda and no luck. Been on steroids for almost a year. Hospitalized twice.

Hard to decide if the J Pouch or Ileostomy is the way to go. Reading up on them and both have pros and cons.

Do you still have the urgency with a J Pouch, the loose stools and cramping. How many times a day do you go? I am back up to 5-9 a day.

Thank you

Well it's true, both surgeries have their pros and cons and neither surgery will give you the life like you once had with a healthy colon. I opted for the jpouch for a couple of reasons. One, I backpack and didn't think I could do that with an ostomy, and two, I really wanted to preserve normal function. If the jpouch didn't work one has the option of going to a permanent ileo, but once you choose a permanent ileo you can never try a jpouch.

There is no urgency with a jpouch once you have some recovery from surgery. I am guessing my frequency is in the 6-8 range but I don't really know. It doesn't seem to get in the way of what I do. And having a jpouch has definitely freed me from having to know where every bathroom is in town before leaving home!

I feel grateful to have been successfully rid of UC and that I had this surgical option. I am an avid long distance hiker and have been blessed with many long trips both here and abroad since surgery.

Sue

I'm between surgeries. On Jan 12 my colon and rectum were removed and a j-pouch formed and a temporary ileostomy put in. On April 6 I am having my take down. My j-pouch is already working somewhat, not everything gets bypassed and out the temp ileo, so on occasion I feel a fullness and have to empty the j-pouch. I can hold that bit of liquid as long as necessary and have never had any leakage at night, so I am assuming all the proper muscles are intact.

I'd say to go for the j-pouch surgery and give it enough time. Most people seem happy with theirs right away, a few have a rough first year adapting, possibly some pouchitis, but the success rate seems very high.

I am finding my temporary ileostomy extremely difficult to live with and have been counting down the days until my take down.

No regrets about having the surgery however.

Meesh62

I am in total agreement with MEESH!! My first surgery was Jan 21 and I am scheduled for takedown on Apr 1! I hate this bag on my hip and cant wait to be reconnected!!!

DJE, I am 52 and had the same questions and as bad as I felt I was really nervous to have anything done. I have had my j pouch for 13 weeks and I am doing fine. It was hard with the butt burn, urgency, loose stools, accidents etc during my first three months and I'm sure I am not in the clear yet but this last week has been good. This site has been good to roam around in and find answers or at least see that you are nor suffering alone and it really does improve but you must have patience. When I had the temporary ileostomy and I didn't get along very well but I also knew it was going away.
I am only getting up once or twice at night if I don't eat too late in the evening. I usually go 5 - 8 times a day but I can hold it if needed which is a great improvement over a month ago. I also try to get my pouch empty with every visit to the bathroom, that cuts done on the visits. I do take immodium once every couple days and I watch what I eat. It's all been trial and error but things do get better. Good Luck

Hi there. I also opted for the jpouch. I had my reversal done about 6 weeks ago and am feeling pretty good. I have a little bit of urgency but can definitely hold it without having an accident. I probably still go to the bathroom around 10-12x/day but that is pretty good with me only being 6 weeks post op. I also take 6 lomotil a day which is what has helped me slow down a bit. I don't have any cramping I used to have with UC. I know I made the best decision for myself. I am still introducing new foods to see what I can and can't tolerate. Things are definitely getting better but it does take time. Butt burn is an issue after reversal but I got a toto washlet which has been a God send. It is pricey but well, well worth the comfort. I am with Sue on this one... if the jpouch doesn't work out for you, you can always go with the permanent ileostomy. I will tell you that I had a tough time with my temporary ileo even though I knew it was short term. It took a large toll on my mentally. Best of luck with your decision!