So, after almost 7 years with my j-pouch and kind of just going through life doing the bare minimum, I have decided to start looking into vitamins and supplements to regain some energy since I am only 25. I have been told to take multivitamins, like centrum, or fiber supplements, like benafiber. I have seen commercials about probiotics, and that yogurt that jamie lee curtis sells, as well as drinking gatoraide, pedialyte, or some other electrolyte replenishing drink. Has anyone tried any of these or any other suggestions?

Hi Alexis,

I have had my pouch for 20yrs. I am quite sure I have tried every vitamin, supplement, herb, etc.

There are a few basics that you should consider:

Probiotics
http://articles.mercola.com/si...-Healthy-Bowels.aspx

How sugary foods effect the pouch
http://articles.mercola.com/si...sodas-evil-twin.aspx

Soy products
http://articles.mercola.com/si...s-Under-the-Bus.aspx

www.drmercola.com has lots of useful info.

Longevity with a jpouch is relative to the indivudual. There are people on this site with 25+ years with good results. Then, there are others who suffer. The fact that you are young and interested in your health works in your favor. I have 20+ yrs living with a jpouch and would be more than happy to provide you with information. The information is free, what you do with it is up to you.

Markus

I encourage you to find out what your health status is before you start investing in supplements. You need to find out what your body needs first because what may be good for me isn't necessariy the right thing for you. For starters, I'd ask your GI to order blood work to see what your levels look like, including where you are with vits B & D, folate, potassium, and iron. It also depends upon whether you have CD or UC.

Here's a valuable link from UCSF: http://www.ucsfhealth.org/educ...l_disease/index.html

Regarding electrolytes, here’s my two cents. I am definitely not a fan of sports drinks. I think they have done a real disservice to children in particular because they’re disguised as something healthy. There are added sweeteners and sometimes dyes that your body does not need. I’m not concerned about calories here in any way – it’s the quality of that stuff that makes me cringe. I prefer the electrolyte water from Trade Joe’s that has nothing added except electrolytes.

Markus - I really appreciate those links. I'm going to keep doing as much research as I can. I hope that in 20+ years from now, I will still be in a good spot.

Lynne - I was diagnosed with UC when I was 12. When I was 18, they found the very early stages of colon cancer and my doctor performed the laproscopic proctolectomy with the ileoanal pull through/j pouch all at once. When I lived in SA, I worked and had insurance, so I went to a GI every 6 months. Unfortunately, I no longer have insurance since I moved to Houston to be a full time student. I'm trying to do as much as I can without having to see a specialist because I know it is going to cost a small fortune to get tests and scripts done, and I just can't afford it right now.

Alexis,

There are many threads on fiber supplements but check this one out, some good info here:

http://j-pouch.org/eve/forums/...1921/m/207101315/p/1

For vitamin D and calcium there are many threads but on supplements try this one:

http://j-pouch.org/eve/forums/...157054416#3157054416

Here is a thread on vitamin pills vs. powders:

http://j-pouch.org/eve/forums/...=585100774#585100774

I take a chewable multivitamin (Centrum or similar brand), metamucil and Fiber Choice fiber supplements, and vitamin D and calcium (due to osteopenia located in my left forearm on a bone density scan).

I agree with Lynn, you should really start by seeing a doctor and getting a CBC. How do you even know what to treat? Supplements are drugs that can be obtained over the counter so one thinks they are safe. They can also be expensive, you might find yourself spending just as much money on trying a bevy of supplements as you would by getting a CBC. Schools offer inexpensive health care plans for students. Check your campus health center out.

Sue

quote:

Supplements are drugs that can be obtained over the counter so one thinks they are safe.

This is incorrect. Nutritional supplements are only considered drugs if they are specifically marketed to prevent or treat disease.

Alexis, you are wasting you money by choosing something that you, let alone many "normal" folks, can't break down. Some refer to these pills as rectum rockets for good reason. Many on here have reported good results using chewable vitamin called Forvia. Personally, I use a liquid multivitamin.

I don't mean to be picky, but I am not understanding what your issue really is and before we can actually offer useful advice, I have some questions.

1. Why were you seeing a GI doc every six months before you stopped carrying insurance?

2. Is there a reason you cannot be covered under your parents insurance while you are a student? The new laws allow for a higher age limit now. Makes sense to me to stay covered with a history of chronic illness. Since you let coverage lapse, I don't know, but there may be a waiting period getting covered under your parents group plan.

3. What are your current issues other than "energy?" That is pretty vague, and there really is no evidence that taking vitamins or other supplements give anyone energy in a major way. Most 20-somethings going to school full time are burning the candle at both ends, so they are energy-poor. Add to the fact that you have a complex medical history, and you could easily be sapped of strength faster than your peers by not sleeping enough, not eating well, and not getting the right sort of exercise. Plus, if you are filling your leisure time with partying, another way to sap your energy. I am not saying you are doing these things, but hey, I was young once too and thought I could "do it all."

As to whether or not supplements are a waste of money goes- I really do not know. I know I personally do not have any issues breaking down pills, and I have blood tests to follow up to make sure I am not suffering from malabsorption. The point is that we are all different, with different needs. But, blindly taking supplements without knowing if you need them could be a waste of money or at the worst, harmful, if you take too much.

Taking a multivitamin will not break your bank, but won't make you super-woman either.

Jan

to answer your questions:
1. I was seeing a GI every 6 months to make sure that all my blood levels and everything were stable. my body was like clock work as far as symptoms of pouchitis were concerned, so I did it to be on the safe side and for piece of mind.
2. My mother had insurance under a school district, but they stop covering children at 24. my dad has military insurance, but since i was not a full time student for a while after i got sick and I'm no longer living at home, they will not cover me. trust me, if i could still be covered under them, I would, but I live in another city and I'm over the age limit.

3. my current issues are not major. I feel tired all of the time, no matter how much or how little sleep i get. i go to school online and I don't work currently. I also only go out once a week and even then i'm home by 1 am at the latest. as far as alcohol is concerned, I drink 1-2 mixed drinks on the night i go out, and no more than 1 or 2 shots. I am not a big drinker at all.

I inquired about supplements and vitamins because i don't get the nutrients I know that i need. As everyone on here is aware, we each handle digestion of foods differently. for me, fruits, vegetable, grains, and nuts are nearly impossible to digest. even if they are cooked to the point of mush. if i do risk it and happen to ingest any of those things, i usually pay the price for over a week with constant trips to the restroom and extreme butt burn, which is not pleasant at all. So I guess I'm just looking for another way to get some vitamins into my system so that I can start working out and being more active without feeling like i need a nap every hour.

The laws have changed, so please check into coverage under your mom's plan again. The new laws cover until age 26 now. You do not have to live at home. But, you may have to be covered under the same plan/doctors, so you may have to go home to see the doctor.

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsro...pendentcoverage.html

The problem with depending on supplements is that it is only through real food that you get full nutrition. That is because we really do not know all the nutrients we need. But, I hear what you are saying. Did your past visits with the GI ever reveal any malnutrition?

Jan

Hi Alexis,

I am 43 years old. I had my pouch since I was 20. You remind me of myself back in the day. I have the luxury to look back at my life to see what worked, and what didn't.

It is at this point that I add my disclaimer: If I offend anyone I am truly sorry. My main concern is to help Alexis.

Alexis, we have a shortened digestive tract. Everything goes through faster than the average person. We need probiotics to help digest our food.
http://articles.mercola.com/si...-Healthy-Bowels.aspx

Keep in mind that when you get advice from the "experts" (dietician, doctor, nutritionist, etc.) they are giving you textbook knowledge. Do they know what it is like to have buttburn, and have 10 - 15 trips to the bathroom? Not likely. If you what to know what a dietician knows, just Google it, I am sorry, but unless their a@@h#l@ is as red as mine, they are no "expert".

What I can tell you from real life experience is that the best foods are "low residue". That means low fibre and easily digestible.

The food guide is for people with a colon. You want to eat food that is easily digestible, and has very little "bulk" afterwards.

I am tired all of the time as well. It is due to a combination of how quickly the food passes through our systems, reduced absorbtion, and incomplete diet.

God Bless,
Markus

i appreciate all of your suggestions. I hope 20+ years from now, I'll be able to offer people my age the same advice and insight. I guess it all comes down to trial and error. You are absolutely right about the doctors not really knowing what we go through, which is why i'm trying to find answers from other sources. thanks again everyone =)

I got my pouch at 19 and never took a supplement. Then when my sphincters were damaged at age 19 by surgery, I began thickening my stools with metamucil, immodium, (and now codeiene) 3-4 times/day. I found I had more energy than I had previously. I think for me, I was a little dehydrated before, and the fiber/immodium seemed to give me more energy, which I attributed to being better hydrated, but who knows...

I do know that my allergy decongestants were worthless, as I would see them floating in the toilet after I went, so do make sure that if you spend money on supplements they are being broken down with enough time to actually be absorbed.

I have to be careful to make sure that I always eat veggies along with a healthy proportion of protein and startchy carbs in order to prevent them from going straight through me.

Best of luck.

PS-this may not help the OP, but perhaps others reading: Under the new Affordable Care Act, children can stay on their parents insurance until they turn 26, regardless if they are a student or not (even if you are married or financiall independent, otherwise). Depending on the employer, you may even be able to stay on until Dec 31 of the year you turn 26, since most policies are written for the whole year. However, if you are not currently on your parents policy and would like to get added, unless your parent has a qualifying event, such as your parent getting a new job, or you were covered by another insurance that you just lost (in which case you have 30 days to get added back to your parents policy), you can only add yourself back to their policy during the companies annual enrollment period. For many companies this "open enrollment" is in late fall, but companies that run a July 1 fiscal year, sometime will have their open enrollment policies in the spring. A phone call to your parents HR dept should yield specific answers to an individual's case.

Regarding the veggies: just because you see peas and carrots in the toilet, do not assume that you are not absorbing any of the nutrients. For the most part, we get what we need, even if it is with us less than an hour. We are mostly just seeing the "shells" of the vegetables floating in the bowl. Of course, chewing helps too, but hopefully, that is sort of common sense.

Jan