I was reconnected in 08/19/11. This might be a stupid question. How is the j pouch suppose to feel like when it has stool in it.

quote:

How is the j pouch suppose to feel like when it has stool in it.

Like it has stool in it.

I guess i should of explained myself better. does that mean everyone with a pouch has a lot of burning and sharp pain at the rectum?

I think that is a good question. I think for those who have puchitis it is unconfortable. I don't think you should feel it untill the pouch is full and you have to empty the pouch. I find it difficult to distinguish gas from poup.

I've had my pouch since 1995. In that time I have learned, at least for m, things feel much like my dim recollection of normal function. There is a feeling of pressure and an urge to evacuate when I am full. But, I know my output is loose, so I do not dare pass gas without sitting on the toilet. Sure, I can tell there is gas there, but there AWAYS is some stool too, so I do not take chances.

If there is pain, urgency, cramping or bleeding, something is wrong and I take some Flagyl for pouchitis.

Jan

Hi,

I am a few months behind you you and I have a lot of pain in the anus and around the area where they hooked me back up. I am pretty sure this is normal and will get better with time. I was worried about pouchitis/cuffitis etc. but have learned that diet plays a big part in it as well as over exerting myself. We are still healing and adjusting and it will take some time to feel like we are making progress. It is easy to worry after all we've been through but the majority of us are living life again and glad we went through it all. This too will pass!

Wishing you all the best and sending blessings,
Rich

I had my reversal in late October of 2011 and do not experience the symptoms you describe. The only real problems I have had up to the present are occasional butt burn and gas/bloating. Recently I have been experiencing feelings similar to the days when I had a colon - just experience them more often.

Initially after my takedown, I had painful spasms and pressure in the pouch and that was the indication that it was time to go. The pain and spams gradually subsided over the first 2 months. What I feel now is not unsimilar to what I felt when I had a colon: when it's time to evacuate, there is a feeling of pressure and fullness. Literally, you just "know" when it's time to go. It doesn't feel weird or uncomfortable or abnormal at all, and you'll get used to everything as your body adjusts to the new routine.

does that mean everyone with a pouch has a lot of burning and sharp pain at the rectum?

No.. but that's more likely early on. Here's my two cents: You're going more, therefore you're wiping more than what your tush is used to. Sometimes that can create tenderness. And early on, if you're stool is too watery, it can leak and irritate your tender spots... that's what I've noticed anyway. When I take immodium more regularly and eat foods that don't cause watery stool, I'm good. When I have watery stool or have been going (and wiping) a LOT, burn happens...

Good luck -- things will get better and settle down.

It's not a stupid question at all. Your body has been through a great deal of change and has to learn this new organ. I think once the pouch has adapted (about a year), ideally, you don't feel much at all unless you need to evacuate. I had burning, pain, spasm, which I ignored for a long time because I thought it was "normal" and it was a symptom of a bigger problem. So, if you are still in the first year, you're going to experience a few unpleasant sensations as your body adapts. If you still experience these symptoms beyond that time, it may warrant a call to your physician.

Are you asking what it feels like when the urge to use the restroom arises? Or just what it feels like when there is stool in the pouch?

For me, there really isn't any 'feeling' when there is stool in the pouch. However, the feeling of having to have a bowel movement is a little different than either the feeling you get with a healthy colon or when you had UC (if that's what you had). The urgency is a little greater than with a healthy colon but much less urgency than UC.

As Lizz said, it's not at all a stupid question.

kathy

I think this is a great question.

When I first got my pouch and would see others post about their pouch being full or needing to empty it I had no idea what they meant.

A normal working pouch shouldn't feel like anything until you have to go to the bathroom. And that feels just like it did for me when I had a good working colon. You will know when you need to go.

It all just takes time and you will adjust to knowing these things. Life with a pouch becomes your new normal. If you feel pain, burning, etc. that isn't normal. Though not always indicative of something serious.

When I had a colon I I just knew when it was time to go. After I had my take down I felt pressure down in my pouch. Sometimes I had felt like going but nothing happen. I took prune juice to help me to go. After taking flagyl for 10 days I guess I had some inflammation all along. Now when I need to go, I go without pushing. I Knew I had some inflammation, because the doctor has found polyps every year. I don't have bleeding or pain. Taking Flafyl has helped me to know why had trouble going.