is it bad to want to go back to the bag two months after your reversal?

I'm having TD on friday and I am anticipating 2 steps forward and 1 step back. (that is what many here have said) Have patience.

Blowe, I completely understand! I am 6 mths out. The beginning was extremely difficult for me! But, give it time....I could share some of my days after takedown But, that is the past...its better than uc now, and for me it is the "mind" issues I have. More scared of pouchitis, blockages etc...But, physically things are better...I hope some of the others with success chime in for you...hold tight! Peace, Sue

Only if it's a fleeting thought....You have to give it more time. I'm pretty sure I was hating things two months after takedown. I did alot of experimenting with immodium and metamucil. Guess what...now at 9 months post takedown, I don't take either one. You will never be like a normal coloned person, but it does get way better! You need to give it a year before you have those thoughts!

Blowe: Hang in there. I'm 6 months out from my TD and I'm feeling great. The first couple of months post TD, as you are now experiencing, are an adjustment but it does get better. My BMs are down to about 4 per day and I'm able to eat whatever I want. Early on I had at least 10 BMs per day and butt burn. But that slowly improves.

We are all pulling for you.

Kevin

Oh yes! Now 6 years later I can't beleive that the thought ever crossed my mind. For some of us it can take a little longer to adjust but hang in there.
Susan

It is not bad to be thinking of returning to an ostomy, but it may be premature. Many people see improvement through the first year and some even beyond that. Consider what issues you are having and how they are impacting your life. Are they the standard adjustment period issues, such as frequency, consistency, butt burn, leakage, etc..? Or are the issues more complex and not likely to improve with time? What have you tried so far to manage the issues - fiber, Immodium or Lomotil, restricted diet, etc...?

Then, consider what you consider a good quality of life. Can you achieve that with the j-pouch given more time? Or, would the ostomy give you that and make you feel better because it is more immediate? There is nothing wrong with deciding that you are happy with an ostomy, just remember that if you go to an ostomy and leave the pouch in, any time you think about reversing back to the j-pouch, you'll still have this adjustment period. If you have the pouch removed, then the decision is permanent and you need to be very sure you have given the j-pouch as much time as you feel comfortable with...

I had my pouch disconnected after 3 1/2 years of chronic pouchitis and removed 18 months later. There were other things I could have tried to save the pouch, but frankly it wasn't worth it to me. I lost 5 years of my life trying to make the j-pouch work and I was done. I've never regretted the decision to go to a perm ostomy, but it was a decision about which I thought long and hard.

Only you will know how much time you are willing to put in. I don't think there is anything wrong with deciding to return to an ostomy, even this early, as long as you have really thought it through in a rational, non-emotional state of mind.

Hi Blowe, oh how I sympathize. I am four months out and sometimes wonder if any of this is getting any better, and sometimes yearn for the despised (at the time) bag. My main problem is incontinence and that makes living, going out etc. very difficult. I seem to have more success with lomotil than immodium - but who knows! I discussed my somewhat disallusionment with my surgeon, and he said it was a life style choice and he would reverse the surgery if that is what I wanted. He did however say he would not like to do it for twelve months, as that is the time for improvement. So I will hang in there until next March, but if no improvement will be very seriously considering the bag. Hope it improves - know how you feel, cheers, Possie.