1 month post j pouch pain. Help

I moved this to general discussion where more people would see it.

First off, what are you doing to slow your gut and thicken stool? That is key to the butt burn issue. As you are finding out, butt burn is better prevented than treated.

But, you can use a barrier ointment religiously, and make sure to combine it with an antifungal cream, as it is common to get a yeast infection from the moisture and warmth. Immoisum can be a good choice to help control the frequency and nighttime leakage, as it improves rectal sphincter tone, along with slowing the gut and increasing water absorbtion. Try eating something fatty at bedtime, as it stimulates the "ileal brake," which is a physaiological slowing of digestion when a fatty snack is sensed in the stomach. Not ice cream, because many are sensitive to lactose early on, but a piece of aged cheese or high fat crackers.

During the day, avoid foods that increase gas and output, and be sure to drink plenty of non-sweet fluids, but not at meal time.

I'm sure others will have some good tips for you.

Jan

Stop eating around 6pm. This will help stop your night time visits. Use immodium to thicken stool. Get a bidet or take multiple hot soapy baths per day. I was doing both for the first couple months. Soft expensive toilet paper is key and/or wet wipes. Stay away from witch hazel in some of the medicated wipes, this burns the precious. Doing all of this I was able to throw away my Calmoseptine tube before using all of the 1st and only tube I bought. Also, for me Pepto Bismol works better for gas than Gas-X. Your mileage may vary. Don't be afraid to experiment, different strokes for different folks.

You say you are a student, so I'm going to guess college. If you are drinking alcohol, you might want to stop for a bit. Just a guess based on how I was a student in college.

A bidet, if you can afford it, is a good option. If not, a bath will help. If you only have a shower, consider getting a sitz bath. That helped me immensely with butt burn.

The itching will drive you slowly insane. Luckily, I think that will taper off within the next couple of weeks. I haven't had butt itch since a few months after my takedown.

If you live in a state that has MMJ (medical cannabis), that will help slow your system down, but I would start off with immodium. Or a couple of marshmellows. Or a banana. I wouldn't do all of them at once yet, and MMJ only if none of the others work.

You might also consider kegel exercises for your anus. I did those for a week or two after my take down to help firm up my anal muscles. Sounds a bit strange, but I haven't had any leaks since then.

As for your number of BM's per day, you are only a month after the surgery. You should expect that your BM's will go up and down, but if you track them, you should notice that over time, they reduce in frequency. Give it up to 6 months for your frequency to get down to 4-5 a day. Your pouch, I think, needs time to stretch to its full capacity.

Gas - avoid broccoli and beans! They bloat me up like a blimp. Avoid sugary foods too. . .sugar in the first 2 months caused incredibly painful butt burn. Like crapping razor blades and wiping with napalm.

If none of this works, you might, for a day or two, switch back to a low-residue diet. Or just eat white rice while slowly adding other foods back in. This will help you determine what foods you can handle now and what foods give you trouble.

Those foods that give you trouble can be introduced again in a few months. As your system adjusts, you'll probably find you can eat just about anything.

What everyone else said!

Also: baby wipes seem to work for me just as well as a bidet or other water/bath options... they are cooling/soothing on the bum when you have to wipe and make sure to get you nice and clean to help prevent further butt burn. I always have a couple in my purse in case I'm caught out and about.

Try BRAT foods: banana, rice, applesauce, toast. White carbs: pasta, bread, instant mashed potatoes. Cheese, peanut butter... All these foods will slow your digestive system and cause you to go less frequently. Make sure you are avoiding all chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine at this stage.

FINAL TIP: If you get yourself into an emergency butt burn situation where the pain/burn/itching is just killing you, jump in the shower and smear a big glob of Noxema face cleansing cream (comes in a blue tub) down there between the butt cheeks, and leave it there for a bit while you shower. After a minute you will feel an intense cooling/soothing sensation that will relieve your pain at least momentarily, and it will get you all nice and clean down there while you're at it. (Rinse before you get out.)

I have a hand held sprayer, instead of a bidet or bidet seat. For $50 my husband installed it to the toilets water source. It's a kitchen sprayer with a long cord. I bought the kit for it at a company called Diabeties and More, or something like that, on the internet. It took him 10 minutes to install it. We are south for the winter and he installed one in our condo for me. When we leave he'll just put the water source back to the way it was.

There are also hand held Bidet sprayers on Amazon.com for around $10 that are great. I take one whenever we stay somewhere other than home. Like when we visit our kids, etc.

FYI I use pure witch hazel on cotton or TP at different times. It does burn because it's 12% alcohol or something like that. It really cleans everything up well before applying calmoseptine.

I also slept on a pad, like they have in rest homes for the elderly. It's plastic backed with quilted cloth on top and washable. You can also buy "chucks" at the store, by the adult diapers. Also a big towel would help too. If you are sleeping by your self it might help to sleep comando as the air will help with the BB. Have you ever seen a baby that loves to run around naked? They love to air everything out too.

I feel for you, been there, done that. You are in agony.