12 years post-op-still not feeling well

Hi Mia,
First off, no vitamin will help if you are battling pouchitis or cuffitis...kind of like putting a bandaid on a broken leg. Second, the exhaustion is probably related to 3 things:1 lack of sleep due to those non-stop nightly bathroom runs, dehydration if you are really going that much then you are loosing a lot of mineral salts and other essential elements and water is not enough to relplace them all...and finally your hyperthyroidism which I hope you are still under treatment for (and those meds need to be check and dosed regularly and not self medicated)...hyperthyroidism has you on quicker digestion time which means things are not being allowed the necessary time to digest and absorb and that could be a serious part of the problem...are you on the usual lomotil or other bowel slowers? If not Jan can help you find the names of the ones that help.
Next, yes, juicing (if it stays in long enough) can help a lot but is not a cure for anything...it makes digestion easier and you get to the essentials quicker...carrots with apples are good (both kind on the guts) and work out from there...I found a strange green goo in a bottle at some grocery stores in the U.S. that was very effective for me (no names but you will find it in the juice/refridgerator section of your store)just in case you don't own a juicer yet you may wish to start with a couple store bought products to see how you and your pouch like them...
Good luck and I really hope that you get your insurance soon
Sharon

You can try experimenting with probiotics to try to get your pouch inflammation tamed. They are mostly to sustain remission, but if it is mild, some people have found them to be useful. Stick with brands with trusted quality control. The kind that require refrigeration are probably not as good, as they are less stable and you don't know how well they have been stored.

You can also try Pepto Bismol (generic bismuth subsalicylate is fine). It has a mild antibiotic effect. A number of people here take it regularly to get good pouch function.

You can increase your Imodium to 8 per day (after that it does not seem to make a difference).

If you can get your pouch function improved and get better rest, your energy levels will improve. Inflammation in the body is a huge power drain, and vitamins don't help, unless you have a deficiency.

Plus, be sure you are still taking your thyroid meds. I don't think there are any supplements for hyperthyroidism, only hypothyroidism.

Jan

Thank you both for your help & advice. I'm very interested in this "green goo". I didn't see it when I last went to the store, but will continue to look. And interesting to know about the Pepto. Definitely trying that! I think I may have found one of the problems and I feel so embarrassed to even admit it on here. But being from Texas, I've been drinking SWEEEET tea for all of my life and this is the only thing I didn't change when I was diagnosed with UC almost 13 yrs ago. I let go of the dairy, fresh veggies, spicy foods, etc, but couldn't let go of the tea! I haven't drank any tea in almost 48 hours and I'm actually feeling a little better. Now I'm just on Gatorade and Propel. I figured they would help with the dehydration, too! And I'm trying a few Paleo diets, too. And getting lots of rest. Although I came home from work early today because I couldn't stay out of the restroom, I think I'm on the right path. And it IS almost that time of the month which means the severe pouchitis-like symptoms are the norm for about 2 more weeks. Don't know why, but it happens every month.

Getting some of the sugar and carbs out of your diet could help. I have no idea what sweet tea is because I live in CT and have never been to Texas, but it does not sound sugar-free. Maybe you can try a little unsweetened tea. According to Dr. Shen, sugar and carbs are very bad for those with bacterial overgrowth/pouchitis, because it creates a feeding frenzy for the bacteria in your pouch. You want to kill them, not feed them.

Pepto Bismol could also help, as suggested by Jan. Maybe if you have to have that tea, and swig it with a few PB chewables, the PB will put the kabosh on any extra bacterial feeding.

I am sorry to hear of your situation. Good luck.

The worst thing about sweet tea is that dang high frucose corn syrup. If you must have sweet tea, try artificial sweeteners, like Nutrasweet or Splenda, which generally are well tolerated without causing diarrhea. Or, even using table sugar is better han drinking the commercially sweetented stuff, like you get at McDonalds. Gatorade is too high in suar too. Try G2 and see how that goes.

Jan

CTBarrister, we make sweet tea by the gallons here! I use 2 regular Lipton tea bags, boil them and stir in 1 cup of sugar and fill the rest up with water. It's good stuff! But I will no longer be drinking it! Most of the restaurants and fast food places have it. McDonalds was one of my guilty pleasures. I like the PB idea! I think I can put it down to not feel so bad. It's been almost 3 days and I'm not shaking or having withdrawals! Lol! And the Gatorade I have is G2, I just happened to grab that kind! I can't believe it took me this long to figure out all the sugar in my diet could have been the culprit. Thanks again for all your help and advice!

Mia,
The green goo, as I call it, not sure of the real name, is part of a series of 5 or 6 'healthful' juice drinks that are sold in the refridgerater secion in most upscale grocery stores and in those huge grocery stores that you need a member's card to get into...there they sell them in 2's...they contain grasses, herbs and other greens and make my pouch very happy when I am in the States...they carry other flavours too...I also drink a lot of pomegranate juice sometimes mixed with cranberry juice...it is astringent and therefore does not make the pouch over active...(kind of like apple juice)...just ideas...if you want you can water some of them down to dilute the sugar effect on you...
Keep experimenting...and I agree with Jan...those high frutctose drinks are killers on the body and pouch...homemade works best for me (I do a lot of homemade lemonaide mixed with fresh mint to give it a kick...you could try throwing a tea bag into it to make a nice, lemony tea...)
Sharon