There a small bit of rectal tissue left behind to attach the j-pouch to. It's usually just a few centimeters. You can develope UC in the retained cuff and like UC that can cause bleeding. That's why the hallmark of cuffitis is bleeding. It may also include all the other symptoms of pouchitis. Oh, and to make things even better, you can have both cuffitis and pouchitis at the same time. They are medicinally treated differently - the cuffitis is treated with UC drugs/suppositories and pouchitis is treated with antibiotics.

Your doctor can usually detect if you have cuffitis with a simple digital examination. The rectal tissue has a different texture - it's rather bumpy.

kathy

Thanks Kathy!

My GI sent me to get blood work done to start with. He doesn't have an appointment available until July 3 (the 4th anniversary of my surgery!). I'm going on a trip on July 12, and need to get everything under control.
I was thinking suppositories/enemas would be a way to treat the problem (since it's right there!). I'm going to see if he is willing to send in a script for something. At least to start helping the problem.

Hi All, I may be suffering with cuffitus! My undercarriage is very sore when I am cleaning it(just warm water) after emptying my pouch. I am using Calmoseptine at the moment, but am wondering if I may be having a reaction to the cream! There is also small traces of blood when I am cleaning it, which I do very gently!

I want to try the natural route, reduce chemicals to my skin, and have researched it a little and have discovered that Comfrey Creme is good as anti itch. Also good for fissures apparently! As luck would have it I have some Comfrey Creme in and have applied some; I can report that their has been a slight improvement already, so I will give another update in a few days.

Also when I have a bad reaction I develop what I call a ridge which can be painful! Do other members have this problem when they have an adverse reaction to food/drink?

Finally, my pouch is an S Pouch.

Rev Lenny,
I'd suggest you try sitz baths to soak your bottom several times a day. You can do this in the bath tub or order one on-line that fits on your toilet. You fill it with warm water and sit in it.

Have you been checked for cuffitis or UC at the cuff where your j-pouch is connected to the anal cuff? Your blood could be coming from your sore bottom but you might have bleeding coming from the cuff which is not too far inside your back door. If you have cuffitis it would also be swollen inside too. A GI or surgeon would be able to check this out without doing a scope by doing an exam in the office.

I hope you are feeling better soon. I don't know what else to tell you to try as I use calmoseptine. The best thing I ever did was get a bidet! I also have a hand held squeeze bidet bottle for travel that works great too.

Thanks TE Marie! Appreciate your suggestions. I saw my surgeon a month ago and at that point he gave me a steroid cream which did nothing, this was for fissures. Being honest I don't feel that my surgeon actually listens! Great surgeon and he saved my life, but for matters such as this he isn't helpful! I'd love to speak with someone who actually listens- and this forum, and others like it are a great source of encouragement and help.

Yesterday my undercarriage was 12/10 for discomfort and itch! After applying Comfrey Cream twice, and then when retiring to bed at 4am I applied the Calmoseptine. Had a good few hours sleep and thankfully when I arose from slumberland my undercarriage was bearable! So far today has been a good one!

I will definitely look at what you've suggested, and I would like a bidet as I've been researching them.

My routine after emptying my pouch is to wash my undercarriage with warm water - no soap, and then apply barrier cream. Before emptying the pouch I now apply a layer of vaseline which acts as a barrier, for me its something I must do each time - especially after a four hour emptying session!

Blessings,

Rev Lenny

I'm glad you are feeling better.

Thanks TE Marie - again!

Three days of Comfrey Cream + Colloidal Gel and on retiring to bed Calmosptine and my undercarriage is almost back to an acceptable level. The anal fissures are also in remission! They can be so painful, but an application of vaseline before emptying the pouch can ease the pain/discomfort; but through the different levels of pain I have learnt to speak new languages!!!

I would definitely recommend Comfrey Cream for anal fissures, also it is good for a multitude of other uses!

Colloidal Gel is something I'd recommend too.

A further report on my undercarriage; all is now going well, and the healing process is almost complete.

My regime consists of washing my undercarriage with warm water, then patting the area gently dry; then I massage some Colloidal Gel into my skin, then a layer of Comfrey Cream. After my final visit I apply Calmoseptine, so all in all I am more than pleased with the progress - especially considering how red and blistered the skin was and how sore it was when washing.

Hopefully this may be of help to those who would like to use natural products thus reducing the amount of chemicals absorbed through the skin.