I think I have more BM's at night as I don't eat much during the day. I think things are better, if you eat later in the evening around 8 o'clock and take Imodium before going to bed.

It doesn't take me long to empty my J-pouch because I like my effluent liquidy and take nothing to bulk it up other than the foods I typically eat. I guess if I ever have the need to bulk up for awhile I use Metamucil, but not on a regular basis. I spend very little time on the toilet. In the throes of UC the bathroom became my reading room I was in there so much! I read very little anymore!

Yes, it does get faster. I would have to sit for a long time at first and now I'm pretty quick. Glad it feels like you are starting to turn the corner. I take an immodium before bed and most nights do not have to get up. If I do have to get up, most likely it's because I have to pee and then I empty, too.

quote:

1) how do ya get the bms to spread out through the day and night instead of most at night

It's night time that bothers me the most too. Finding the right foods to control this is a guessing game. I have not succeeded guessing with my system after all these years. I've literally starved myself too, didn't eat for days, and gas still woke me up. Your system does sound different than mine though, so perhaps you have a better chance.

a lot of people say beano helps. i havent notice it helping though...

I used "Super Digestive Enzymes" instead of Beano after my surgeries. They worked for a bigger variety of foods, are more natural and they were less expensive. There's lots of different brands, I tried a few and didn't see a difference. I don't need it anymore - except when eating chili with beans

I had my pouch created and take down, in one surgery,in September as well so we're at the same point in recovery. I am doing fairly well and am returning to work tomorrow. I'm a little hesitant but have a great boss who will hopefully understand my 15 min bathroom breaks. I too was wondering if it will ever get quicker to empty. My only issue right now is a need to sit or lay down after each BM because I'm in pain and have a feeling of general uncomfortableness. I haven't seen anyone else talk about that need on here and wonder if I'm alone? Will the pain disappear soon?

youre def not alone. im achey too and it grows through the day but hoping it will subside eventually. im disabled so i do lay down after a bm consistently. i wish there was a rule book cause i fear everything. do i have this or that etc? we should all be given a reusable camera pill so we can see our pouch daily. lol. i rarely eat anything but cereal because the discomfort worsens and i hate how bms are noisy messy etc. i do not like my current situation but hopeful that will get better. i wonder if it actually get better or if pouchers just give in to it and accept the change. i cant imagine going to friends houses and using their bathrooms. im really depressed and cant address it cause all the meds have given me diarrhea...

in my experiance the bms do not spread out and the time it takes to empty depends on your body and what you've eaten.
i take 15 - 30 minutes to go 7 - 8 times in 24 hrs.
we wake up mostly empty and as we eat through the day we must go more because food has been flowing through us pretty much until hours after weve stopped eating.
i know for me "instant" oatmeal goes through me a little faster and comes out as close to how things did when i was well and it never burns. sometimes i will all come out within 4 hours.
i mix mine with a small container of yoplait yogurt for taste.

perhaps try it for dinner then maybe by bed time you'll be mostly empty. i've used this many times to get more sleep...

good luck, hope it helps

i would add that regular oatmeal makes me very ill, it must be instant...
another benefit, when i go after eating instant oatmeal its very quiet.

@chasingtime .....achy is exactly what I feel. I take a Tylenol #3 about every 6-8 hrs and I get relief but I'm scared about the amount of time I may need to continue taking them. I've tried to just sit and "deal" with the pain without aid of pain relievers but It didn't take me long to realize it wasn't worth it and resorted to Tylenol. I do have faith it will get better and the reason I feel hopeful is because of this forum. I have read many success stories which keeps me optimistic

Also I forgot to mention that I found when I didn't eat very much my BM's seemed more difficult. I started eating close to a regular diet and found that my pouch emptied easier. I'm saying this because you mentioned you aren't eating very much...

i definitely need help from all you guys on adding food. its ridiculous that im eating only cereal at 10 weeks. any advice is welcome.

i definitely need help from all you guys on adding food. its ridiculous that im eating only cereal at 10 weeks. its definitely fear driven. any advice is welcome.

Well I followed the diet they wanted me to post op for six weeks, like soft cooked veggies not to fibrous and easily digest able foods. Did they not give you a list of foods to eat and ones to avoid when you left the hospital? There is lots you can eat on that post op diet. My typical day looks like this:

Breakfast - scrambled egg on white toast or a shake with banana, yoghurt, frozen mango chunks and a handful of frozen blueberries with a splash of apple juice. Oh and can't forget my coffee with cream and sugar.

Lunch - tuna sandwich on white bread. Cup of canned peaches or pears.

Dinner - whatever I feel like. Usually chicken breast with side of cooked veggies like carrots or beets ( beware BM's are RED when eating beets

Snacks - toast and peanut butter and jelly, applesauce, Popsicles

The only things I avoid right now are raw veggies, seeds and nuts.

I supplement with boost when I feel like I didn't get enough fruits and veggies.

I eat way more than what I listed but wanted to give you an example. I would be happy to answer any questions that you have since we are both at the same place time wise

i think i have severe ibs/ips. i eat corn pop cereal and thats it. anything i add kills me and anything white flour related like bread just kills me in the gas dept. what is with the gas people? its the single worse thing about this. i never had gas issues with colitis and i couldnt fart then. what gives? dear god this is ridiculous...

I don't suffer from Ibs or any other issue so food isn't that big of an issue for me. I did find that when I didn't eat regularly the gas built up pretty good. I would suggest meeting with a nutritionist because corn pop cereal can't be good for you. I met twice with a nutritionist because I was worried about getting the proper nutrition. I used to eat salads everyday and got most of my veggies that way and now that I'm not able to sit down to a big bowl of salad I get worried about nutrition.... I'd be extremely worried if all I'd eaten in the last 10 weeks is sugar cereal. I'm sure there are many things you can eat out there that you just don't know about. The nutritionist will be able to create a more fulfilling diet which I'm sure will improve your mood.

Regarding time spent in the bathroom. Typically I am in there for around 1/2 minutes.

Most of time is spent cleaning up.