I had the same issues up until 9-12 months post takedown.  I can eat anything spicy now.  Body takes a while to adjust.

I have more trouble with a bowl of Cheerios than with a plate of buffalo wings. Lol

Chances are over time you'll be able to eat spicy things again. There were certain foods I couldn't tolerate in the beginning (tomato sauce for one) and now I'm fine with them. 

I've got a k pouch (35+yrs) and other than the 1st yr when my stoma burned like the dickens I have been mostly fine. 

I do have a thing for fried hot peppers in which case I plan on suffering for a day or 2 but for the rest, mostly normal spicey stuff, I am just fine.

Give your delicate membranes a bit of time to toughen up and then you should be ok...if not plan on eating the stuff with something calming like potatoes or pasta.

Sharon

I agree with others that it's likely to improve. I eat all kinds of spicy food now. I don't know if you're using zinc oxide (or one of the other protectants), but it might help a bit to apply that generously *after* each BM (to protect against the next one) when you've been indulging in foods that give you trouble.

It got much better for me over time and I love all spicy foods and do not deprive myself of them!  What I do is lather my bum up with barrier cream until the culprit food passes.  I do so after each b.m.  Knowing that "this, too, shall pass" (literally!) makes it easy to choose eating my favorite spicy foods no matter what.  For me, it is worth it!  Good luck!

I don't know if this really helps for butt burn that much, but I try to always drink a glass of milk after I eat something spicy. Milk supposedly has something in it that counteracts the capsaicin in peppers, which is what makes them hot. It does help extinguish the burn in my mouth if I've had something really super spicy, so I drink it mainly for that reason, I figure it should also have some benefit for the pouch. I think it helps a little and it's worth doing. (assuming you don't have a problem with dairy, which I don't)

It has been a year and a half for me and I have discovered that spicy foods, anything with tomato and citrus really gives me the burning itch pain only a j-poucher would understand.

try to control for a while buddy, it will be fine for you.

Thanks all.

Like so much of this journey, it seems to be trial and error.  Because I like spice, I'll keep trying and hope it works out down the road.

ATXGuy,

I like spicy too.  The real problems I had with butt burn right after takedown were with vinegar and acidic foods but I also recall eating food with pepper sauce and feeling it.

I think scientifically what happens is that the alkaline pH levels are high after takedown and this adjusts over time. Probably in another 6 months it will be OK to try these foods again.  The digestive process will change and evolve as your body adapts.

There's actually a product called Prelief. It's pills and tablets you take before eating spicy or acidic foods and supposedly it helps to prevent the burn. I think it's kind of hard to find in stores, but I just checked Amazon and it's there. I've never tried it before, so I don't know how well it works, though.

And as for me personally, I don't have a problem with acidic foods like tomato sauce or lemon, but really spicy things still hurt, 3 years out from my surgery.

My quick answer: don't do spicy foods

I have tried taking antacids along with spicy foods, and I do think it helps reduce the burn on the way out. I always tell people, a spicy factor of 1 in your mouth is like a spicy factor of 10 coming out of a j-pouch. I know that's not always true, and not true for everyone. But oooh the burn. Sometimes I'm willing to pay the price though.

Steve

It's worth remembering that people with unaltered GI tracts can also experience this.  It has inspired hot sauces named for how much they will make a person's butt hurt.