All I can say is to be patient and kind to yourself...keep a food journal knowing that things change as time goes by and your body adjusts and adapts to its new biology.

Keep a blue pad on your bed at all times (easier to change than the whole bed in the middle of the night), use pads in your unddies for now.

Your stool will be liquidy, no doubt so start doing Kiegels (pelvic floor exercises to reinforce the whole region and give you better control)...There are great sites on the internet for tutorials.

Keep lots of 'thickening foods' around the house for now..bagels, peanut butter, potatoes, bananas and rice along with simple proteins like chicken breast.

Avoid fried foods, spicey stuff etc and get yourself a really good barrier cream to protect your delicate parts from the acid burn of liquid stool.

For now, if you do not have a bidet use a squirt bottle of warm, mildly soapy water to rince yourself off down there instead of just paper...helps to avoid butt burn and is gentler on your bottm.

Stay hydrated with not just water but apple juice, (unsweetened cola and ginger ale help too)...if your get the sweats and dizzies or shakes & headache you are dehydrated...so watch for it, it can come up fast.

And remember, this is not a full list nor is it a promise that all of the bad stuff will happen to you...just a 'just in case' sort of list.

Good luck

Sharon

Thanks so much...this helps a lot 

Hi I'm having my second takedown this Thursday too. I don't remember anything too bad after the first one but that was 15 years ago. I will have to pack my wound, that is painful and probably the only thing Im not looking forward too. Also for a while a low reside diet so ive been cooking and freezing some easy things. The first time around I had some leakage in the beginning at night, nothing bad. Not really even thinking about that this time and oh a good cream cause for a while you will burn, but that will go away. I have not experienced that in years and years and hopefully won't this time. Good luck I'm excited about getting rid of this bag! Again! 

Hi Alikat.

I hope everything goes well with your takedown. I need to ask though, I believe you had severe pouchitis, etc... with the pouch, why go that route again. Why not just keep the ileostomy and not have those symptoms? I'm asking because I have a problematic BCIR now after having a problematic J-pouch about 15 years ago. I'm just so over the inflammation and wonder if a permanent ileostomy will allow me to just get on with my life. I understand that it won't be perfect, but even though I may need to deal with bag issues, I think my body would feel better. I feel like this chronic inflammation is shortening my life.

1. I hate this ostomy

2. I now developed diversion colitis from the un used pouch that was making me sick and given me issues.

3. My options were pouch removal or 

4. To reconnect but I had to go on a bio Entyvio . I have a 50 50 shot this will work but if it does my doctors feel ill have a better quality of life and I really don't want any more big major surgeries. Actually I'm totally afraid of pouch removal. That's the very last option even with my doctors.

5. Yes I hear you, I felt that this damn inflammation was shortening my life but then I questioned if I really wanted to live so long with a bag? Will this Entyvio cause me problems, cancer, who knows, but I understand there are many drugs in the pipeline and they get much better as it goes along. I was always anti drug  but having a ostomy has issues as well and then of course the pouch removal surgery. 

I cried for 2 weeks before making this decision and Thursday will tell my fate. Please pray for me

Susan

I agree with all that SKN69 suggests above and would add tracking medications - including the brand of any probiotics or vitamins - to your journal.  Keeping good records of what goes into your body and "what comes out" is key to your recovery and long term well being.  Be patient and best of luck!

Surgeons vary in their advice to a new J-poucher. I was lucky enough to have no early accidents. Here's what worked very well for me right from the beginning (or would have if I'd known more):

1) Metamucil a couple of times daily. I was never instructed to use it with only a little water (as some surgeons advise), and I disagree with that advice. It worked (and still works) great for me when used as labeled. Other soluble fiber (e.g. Benefiber, Citrucel, Konsyl) is fine too, but some may work better for you (or be easier to tolerate) than others.

2) Lomotil as needed, especially at bedtime. Some people prefer Imodium, but Lomotil works better for me. I only use it at bedtime now.

3) Barrier cream after every BM, to protect your skin from the next one. You can experiment with the fancy ones (Calmoseptine, Ferguson Formula, etc.), but I recommend you have some plain, inexpensive zinc oxide on hand as a fall-back. I found Calmoseptine too strong, but others swear by it. I used this for about a year or so, and didn't need it afterwards.

4) Drink plenty of water. It really is critical to stay well hydrated.

5) Kegels. Kegels. Kegels.

6) I didn't use a probiotic for years, but in retrospect I wish I had. The potent ones (like VSL #3 DS) help prevent pouchitis. It's expensive, though, and even though the DS strength is prescription-only, many insurance cmpanies won't cover it.

7) I didn't have a bidet for ten years after my surgery, but in retrospect I wish I had.

8) Many people may offer strong dietary recommendations that worked well for them, but I'd recommend experimenting (gently) to see what works for you. In addition, your food tolerances may change (and sometimes a random change can fool you into thinking you have a food intolerance), so don't be afraid to retry things. Most J-pouchers enjoy unrestricted diets, so don't drive yourself crazy unless you have a problem that needs solving.

9) Try not to strain on the toilet. Emptying a pouch should be pretty easy once your body works out exactly how to do it.

10) Gently work on increasing your pouch capacity. This is sometimes called "stretching the pouch." It's simply holding off on using the toilet, instead of running to the bathroom at the first sensation. There is some risk, of course, especially when you don't know your true capacity.

11) Empty your pouch fully before going out and before bed.

12) Be patient. Your body has some significant adjusting to do.

Good luck!

good luck, to you both, Natalia and Allykat. you've gotten some great pointers. no lie the beginning is potentially tough, but you'll get the hang of it, and then you'll be excited at the improvement in your quality of life. definitely find a barrier cream of choice, personally I prefer A&D ointment as it strikes me as less messy but others find it messy, so you have to find what your preference is. 

I got my ileostomy in June and my reversal is scheduled for a week from this Thursday as well. Can anyone give a rough estimate of what life is like about 3 months after the takedown? 

Great!

^ lol. indeed.

wolfe, we each travel slightly unique paths but follow the wise pointers listed above in various forms, titrating to your own situation and over time you will almost forget that you don't have a colon any longer. but don't forget and remember to drink drink drink, dehydration is one of the easiest things we can try to manage well so it doesn't become a problem. good luck.

Hello I'm new to this thank you all for your opinions I will be having my reversal surgery on Jan 2016 the intestin eruption happened Nov 2015 I'm just counting down the days it has been a long messy journey for me and I'm glad  able to know I'm not alone and that there is people I can get some advice from thanks 

Good luck to you. 

I wish you the best come January!