Reading through posts* the other day, I realized that none of us really get a full picture of life with our j-pouches; we tend to get very generic facts and tips, fairly haphazardly. I was wondering if we could create a sort of "everything you want to know but can't find" guide to pin to the top of the board. 

I'll use my own example: I've been having symptoms primarily of distension, bloating, and a bit of constipation for weeks; none of these really match my past experiences with pouchitis, so I went digging for j-pouch health and complications. I've heard the terms "obstruction," "blockage," "stricture," "pelvic floor dysfunction," etc. etc., but it was hard to determine what all of these were in conjunction with my pouch and what I was feeling!

So I'd like to propose we create an encyclopedia of sorts, with various terms defined, issues/complications and their symptoms**, general health and nutrition "basics" [I know this in particular can be found all over the place, but I was hoping we could make it even more comprehensive] and how certain foods usually behave for most of the population (e.g., those jalapeno Cheetos are fantastic, but if it's hot going in...), as well as tips and tricks to handle the more minor problems...and so on, adding as we go.

Maybe we can start with a thread sticky where all of us can post tidbits of information (preferably not "well this happened to me one time..." posts; more like the above Cheetos example - relatively short and concise), aggregate everything, edit for clarity, and create a true "A J-Poucher's Guide To Life With Their J-Pouch: What They Don't Tell You"-type encyclopedia.

Thoughts, Jan, mods, fellow pouchers?

*for the record, I find the new board layout & design horrendously inefficient.

**with a clear disclaimer that none of us are capable of a true diagnoses and to see an appropriate doctor if in distress.