Did you really have a *partial* colectomy? That would be a less common surgery, perhaps with a colonic J-pouch or an ileo-rectal anastomosis.

My surgeon took all of my large intestine, and then created a J-pouch.  Told my family and myself he was doing a subtotal Colectomy and connecting to my rectum? I woke up hearing about this J-pouch. All in one surgery. Yes. With a robot , supposed to be less invasive. But so far not too good.

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time. So you’re waiting on the doc to get back to you about pain medication? I’d keep calling. It’s a tough road for sure. I remember just crying bc I felt miserable and just so alone. Although my family was there for support and my husband was there to help me through it, it’s just something you can’t really describe to someone bc YOU’RE the one going through it and changing the ostomy bag, and dealing with the leaks, and running to the bathroom, and trying to figure out how to deal with the nausea, etc. Please just know you’re not alone.

When i had my pouch done and had an ostomy initially I signed up for some ostomy forums which was helpful. They gave me some good tips and I felt like people knew what Is as going through. They also have some ostomy support groups you might want to look into. Please know it will get better day by day. Hard to see that now.

In the mean can you try saltines and ginger ale, or they have these ginger drops I used when I was pregnant- you can search for them on Amazon. My visiting nurse would tell me to try not to go too long without a cracker or something bc it would make me feel more sick.

Maybe your doc can give you some reglan or something for the nausea? Is it being caused by a pain med?

Hang in there! This is a tough surgery!

Thank you for to your advice. Although I have been looking into other forms for information. Just hard to get any advice. Unfortunately.

Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone in this. This is definitely a hard time.

I always got very nauseous after my surgeries. The last one I had surgery Wednesday and the nausea hit me Saturday. They had even given me a good cocktail in my iv to try to keep the naseau down since it was an issue in previous two surgeries. Couldn't keep anything down and to top it off, after surgery vomiting and that force on your abdomen is no fun! Get some pedialyte and take a few sips every 15-20 minutes. Make sure you are staying hydrated. Try sipping some broth if you can, crackers are good. Just take it slow and you'll come through it. Keep in touch with your doc if you feel like you are getting dehydrated as that will just make you continue to feel sick.

Wow I had it done in 3 surgeries not one. treat yourself like a newborn with mushy easy digested foods.

Nausea is horrible, but a big part of bowel surgery.  I wore an NG tube for a few days and it helped a lot.  The nausea will pass.  You had a massive surgery in one shot.  It will take time to heal.  Best of luck and hang in there.

You've had life saving surgery by the sound of it and a robot has disembow eled you and rearranged your interstines to form a new rectum and colon so I don't think your going to feel too good for a while . Im 9 months out from a 3 surgery jpouch and am feeling a lot better but those first few months and weeks I had days when I thought they had butchered me and I was back to square one but it does get better but days and weeks are not the best measurements it's more months.take care .

I had a prescription for Zofran that really helped me.  It is an anti-emetic.  Also,  narcotic  meds make me vomit,  and this is not uncommon.  I had to just suffer and switch to Tylenol instead.

If  your symptoms get worse,  including elevated temperature ,terrible abdominal pain,  not passing stool please insist on medical care even if it means the ER. 

I only ate the blandest food for the first couple weeks.  Cream of Wheat,  saltines,  Cheerios,  yogurt,  lots of water and electrolyte drinks. 

I would like to congratulate you on having one step surgery. They really are not done anymore. In the long run you will be grateful not having a temp loop osteomy for 3 months.

I was supposed to have a one step but as you can see in my signature my life took an entirely different direction.

you have been given very good advice and suggestions, so I won’t repeat. Here is mine.

in my opinion your surgeon is responsible for your ongoing care to some point after surgery. Most of your care team will defer to her/him for how you should be treated for these complications. If this was me, and the surgeon won’t call back to give you relief, I personally would go to the emergency room at the hospital where you had the surgery. The treating ER doc will almost certainly call your surgeon to see how he wants to handle this.

please don’t be shy about this. I have called and emailed my surgeon numerous times post surgeries and have always received a reply.

Take care,  be well and over time you will start to feel better. We are here for you  to help navigate this process.

I am at only 90 + days post final surgeries and have found the community here very helpful and understanding.

Eric

Thank you. I'm still hanging in with the Best:-)

I appreciate any suggestions.

I'm sorry to hear you had to go through 3 procedures. Sounds awful. But hey, it's better than the alternative.

What types of food does a person with a J-pouch eat?? (By the way, if you have no clue what a "J-pouch" is, you can click here --> J POUCH <--to read my blog about my special guts.) While I cannot speak for everyone who lives without their large intestines, I can speak for myself. There are a few things I've learned during the past 16 months since my Takedown surgery. I am sad to report that the diet I previously followed with Ulcerative Colitis is painstakingly similar to the diet I follow now. My eating patterns are similar in the sense that I eat a fair amount of bland foods, while avoiding foods that are difficult to digest. With that said, here's my guidelines for eating in the "No Colon Club". (By the way membership into this elite club requires taxing pain and trauma to the body, often accompanied by but not limited to emotional and physical scars.) 

DO NOT CONSUME/USE EXTREME CAUTION:

*FRIED FOODS - Eating foods that were fried in oil is like drinking pure grease. Fried food=upset stomach. Every now and then I get the intense craving for greasy fried food, but man, I pay for it later. The only fried food I've found to be an exception is fries. Perhaps because they're awesomely starchy, they don't seem to cause problems when I eat them! Yay fries!

*SPICY FOOD - The reasoning I avoid spicy is different from when I lived with Colitis. With Colitis, my colon got ticked off by curry pepper, and consuming often lead to throbbing guts and upset stomach. However, the reason I don't eat cayenne pepper now is because of something called "butt burn", a common problem with J-pouchers. Sometimes the very fire of hell feels like its exiting out my butt. No thank you! Tabasco and yummy jalapenos are out for this chica! =(

*PIZZA SAUCE/TOMATO PASTE - One of the colon's jobs was to help make food less acidic. Unfortunately without my colon, I don't get that benefit anymore. After affect=butt burn. The flavor of pizza isn't worth the toll, which completely sucks because pizza was always my favorite food!!! Oh well, I'm adjusting to having pizzaza made with olive oil instead.

For the record, Ketchup is somehow different, and causes no problems. Probably because its made of mostly corn syrup/AKA sugar. =D

*JUICE - Although it can be harmless in small doses, it can be a HUGE problem when consumed with even average consumption. For example, last week I bought an 8 oz bottle of Orange/Pineapple Juice that I chose to drink with my "thickening dinner" (lots of bread). Guess who endured 2 days of diarrhea? Yeah, don't go there. If you know anything about fruit juice, you know its mostly sugar. Both naturally occurring sugar and science crafted sugar are both bad news bears for the small gut.

*MILK -  Drinking a small glass of this calcium rich beverage could produce enough gas to fill a balloon with air! That being said, I prefer almond milk as my cereal accompaniment.

*CARBONATED BEVERAGES - i.e. soda/pop. Its made of bubbles, and bubbles it remains. AKA it causes tremendous gas and discomfort! When I think about drinking soda, I envision filling my guts up with tons and tons of tiny air bubbles; subsequently I change my mind!

*RAW VEGETABLES -  i.e. lettuce/carrots. No matter how thoroughly veggies are chewed, without a colon to help break down the enzymes, they will hardly become any more digested than before they were swallowed. Roughage is just that...ROUGH.

*MUSHROOMS - Although its a raw veggie, it deserves a point of its own. Mushrooms are at the top of the list of gas producing foods. Stay AWAY.

*BEANS - Do I even need to explain this one? No. (By the way, green beans are a different story, see cooked veggies below...)

*SEEDS/BERRIES - Leave these for the birds! Dried fruit and seeds will hardly get digested.

*NUTS - Of all the things not to eat, this is the worst. The reason they're at the bottom of my list is because I NEVER EVER EAT THEM, because they are PURE EVIL!

...and now that I have put that disturbing image in your head, you hopefully will never forget how truly evil nuts are! No matter how well you chew, without a colon, you will still poop gravel. Owwww! Take it from someone who learned the hard way, you truly need large intestines to bother with these. (Okay, eating peanuts on a Snickers bar is not the end of the world, just don't eat 1/2 a loaf of almond bread, like I did.  

Please understand that these foods are not actually forbidden, but I do try to follow these general guidelines myself. If I decide to eat something stupid, I try to do it on a day when I know I'll be in the comfort of my own home that evening.

EAT SPARINGLY:

*FRESH FRUITS+VEGGIES - Admittedly, I do eat cucumbers and pickles and tomatoes, but I limit my intake. Here's the annoying thing about tomatoes though: the skin doesn't get digested. Being the genius weird-o that I am, I peel my tomatoes and throw away the skin. Strawberries seem to be fine, but raspberries are made mostly of seeds, are not as favorable with the pouch.

*Cheese - I was told by Mayo Clinic that this protein rich, constipating food would be my new best friend. Although cheese is helpful because it bulks, I eat it sparingly and try not to get too carried away. (As with most dairy products, gas is a side effect.)

*Brown rice - Fibrous AKA hard to digest.

****A huge help I've found in tolerating "problem foods" is something called Beano. These tablets are made from natural enzymes that prevent gas.

I know its sounds fake, but after Takedown surgery, I suffered from almost everything I ate. Once I stumbled upon this amazing helper, I could tolerate eating food a lot easier. I take 3 tablets right before the first bite of food. I do this before just about every snack or meal I eat. There's also a chewable version for people that have trouble swallowing pills. And for the record, Beano works great for people with their colon too! Pre-surgeries, I used to take Beano before eating re-fried beans and it really did help!****

*BANANAS - Starchy and sticky again. AND they actually absorb acidity! Yay! A defensive opponent to the dreaded butt burn. So if you must eat pizza, eat a banana with it. Pizza+bananas=yum??

*POTATOES- mashed, baked, boiled. Any way you like them! When I had my ileostomy, these were my best food friend, and they still are... BFF potatoes!

*POULTRY- Chicken and turkey are both easy to digest. Plus these meats are a good source of protein.

RAWR, DINOSAUR CHICKENS!!

*COOKED VEGETABLES - Sauteed in olive oil, steamed, boiled or cooked in the oven. As long as they're cooked until they're no longer crunchy, they're tolerable for the guts. They don't have to be "squishy", but the better cooked they are, they easier they are to digest. Some of my favorites to cook are yellow squash and zucchini.

Please note that I eat a lot of other foods besides the "safe" foods listed. Those are just the most common basic foods that I build my meals upon. Most of these foods are starchy and sticky, which are very good things for people in the No-Colon Club! I guess to sum up the majority of what I eat, I would say a lot of sandwiches, rice dishes, pasta dishes, stir-fry, and casseroles. And I'm totally okay with all those delicious meals by the way.

I can’t tell who wrote that dietary advice. It’s mostly nonsense, though it could help some selected folks with digestive or pouch problems, as long as they try out the suggestions in their own bodies. In the early days and weeks after surgery it may be helpful to maintain a simple diet, but most folks with well-functioning, mature  J-pouches have essentially no dietary restrictions or sensitivities.

I copied and shared it.

But if you have ANY Diet advice for me? I would greatly appreciate it.

You say a simple Diet. Can you possibly break it down for me. I understand that not everything works for everyone.

When you get home after a surgery like this. I'm sure I'm not the only person who wasn't given a whole lot of information.

I think hearing anyone's  experience can help to a degree.

Thank you !

God Bless

After surgery I ate a bland low fiber diet and slowly over time I've been able to add back most any foods in small amounts,  chewed well.  I can now eat nuts,  and I have some most days,  but chew until they are like nut butter.  Which  was what I started with - nut butter made from almonds,  cashews or peanuts.  Carrots cooked until soft,  mashed potato without skins,  yogurt,  thin sliced turkey or chicken,  plain crackers,  broth,  cheese,  soft melon,  cooked apples with no skin, Cheerios.  I was fine with milk, or vegetable/nut milks.   Weak tea,  hot water with a little lemon and honey and low sodium V8.

This is not a forever diet,  over the first year you will figure out what works for you.  And beyond that you will continue to adapt.  That's why you were not given a specific diet for jpouch surgery.  After surgical recovery there are no specific restrictions.  But I would suggest caution,  chewing very well,  and introducing rather small amounts of a fibrous or tough food at a time. 

So it will be a year like this? I'm constantly bloated...and I feel like gas may be trapped, an the pain that comes with it is unbelievable. But I'm also only on Day 7 . So I have pain . Unfortunately absolutely NO pills .. so no meds.

Also , Any advice on Sleeping? I've been sleeping on my back of course. But I wake up in more pain from my back hurting. I've propped my legs up I e pretty much tried everything...I think 🤔.

I get it is going to take Time. I Do.

I'm just looking for any suggestions or Helpful resources from someone who has had the same surgery.

Thank you all 💕

In the beginning, I was on a low residue diet.  My surgeon gave me the information on this.  Low fiber, white bread, white rice, bananas, chicken, peanut butter etc.  I don’t recall everything on it but you can most likely google it.  As others have said, chew well and introduce new foods slowly.  It is an adjustment period, and you will see what works for you.  Some foods tend to aggravate my pouch more than others, such as chocolate and red wine, but I still had a chocolate cupcake and half a glass of red wine last night.  Sometimes it’s just worth it to deal with the effects, mostly just looser stools.  I am 5 years out and eat pretty healthy most times.  I just try to watch my sugar and carb intake.

There are dietary guidelines on this site, under the “Information” header. https://www.j-pouch.org/pages/diet

After abdominal surgery (I've had 5 - 1 to donate a kidney and 4 for my colectomy/j pouch) I continued to mostly sleep on my side with a soft pillow in front for extra support.  I've found that lying on my right side almost always makes me pass gas.  Probably every person is different depending on how things are attached inside. 

The best thing for gas pains is walking.  Yes it is uncomfortable at first but the motion really helps.   It will also help you sleep better.  We are all gassy at times,  especially early on.  It will get better,  and you do learn how to manage.

Also beware of too much dry wiping.  You can get a very irritated bum.  I wash with a squeeze bottle of warm water and blot dry.  Barrier creams can help a lot too.   

You can search on here and find 100's of tips that may help.

It's like being a newborn baby again,you have to eat mushy foods and you get butt rash .But as the months past your body and you grow to use the new plumbing.at the start I was using a handheld bidet a hairdryer and calmoseptine and thinking it was the new norm but now I just go normally .the alternative  of a bag for life is far worse.

I'm 18 months out from takedown. I started with pasta, meat (any..beef, chicken, pork all did ok for me), potatoes, rice, bread, applesauce, bananas, smoothies, etc. But within first 6 months I was eating pizza, spaghetti with tomato based sauce, tacos (mild, not taco bell ), etc. I rarely get butt burn and didn't often. Sometimes, but not a norm. Soft foods are good, try new things as time goes on.

Also, my go to to release gas...stand up from the toilet, bend over like you are going to touch your toes for about 10 seconds, then sit back down. Often helps move it along.

Forgot to add...sleeping. Get a pregnancy pillow. Really helps to prop you in various positions rather than just on your back. I have a u shaped one I got on Amazon. Then, had to get my 6 year old grandson one cause he loves my "nest" and my daughter (his mom) one as she's pregnant now again. You can take the cover off to wash it. It's helped me a lot and now I can sleep more on my side comfortably.

Thank you for the Great Advice! It has truly helped me ! So I am starting to feel a little more healed , Thank God 🙏.

And now I'm just extremely sore between my ribs. I guess my stomach area. It feels ,...Tight . Best word to describe. Breathing out feels ok . It's breathing in that hurts.

Ive been sleeping on my back. Due to the severity of my surgery I absolutely can not sleep on either side . And I'm a belly sleeper. :-(

So last night, I had these really sharp pains come and go. It wasn't anything I'd felt before. I thought they was just from the healing process. Then woke up with pain all up in the top. Like I said I feel like it's my in between my ribs, it feels tight so I figured Muscle? But I wanted to get some advice.

Could I have twisted 🥨 anything inside ?

Should I be alarmed of it being something else?

Thank you All so very much for your replies!

They all have been extremely helpful, and its also nice to read about every individuals experience with this. It has helped me just knowing I'm not alone in this.

Thank you All. God Bless

Hi,

I have had a J Pouch for almost 30 years and can eat just about anything I want. Diet is all trial and error with the individual and there is no approved one consensus diet for all. One phenomenon I have seen on this board is the emphasis on short term digestability rather than long term health of the Pouch. At your early embryonic stage of Pouch development, clearly, short term digestability is really all that matters. After 30 days or so, you may begin gradually adding new foods, one at a time. What doesn't digest well then, however, might not be any problem in a year. You have to be prepared to apply trial and error experiments at the 1 month, 6 month and 1 year marks. After one year you will probably know what you can digest well short term.

What is good for a J Pouch long term is the subject of much debate and discussion but a consensus exists that limiting sugar and carbs is helpful in not breeding bacterial overgrowth and the conditions that it can lead to. This doesn't mean, however, that you cannot eat sugar and carbs or that you must necessarily reduce them, as some people have no problems whatsoever eating the same after surgery as before, or in eating anything that they want. I believe you should experiment with foods, but how you feel should dictate the aggressiveness with which you do so.

Good luck and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

Thank you ❣️

As for the symptoms you describe above it could be a blockage although my experience is that the pain steadily gets worse and is accompanied by a knotted sensation in one location. Are things passing through your rectum yet? If you are moving bowels that wouldn't be the issue.