I hope this will help someone. It has been 6 years since my surgery (j-pouch). My first experience with pouchitis was 3 years ago and I thought I was going to die. I waited too long to see my Dr. because I really had no idea what was going on with me. Anyway, cipro got me back to normal for a few months then I had another flare up. This time they put me on liadyl (spell check). I had a bad reaction to this medication. I collapsed from fatigue and ended up needing 2 bags of Iv fluids. My wife said I turned grey.... scary moment. Long story short for two years I was on and off to keep pouchitis at bay. I had enough. I did a lot of research. Reading posts on forums searching blogs and at the end of it here is what I found. #1 Gluten... it has a huge effect with me. I eliminated it. #2 Sugar... too much and I feel pouchy. #3 Using the bathroom even when I don't need to. Your small intestine is not made to hold waste. Your pouch is made with your small intestine. Waste is passed through the small intestine rather quickly and it slows to a crawl in your colon (if your reading this you don't have a colon My Dr told me I need to "hold it in" to basically strengthen my pouch. I think this is why some get pouchitis at such an early stage. #4 iron supplement. I take a liquid supplement that is easy on the stomach. Iron heals the intestines. And here is something I feel has been an amazing part of my diet. I learned how to ferment my own vegetables. The process of lacto fermentation is an amazing way to introduce beneficial bacteria into your body. It's amazing how I've felt since doing this. I spent a lot of money on probiotics even tried vsl. This has worked better. And it costs almost nothing if you grow your own vegetables. This is how people preserved their food for thousands of years. Anyway, I hope this helps. FYI its been a little over a year with no flare up. Any questions I'll do my best to get back to you.
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