Sounds like you have a good plan in place. How long did the doc tell you it would take? I’m a year out from my takedown (hookup to pouch) and I still go upwards of 8-10x a day. It depends on the person, diet, how well you take care of yourself, age, and other health factors. I’m 38 and relatively healthy otherwise and my recovery was pretty steady otherwise (I did have several obstructions and some absorption problems).

You may also have to deal with some side effects of the surgery- obstruction, Ileus, etc. you never really know how easy or difficult the recovery can be. 

Hooe this helps. 

The fact that you're getting j pouch at 70+ is great in itself. My Surgeon said had I been a 60 yr old he wouldnt have gone for the pouch. It just tells how amazingly fit you are at this age Sir. If you eat easy to digest foods in moderation everything's as good as normal. I overeat sometimes so I have to go for an extra trip or two. J pouch surgery is much easier compared to the previous one and even the recovery time is also significantly lesser. The only tip I have is you start walking as soon as you can. It helps the intestine to start working again quickly also it helps a great deal with the initial gas blockage. 

Good Luck Sir 🙂

Whether or not the next stage of surgery is easier, depends on what they did in stage one.

I had a 2 part surgery, the ostomy and pouch were created in stage 1 and simply hooked up in stage two, that is often possible oi your fit and healthy with minimal signs of disease. But stage 1 is then very demanding.

The same procedurr can also be done as a 3 or even 4 part process.  Personally I much prefer the 'normal' plumbing, but it would be better for you to ask your doctor what's involved first, then perhaps ask the forum about that.

All:

Thanks everyone for your advice.  I have decided to go through with the operation and have a J-Pouch "installed."  The operation is Dec 19th.  I will let you know how things work out.

All the Best,

Nick

I had my pouch completed just before I turned 61 and doing well.  Good luck with your surgery, Nick.  Best advice is to be in as good shape as you can be prior to surgery.  

Hi Nick, I had my three surgeries at age 58-59. I had UC also. I am now six months out. I have three to eight bms a day. It all depends on what I eat I guess. The first four to five months for me were kind of rough. I had a lot of gas and pain from one thing or another. I guess it felt as though I had a couple of, at the least, partial blockages. Do know that for us, gas can be quite painful. Do be prepared for that. Things for me  are getting better, slowly but surely. Bobish is right, there's nothing like your original plumbing, but for us, that's no longer a possibility. All that being said, I do not regret having my surgeries. I for one could never get comfortable with have an ostomy. Good luck to you. I hope all goes well. Do keep us informed.

Aimee

Good luck. 

I can't add anything. Alot of good advice above  

Good luck though! 

Richard  

I also had my done in 3 surgeries.  Like I said, I haven't had any issues aside from what was expected.  Butt burn, gas at times (not bad for me), leakage after takedown in the beginning, not anymore.  It is a journey and does require patience to get through it all.