Oh yes. It certainly soothes my J-pouch. Just make sure you don’t over munch because that will not help. It’s more natural than most medicines, therefore there are less bad side effects. You may be a little paranoid or anxious after your first couple times, but just don’t overdo it and be smart about when you smoke and you should be alright. In the majority of states that allow medical marijuana, Crohn’s disease is a qualifying condition. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Also, doctors will tell you that it does help. Before my surgeries, my mother asked my gastroenterologist whether or not I should be smoking and how it affected my ulcerative colitis. She didn’t like his answer. He said it does help. It stimulates appetite, relieves pain, nausea, anxiety, and distracts you from the burden of your condition. It can help you gain weight if that’s an issue. I honestly have not had many issues j-pouch related when regularly smoking. Like I’m almost a normal person. I have recently quit for personal reasons. 2 weeks in now, and I am noticing a decline in the effectiveness of my j-pouch. I’m already going 1-2 more times a day than I was, experiencing more gas, more pain, more liquidy stools. I fear I may have to start back up again. On the bright side, herb is more affordable than healthcare. I’m sure it affects  everyone differently, but I am a strong advocate.

I do not think its a good idea JAYDOG. I do not want to say my true feelings on it because a lot of people get crazily offended on here and report lol. But I do not think that is a good thing for us, along with alcohol. Please avoid it at all costs and stick to other things like probiotics and prebiotics.

I believe it could help with symptoms and is worth trying, but I am very skeptical of marijuana having any anti-inflammatory properties, and should not be taken with that objective in mind, in lieu of proven anti-inflammatory medications. As far as managing symptoms (and you do not say what those symptoms are), it's something you should try and could have some value. It's in the nothing ventured, nothing gained category, and it's all trial and error anyway. So give it a shot and see what happens.

Don’t knock it till you try it. Cigarettes and alcohol obviously won’t help. The fact that you lumped it in with alcohol shows your minimal knowledge on the plant. Medical marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for many illnesses. Jaydog is free to make their own decisions. If you have any examples or experiences of your own that would offer insight into any way it has negatively affected your condition, please share. That would be much more useful than simply sharing your beliefs.

@Ron Burgundy posted:

If you have any examples or experiences of your own that would offer insight into any way it has negatively affected your condition, please share. That would be much more useful than simply sharing your beliefs.

Excellent point, but I think the chances of such examples or experiences being provided are zero, because all I hear being spouted is "marijuana is evil" in around a dozen posts made by this poster on the subject, with not a scintilla of either science or experience or examples posted in support of such beliefs. Jaydog is presumably intelligent enough to draw his own conclusions on the value of such posts. As I read his original post, he specifically was looking for experiences, and not "religious" type beliefs. His specific question was, "Anybody use marijuana to help with any symptoms?" Obviously someone who hasn't, by definition, can't answer his question, and those who only want to post to get others to listen to their "beliefs" and hear themselves  talk, isn't really adding anything of value to the thread.

1st off, I was replying to the person above you. But I suppose my words are wasted on them. Secondly, cannabinoids and terpenoids, both found in marijuana are proven to have anti-inflammatory abilities. Even if I am removed from this group at least I was able to drop some knowledge and real life experiences before my departure. All I’m hearing so far are opinions, which don’t really help Jaydog.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6308289/

https://www.marijuanadoctors.c...ions/crohns-disease/

Science does not lie

Ron,

I knew exactly who your post was directed towards and posted merely to support the point you made.

Regarding the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana, the scientific evidence I have read suggested that there are mixed results in applying the anti-inflammatory agents in marijuana to IBD:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/h...d-hope-or-hype%3famp

"While studies have shown improvement in symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea, there’s still limited evidence suggesting that cannabis use in IBD patients treats the inflammation associated with the condition."

That's consistent with all the past studies I have read about. If it were otherwise marijuana would be used in lieu of antibiotics and biologics.

Most of the real science I am familiar with suggests marijuana can be very helpful for symptoms and I indeed encouraged Jaydog to try it for symptoms. However, to use marijuana in lieu of more proven anti-inflammatory agents used to treat IBD, such as antibiotics or steroids or biological drugs, isn't the standard in the medical industry. If used, marijuana is used as a complimentary and not primary treatment. I am not aware of a cause-effect relationship being established in any study between marijuana and abatement of the inflammation that results from IBD.

I agree on all other points you have made, and I think Jaydog should try marijuana based on the studies in the link I posted above.

I’m glad we are mostly in agreeance. I would like to point out that the site you have referenced is an interview with only 1 doctor, therefore I don’t give it much credit. All studies I have seen show that they help which is why people with crohns qualify for medical marijuana in many states.

I fully understand that weed doesn't help anybody's condition but I was wondering if it helped with symptoms. I heard several people say it helps them out

@Jaydog I havent tried Marijuana for the pouch so can't weigh in there, but curious what symptoms you are having?

@Kmiller posted:

@Jaydog I havent tried Marijuana for the pouch so can't weigh in there, but curious what symptoms you are having?

Nothing major. Just having spasms every now and then. They aren't to bad to deal with during the day but at night they suck because it makes it hard to sleep. Keep in mind I'm only 3 weeks out from my takedown

I qualified for medical marijuana in NY & FL. I found it helped with my nausea, but that was about it. I moved to CBD in hopes it would get me off the opioids, it did for a while, until I developed urinary issues from the cbd. Since I’ve stoped the cbd last month, i no longer have the urinary issues.

Hopefully it’ll work for you.

Spasms are an issue easily resolved by taking anti-spasmodic medication at bedtime. Have you tried taking bentyl or levsin at bedtime? I would use those before marijuana because they work preemptively. It probably wouldn't hurt to take marijuana as well at bedtime but the antispasmodics specifically slow down the motility of the bowel. I wish you had mentioned this at the beginning of the thread because this should be an easy issue to solve.

@CTBarrister posted:

Spasms are an issue easily resolved by taking anti-spasmodic medication at bedtime. Have you tried taking bentyl or levsin at bedtime? I would use those before marijuana because they work preemptively. It probably wouldn't hurt to take marijuana as well at bedtime but the antispasmodics specifically slow down the motility of the bowel. I wish you had mentioned this at the beginning of the thread because this should be an easy issue to solve.

I go in for my follow up next wed and I'm going to ask for that medication. Do spasms go away once I get a few months under my belt? I'm really hoping to not be on any medication if possible

Jaydog,

I was plagued by spasms right after takedown, and it took a year or two for them to calm down to the point where I did not need meds.  However, one of bentyl, levsin or donnatal, taken 30-45 minutes before meals, and at bedtime, completely resolved the issues.  The one negative is that these meds, taken during the day, can make you feel a little loopy, but taking one at bedtime shouldn't be a problem and should really help calm down the nighttime spasms.  I did try to avoid taking them during the day except when things were bad, because I would feel loopy and have difficulty concentrating on even the most simple tasks.

Motility can be screwed up by surgery and your body takes a while to adjust back to your new alignment.   Chances are over time it will eventually resolve as your body recalibrates.  It could be weeks, months, maybe a year or two.  But in the interim you may need to take one of these antispasmodic pills at bedtime in order to have a better night's sleep, and as needed.  Marijuana could potentially help as well, although antispasmodics have a targeted action to slow down the motility of the bowels.

JAYDOG: Your pouch is very new! I would give it some time and see how things go. If things do not get better, then try maybe Bentyl. But please do not try Marijuana, I would not recommend anyone do that or alcohol, we are very delicate and we need to treat ourselves delicately. Of course everything is your choice but please choose wisely.

Okay Lauren, we know your stance on marijuana and alcohol. You are only as delicate as you let yourself be. I played rugby with an ileostomy 4 or 5 weeks after my first surgery and still scored enough to win an All-state award even with missing half the games. The human body is an extraordinary thing and you can do anything you set your mind to. J-pouches are not weaker nor inferior to ordinary people, we are often times tougher. Again, I don’t understand, why deter someone away from something that might help them if you have never tried it yourself? Isn’t your main goal on here to help people? It doesn’t hurt to try new things. Based on your 6 year review, I don’t see why you aren’t trying anything new? 14-20x a day is not right. That’s a nice percentage of your day to spend on the toilet. I go 3-4x a day when regularly smoking. We had our surgery around the same time, I used to be similar, but have seen massive amounts of progress. I have an excellent surgeon/specialist. The only meds I’ve taken since surgery are Imodium and psyllium fiber capsules but was able to wean myself off. You can get better too, but you have to be open-minded and switch things up if what you’re doing isn’t working.

Hi Jaydog I had my takedown 6 weeks ago and have been smoking marijuana for the last week and it's helped alot,I've had no incontinence at night,and can fart easier and sleep better and less stressed.alchohol plays havoc on my guts and dries me out and makes me feel sick.but weed has no negative side effects except the munchies.

Weed is quite hard to come by but doctors can prescribe a asthma type inhaler for people with gastro and incontinence issues.

I've not had the spasms but have heard of people with them,like Emily paris on youtube,she talks about it in her one year post takedown video. that needed to take anti depressants as anxiety medication helped with the spasms ,Im on lexapro which might be why I have no spasms but the marijuana is worth trying in moderation.

@Former Member posted:

Hi Jaydog I had my takedown 6 weeks ago and have been smoking marijuana for the last week and it's helped alot,I've had no incontinence at night,and can fart easier and sleep better and less stressed.alchohol plays havoc on my guts and dries me out and makes me feel sick.but weed has no negative side effects except the munchies.

Weed is quite hard to come by but doctors can prescribe a asthma type inhaler for people with gastro and incontinence issues.

I've not had the spasms but have heard of people with them,like Emily paris on youtube,she talks about it in her one year post takedown video. that needed to take anti depressants as anxiety medication helped with the spasms ,Im on lexapro which might be why I have no spasms but the marijuana is worth trying in moderation.

I love Emily Paris videos too! She has not posted in forever!

Yeah her videos helped me alot,she's on instagram and seems happy travelling with her boyfriend.alot of jpouch vloggers seem to get better and just disappear.lauren are you going 20 times a day because your a vegetarian? Have you tried husk to bulk up your output?

@Former Member posted:

Yeah her videos helped me alot,she's on instagram and seems happy travelling with her boyfriend.alot of jpouch vloggers seem to get better and just disappear.lauren are you going 20 times a day because your a vegetarian? Have you tried husk to bulk up your output?

I totally agree, I do not have instagram but that is good to hear! I wonder if she is on here by any chance. And you are so right! A lot of J-pouch vloggers disappear after a while!  I really wish they did not do that to be honest; I think there is always something to share about the J-pouch/ostomy.

Very good theory actually! I have been a vegetarian for almost 5 1/2 years. The vegetarian J-pouchers that I have come across do not go as much as I go. But that could definitely be true about what you said, but I personally think it would probably be the same for me. But then again, I have read and have been told by doctors that meat is more harder to digest than vegetarian food, so it could be true. I will never eat meat again because of ethical reasons so I will never find out lol.  

I never tried Husk to thicken things up. I have tried loperamide though in the past; straight after Takedown, I think I was going around 30-40X a day, loperamide helped with that tremendously! After a while, Lopermide started to constipate me severely! So I stopped taking it 6 years ago. At least the 30-40X dropped to 14-20X a day. I do eat lots of Oatmeal and that bulks things up but I still go around 14-20X a day. Vegetarian food is higher in fiber anyway. I never tried anything else after loperamide, I get constipated easily ironically lol. Going 14-20X a day definitely has its hard days but I am just grateful my pouch is working to be honest, I would not change a thing because of that.

I never had pouchitis too, I think me having to empty all of the time saves me from pouchitis since I am constantly flushing out bacteria, that is a just a theory I believe in.

How many times a day do you go???

I dont really count how many times but probably  8 times a day.Im 7 weeks out from takedown and I saw my surgeon last week and he said to take a tablespoon  of phsillium husk in the morning and 2 loperamide before bed.he said they aim for quality of life and that going multiple times at night is not a good quality of life.he said 9% of jpouchers will return to the bag during the course  of their lives.

The jpouch vloggers on youtube are great except alot of them  had complications .

I live in a state where I could get my Medical Marijuana License and I just renewed it for another year. I use various forms of products for all kinds of pain issues and just for general well being. I have found it especially helpful to keep anxiety out of the picture, despite the situation of covid and a horrible boss and the issues we are have with our j-pouch. I would HIGHLY reccomend if you live in a state where it is legal, to get your medical liscense and start experimenting or perhaps if you live in other states where it can be sold recreationally, you can have access to it. Besides just the THC in Marijunana, there are now products with various other terpenes and more that really help. Good luck. And Emerald City lady, you don't know what in the heck you are talking about so BACK OFF with the anti marijuana statement please.

@Former Member posted:

I dont really count how many times but probably  8 times a day.Im 7 weeks out from takedown and I saw my surgeon last week and he said to take a tablespoon  of phsillium husk in the morning and 2 loperamide before bed.he said they aim for quality of life and that going multiple times at night is not a good quality of life.he said 9% of jpouchers will return to the bag during the course  of their lives.

The jpouch vloggers on youtube are great except alot of them  had complications .

Oh dear! I hope we 9%ers that go 14 and up are not the same 9%ers that go back to a bag lol! That would be ironic lol.

And wow cool! You are another person on here that got there J-pouch in 2020 during this difficult time. I think people that got surgery during this year are definitely Resilient too!!!!! You should be really proud of yourself!

You probably were not allowed any visitors as well huh? I know that must have been hard.

And yeah, I agree! I do not believe Emily Parris had too many complications other than the spasms and the but burn, but the anxiety medication took care of the spasms I believe. Does she talk about it on her instagram???

Yes my second and third surgeries were postponed at the last minute due to covid and my second surgery meant no visitors which I didn't mind to much but because the hospital was full I ended up in a small room on my own which was a bit depressing.

My first surgery I was in for 38 nights,my second was 8 nights and my third was three nights.

@Former Member posted:

Yes my second and third surgeries were postponed at the last minute due to covid and my second surgery meant no visitors which I didn't mind to much but because the hospital was full I ended up in a small room on my own which was a bit depressing.

My first surgery I was in for 38 nights,my second was 8 nights and my third was three nights.

I am sorry to hear that. I think you would have been alone anyway since IBD people usually get their own room due to bacteria, at least that was what happened to me in my past experience, I always got my own room which I liked. I am sorry it was depressing for you. This experience has definitely made you stronger and at least you are finished

That PTSD of staying in the hospital might stay with you for a while, I was in the hospital in 2014 from late September to January 1st or 2nd in 2015; I had a ton of complications that usually people do not have. 6 years later everything is perfect for me.

I am so happy you are 7 weeks out and are doing okay! You definitely have my support and I am glad to have you here! I think 2021 will be a great year for you I am also very happy you got the surgery before the New Year, I bet that felt very relieving

@ytcrockpot posted:

I qualified for medical marijuana in NY & FL. I found it helped with my nausea, but that was about it. I moved to CBD in hopes it would get me off the opioids, it did for a while, until I developed urinary issues from the cbd. Since I’ve stoped the cbd last month, i no longer have the urinary issues.

Hopefully it’ll work for you.

I have been trying different forms of marijuana and different profiles. I have found some really work for certain things.  It has been trial and error but perhaps you can find a helpful dispensary and helpful sales person and try different things/forms etc and they can help you out. The range now a days, is amazing and impressive.

Yes, it can be extraordinarily helpful beginning with micro doses of 2:1 (CBD to THC ratio) and using edible forms especially at bedtimes.

I have patients that have gotten off biologics and changed to different medicines.

I can say no pouchitis, better sleep, nearly no joint pain and I can now eat most anything.

Treat it like medicine and will behave like medicine.

The person mentions that CBD was irritating to them so that is not an option. But I urge them to try lots of different forms!!! I have found  a lot of  help for many things that ail me.. headaches, insomnia, pain and more! So many different products, profiles, ingredients, delivery methods.  It's a miracle. I hope they live in a state where it is legalized or recreational!  And if not now, then maybe soon! These times they are a changing. It is ignorant to say a blanket MARIJUANA IS UNHELPFUL, DON'T do it like Lauren of Emerald City often says. Boo hiss.