I love a lot of things about you CHook, you are soo deep!!! I think colons being extracted is for people with IBD or cancer or any other health issue.

I would prefer a well functioning J-pouch, my j-pouch and I have a great relationship. I just wish it would absorb more stuff and less bathroom trips than about 20 per day lol.

What would you chose??/

A healthy colon only makes sense... it's like asking if you think a peg leg is better than the real thing...

I still have all my wisdom teeth, I tell people that they are for crushing human bone.

I'd rather be a cyborg and not require any eating at this point.

I vote for a healthy colon. By-the-way my Dad had the artificial leg and it never took the place over the real one. My pouch is much better than when I had uc, but I’d go back to having a healthy colon any day!

(My wisdom teeth are gone too. I’m just falling apart all over

I would go back to having a healthy colon and a healthy thyroid. Both are now gone. But I still have my wisdom teeth and ironically last week had to have a filling put in one of my wisdom teeth to replace a filling that partially fell out. Was a 1.5 hour appointment and had to keep my mouth really really wide open so my dentist could scrape and drill out the old filling and put in the new one. My jaw muscles were so sore afterwards.

But this post reminds me that some scammer down in Florida talked my 83 year old father into removing his wisdom teeth at age 83. They were not bothering my father at all but somehow the oral surgeon doctored up some tests and radiology to support that my father's wisdom teeth were growing sideways and were going to be a "huge problem" if he didn't have them removed. Do wisdom teeth even grow at age 83????? Somehow my father was convinced he needed the surgery and the scammer removed the wisdom teeth and just happy Dad got through that with no problems. This is just a warning to all of you out there with elderly parents that there a lot of scammers out there that will try and sell any snake oil they can and it's up to you all to protect your parents from these vultures. Fortunately my father now lives next door to me in CT and I can watch him more closely.

CT Barrister bless your heart for looking after your father. What are some advice you can give me. I had a total colectomy in 2008 and a jp pouch in 2009. And my life is miserable, have good and bad days but the bad days outnumber the good ones.☹

Do you know what the issues with your pouch are? What have your scopes shown and what treatment are you receiving?

@Former Member posted:

I love a lot of things about you CHook, you are soo deep!!! I think colons being extracted is for people with IBD or cancer or any other health issue.

I would prefer a well functioning J-pouch, my j-pouch and I have a great relationship. I just wish it would absorb more stuff and less bathroom trips than about 20 per day lol.

What would you chose??/

Hi Lauren, I also had a total colectomy in 2008 and a j pouch since 2009.  But I have mostly bad days. I know everyone is different but I would appreciate some points you want to share.

Not to make light of this, but none of us would be participating here if we had healthy colons, so it is a false choice. Nobody has a healthy colon removed to be replaced by a j-pouch,  well functioning or not.

The real question is should we settle for a poorly functioning j-pouch and being a bowel cripple? No, of course not! The problem is that we all differ on what we consider good enough or intolerable. Plus, we all differ on what we are willing to do to save our j-pouch. It is all very personal and nobody can tell you what is right for you.

But sure, if I could go back in time and choose different DNA, I would choose to have a healthy colon and no other diseases as well!

Jan

I read that removal of the appendix at a young age makes getting uc less likely as the appendix regulates the immune system but can cause problems and is unecessary.I would choose a healthy colon as well but to hear it holds food for up to five days sounds unhealthy given the amount of food people can consume these days.

@Unhappy posted:

Hi Lauren, I also had a total colectomy in 2008 and a j pouch since 2009.  But I have mostly bad days. I know everyone is different but I would appreciate some points you want to share.

Hey! I am sorry you have a lot of bad days! I hope things get a lot better for you honey. And sure, I would to some share some points! Is there anything in particular you would like for me to share or do you want me to just share stuff in general??? Or both???

“...to hear it holds food for up to five days sounds unhealthy given the amount of food people can consume these days.”

The primary purpose of the colon is to absorb water. It does absorb some nutrients too, but the lion’s share is done by the small intestine. So, it really is untrue that a colon is unhealthy to have. Dehydration is one of the primary issues associated with colectomy, so nobody will be advocating preemptive colectomies.

Jan

There's NO choice & what a ridiculous question.  Having ur original parts is how u were created & replacements will never b the same.  I would want my colon back healthy in a heartbeat than to live like we have to without it.  I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I would never had this surgery unless it wasn't for to save my life.  I say to anyone out there do your best to change the outcome with diet or any other means if u can before ever having ur colon removed!!!