Hi Folks, I thought I would post this note to see if others go through the same kind of thing I do from time to time.  Perhaps there's a way to pinpoint the cause, or perhaps it's simply part and parcel of having a j-pouch.

I had my one-step total colectomy in July of 2000, so it's been 23.5 years now.  I'm 55, and I consider myself to be in good shape for my age.  I coach hockey for a living and I officiate it on the side.  I was returning home from officiating some late-night games last night.  I got home around 12:30am and was really hungry.  I know that eating too much at that hour right before going to bed isn't usually in my best interests!  I don't usually sleep as well, nor do I feel as well if I do.  Of course, if I sleep really deeply when I have a lot of food in my stomach, I can expect incontinence sometimes.  So last night I decided to cut up and skin a couple of very ripe pears and I ate them along with a home-made cookie.  I drank some soy milk and went to bed.  I don't want to disgust anyone here but I must have woken up at least 6 times during the night to go to the toilet to have mushy bowel movements and lots of urination.  In the morning I was still doing the same thing.  Waking up and back to sleep etc etc etc.  Eventually, it seems like just about everything in my digestive system got cleaned out.  I felt really empty and didn't want to get out of bed as I didn't sleep much / well and was really tired / sleepy still. 

This doesn't happen that often, but every now and again it seems my body just keeps pushing out the mushy stool several times, and lots of it, until I am empty.  My weight for many years was between 160 and 165.  During the pandemic is was down to 145-150.  Currently I am around 147.  It seems that even if I wanted to gain some weight, I can't.  My body just keeps shitting out everything I eat!  It's a physical issue but I find also a mental one.  Generally speaking, the more I eat, the more I have to defecate.  Occasionally when I make more trips to the toilet than usual, I realize that I missed my dose of codeine at the usual time.  This would definitely contribute to increased bowel movements and cleaning out the body.  However, I am pretty sure I didn't miss my dose last night around 6pm.  [I take 300mg of codeine daily broken into 2 doses].

Do some of you go through the same type of thing like I have described here?  Do any of you feel like gaining weight and keeping it on is impossible?  That said, I am not too worried about my actual weight being where it is.  I am more concerned with my decreased muscle mass and perhaps not having the food energy and physical energy to increase it again.  I think it is fair to say that a reduction or lack of caloric energy = a lack or reduction of physical energy. 

I am looking forward to your responses.