I had rectal cancer and had j pouch surgery June 2011 with takedown Dec 2011. Have never had anything I would consider Normal BM's. I call them EVENTS, as I start out having to push, then have lots of mushy, then usaully ends in gassy fluids. Sometimes very burning too. It is hard to make plans to do anything, because you just never know when they are going to act up. Dr. said to take immodium before I go out, but then it so hard to get me moving again. For the last 4 months, I have had bleeding. Went to surgeon who scoped me and said pouch looked inflamed, and gave me Cortifoam to use after each BM, which is a pain in the bottom to have to use it each time, so I don't. However, I am still bleeding. Sometimes it is coming out a little on its own. If I push a little to urinate (I have issues with that since surgery.) Need to self cath most of time, but can get urinate sometimes if push, but it pushes on my bowel too, and some bloody discharge comes out. I have been reading about pouchitis and cuffitis. I also had an ulcer right after surgery. I was in pain for 4 mos after surgery and they couldn't figure out why I was not "healing". They finally found an ulcer during a scope. Used a suppository and strong Nsaid, and worked great. I do not have pain, but I am having this bloody discharge, and with stools. Also, the muscles around my anus seem to get very sore after a BM. Sometimes during a BM it feels like I am spasming. Bum muscles feel like sore muscles after a workout. BTW, my diet is all over the place. I do need to begin journaling to see if anything in the food department helps, but is hard when I have to cook for others in the household. I also enjoy drinking a daily glass or two of wine, but am finding that if I cut that out, the bleeding does dimish some. Calling Doc today to get appt. for scope again. Need to know what in the world is going on. Anyone out there with similar issues?
First question I have is what sort of j-pouch do you have? Is this an ileal pouch or colonic pouch? I ask because it makes a world of difference. A colon acts much differently than the small intestine.
But, to me, it sounds like you are having either IBS type symptoms, elvic floor dysfunction, or simply the results of untreated pouchitis. I am unclear why your doctor prescribed cortifoam before antibiotics for pouchitis, unless this was due to radiation damage. If so, unless you use the prescribed treatment, I'm not sure why you'd excpect improvement.
If the pouchitis has resolved, then you are left with functional disorders, like IBS or pelvic floor dysfunction. But, bleeding would NOT be a symptom of those.
Jan
But, to me, it sounds like you are having either IBS type symptoms, elvic floor dysfunction, or simply the results of untreated pouchitis. I am unclear why your doctor prescribed cortifoam before antibiotics for pouchitis, unless this was due to radiation damage. If so, unless you use the prescribed treatment, I'm not sure why you'd excpect improvement.
If the pouchitis has resolved, then you are left with functional disorders, like IBS or pelvic floor dysfunction. But, bleeding would NOT be a symptom of those.
Jan