chronic pressure

Gee, after all this time, how about seeing a gastroenterologist instead of a surgeon? It would seem that your surgeon is not really thinking about long term maintenance. However, it is possible that taking Cipro in cycles might be the best option for you, since continuous use can lead to bacterial resistance or even worse infections.

A GI may be able to determine if you have other things going on besides pouchitis, like IPS, bacterial overgrowth, cuffitis, etc. Did you read the article in the "sticky" in the pouchitis forum? It might help guide you in regard to what you think might be going on with you. Sure, it is possible that ileostomy is ultimately what you will need, but I would want to be sure there was not something going on that is treatable first. At the very least, I would want to rotate antibiotics instead of just staying on Cipro.

Jan

If you're fine when you're on antibiotics, you may just have antibiotic-dependent pouchitis. This isn't rare, and it isn't a reason to return to an ileostomy. It could be a reason to simply stay on antibiotics all the time. As Jan says, some gastroenterologists prefer to rotate them (change the antibiotic every few weeks). The surgeon doesn't sound like the right person to help you sort this out.