Curious in regard to J pouch output...?

Your bag doesn't have nerve endings or muscles, or any living tissue for that matter. The only factor that affects when you need to change it is its volume. A j-pouch is not like this. It is affected by things like your circadian rhythms, when you eat, and the things you eat.

For example, eating triggers the gastrocolic reflex, which stimulates muscle contractions along the entire length of the GI tract. You experience this now with your bag in that when you eat a meal you probably have more output. The difference is that with a j-pouch, at least in the beginning, eating will stimulate the j-pouch itself -- not only does the flow of output into the j-pouch increase, but the j-pouch will want to contract and expel its contents also. This affects different people to different degrees but most people shortly after surgery experience that eating makes them feel an urge to empty their pouch, even if it's empty.

Another factor is that surgery on the intestines simply changes their behavior in ways that we don't really understand. People on this board who have the experience of having multiple ileostomies know that some ileostomies are high output and others are not, and it is not always related to the amount of bowel upstream. As far as I know, medical science does not know why this is. It just is.

Finally, going six hours without emptying a j-pouch is not unusual. I usually have a BM every 4-6 hours, and I would say that's on par with average (the most common response from j-pouchers is 4-6 BMs per day). So although it's possible that your frequency will be higher with a j-pouch, there's a good chance that after your pouch matures it will go back to something *similar* (not the same) as the schedule you're used to now.

Your j-pouch may not have the same capacity as your appliance, at least not at first, while it adapts. Plus, it may be easily irritated and sensitive to your diet.

Remember, it is a living thing and your appliance is not. The whole gut downstream from your ostomy has been resting and "out of practice."

Jan

Your J-pouch must learn to act as a reservoir. The small intestine that now acts as a j-pouch is originally programmed to constantly contract. It must adapt. The amount of output may be the same, but the frequency is Highly variable after takedown.

On another note, are your Ostomy bags disposable?? Most people empty their bag in the toilet and change their wafer and bag every 2-7 days.

Dan

strange, why takedown in 3-4 months? didn't you have surgery a while back just after me?