Emptying

I go to the bathroom 2-3 times a day. Depends. If I work out I usually empty before I go. I get up in the morning and hydrate, empty my pouch at noon. Go again around 5:30 then at night, usually midnight or 1 a.m. to drain and irrigate it. My valve is a bit of an evil step child right now so going to the bathroom can be as quick as 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Depends on what I ate also. I eat a lot of fish, fish digests like water and I have no issues with it. Other than that pork does good for me. You can eat whatever, or so people say, as long as you chew.

I ate a veggie burger the other day and it was pure hell for 3 days. Took about 3 days to go to the bathroom and I had to swig some laxatives to get it moving and ate a lot of chocolate. It just did not digest. It doesn't get stuck it all comes out you just dig it out basically with a catheter. I wouldn't trade this thing for anything else though! I never had a brooke ileo or jpouch to compare but I have had a leg bag and I hated it. I say give it a go.

Ke,
The K pouch, like the J pouch takes time to grow and mature...in the begining you have to drain it ever 4 hrs and then slowly as it expands and grows you can push off the time until you reach about every 6-8 hrs except before or after a strenuous activity or bed when it is advised to empty before sleep or when you wake up...I have a different routine, my pouch is 33ys old and has had some trouble along the way so I intubate when I get up, before every meal and before bedtime, about 5-6xs a day...most times it takes between 1-3 minutes...I eat a lot of light protiens like chicken and fish (although I love red meat and have no problems with it), steamed green veggies, salads, whole grain breads & cheeses, tons of ice cream, sugary products, and fruits...I had a lot of success with a 'fit for life' type of diet where I seperated protiens and carbs so as to improve my digestive process...it works great for me...I try to avoid having fruits after a sandwhich or pasta and although I am far from stict I know that whenever I travel I go back to it to make sure I have not problems...most of us use a grape or prune juice to keep things liquidy in there (coffee and green tea work great too) at least in the begining and drink a lot of fluids too to compensate for the loss of hydration that is natural with a pouch... I avoid extremely fiberous foods like pineapple, mushrooms, leaks, stringy mangos etc...But eat pretty much everything else....I do avoid large glasses of milk but eat yoghurt & cheeses.
You will find your way through it, a bit of patience and time and you quickly become an expert.
Good luck no matter what you choose and if you care to you can PM me with any other or more personal questions.
Sharon

I can already see how veggie burgers can be an issue and I gave up peels and mushrooms when I got my ostomy and it's no loss to me! I don't eat red meat and I've been trying to eat more fish too so this is all good news to me. As long as I can still eat salads I'm good.

Thanks!

When I eat salads I usually have diced up ham or chicken, blue cheese, romaine lettuce, sometimes peeled cucumber, pees and tomato. I usually have some cold pasta in it as well since pasta turns into pure liquid for me. I pull the skins off of everything, it is just to much of a pain to deal with. Only thing is with salads I make sure the leafy parts are diced up or shredded, that way if I eat to fast and don't chew it all the way it still comes out good. I make most of my salads in my vitamix though. Just easier for me.

I only have 40% of a stomach so my digestion is different just like we all digest differently anyway.