For Wine Drinkers

I am fine with either red or white. No problems. My husband and I can split a bottle with our dinner.

Maybe I have a bit more liquid output, not sure I can tell the difference. I really don't pay attention after more than 15 years.

Jan

Thanks Jan, that is good to know. I enjoy wine I just don't wont to consume anything that could damage or jeopardize the pouch and I am hoping with time I will tolerate it better.

I usually drink dry white, although I don't turn down a red (again, never sweet) from time to time, either. One or 2 glasses, and I've never noticed a problem.

Maybe you could try a glass of white instead of red, see if that makes a difference for you.

I'm probably a lousy person to ask because I really don't pay much attention to how liquid or fast my output is anymore. The only time I pay attention is if I am having other symptoms, like crampy pain, urgency, or a sensation of not emptying. Body aches are also a clue that I have pouchitis.

Other than that, if something zips through me, I think, "Good! Maybe I didn't absorb all the calories and it won't go straight to my hips!" Plus, it won't be keeping up at night!! But, that is just me. Other people are more concerned/sensitive to what is going on in their pouch.

Jan

Funny but since my first surgery I have lost my taste for red wine although more recently I have enjoyed a very nice red so maybe my taste is coming back. No problems with white wine at all. HaHa Jan I am with you - if things zip through me they can't be making me fat right?

I can't drink red wine at all but I have no problems with white. I had a glass of Riesling with my dinner last night at a French-Alsacian restaurant and it went down quite well with my chicken stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes.

I don't like red wine but am fine with white. I'm not really a big drinker but over New Years i did end up drinking a whole bottle of wine to myself and was fine. I didn't go to the loo more then usual but like Jan i don't really take note of how often i go anyways. It's just the norm now.
Everyones different and tolerates things differently. Just listen to your body and give it time.

There are some fairly good wines coming out of Australia these days. I drank one called Yellow Tail or something like that. There may have been a Kangaroo on the bottle, or I may be getting it confused with another Aussie wine. It was reasonably priced too. It was a white wine, I forget the genre but on the dry side.

The Riesling I had with my dinner last night was quite dry, as far as Rieslings go. I prefer my wines with a little bit of sweetness. The Rieslings run the full gamut from dry to sweet.

Does too much wine have the potential of damaging the pouch? For instance drinking a couple glasses a day- could this increase pouchitis/cuffitis risks or damage the structure or good bacteria of the pouch. I feel like we all need some kind of stress relief with what we deal with each day but i don't want to hurt anything

I like red wine and prefer that over white or any other kind of wine. I don't think a glass of wine would hurt a J Pouch at all.

When I first was diagnosed with UC in 1986, all alcohol would have a negative reaction. Beer: It would feel like I had swallowed a cannon ball and I used to drink a lot of beer in my 20's with no problem before I became sick so now, beer is out. Even one swallow of beer my gut would react the same way to this day, so beer is out for good.

Everytime I drink wine, I would break out. My face would become Beet Red, and it didn't matter if I drank white wine or red wine. Not only that, but I would also experience hot flashes and I would be red all over my body and I would itch. So after my first surgery and having a J Pouch in 1993, I stopped drinking all together which really sucked because I like Red Wine. Everytime I did drink, even a sip, my face and body would react the same way and it became embarassing if I was out in a restaurant.

Then in 2008, I went to Italy with my parents and my siblings, my SIL and my nieces and my nephew. My brother would ask me everyday to have a glass of wine and I refuse becuase even one sip would do my in. Finally, I gave in to my brothers wishes and had a sip of Red Wine with no reaction. The next evening during dinner I had a glass and felt fine. So the next evening I drank even more and became silly. And the next night, I got drunk but was feeling really good so I thought my problems with drinking were over. I had the house wine all the time because that was recommended so if anyone is going to travel, drink the house wine. I only drank Red Wine.

So I brought two bottles of Red Wine home with me and the first time I drank, once again, I turned Beet Red as before with the same reactions of hot flashes and itch all over. I thought this really sucks. I even bought wine in town that had no sulfites and I still I turned Beet Red as before with all the other bad reactions with it. So my attitude was the only time I can drink is if I go overseas so I stopped drinking again.

I asked my GI why does this happen and he said its because you have a J-Pouch and your body cannot handle alcohol.

Then in 2010, I go to the Holy Land and drank the house Red Wine. Once again, no reacation and I had two glasses of Red Wine the next night and I felt fine. But being on a Pilgrimage, I only drank one or two glasses during dinner for the majority of my trip.

I come home, buy some red wine, and once again I get the same darn reaction of turning Beet Red. So then I decided I would try a new strategy. I would not buy the red wine that cost under $10 but drink something more expensive. So I bought a bottle of imported Italian wine called Ruffino, the Gold Label which was on sale for $32 a bottle. I drank a glass, no problem. One evening while my family was out for the day and night, I drank the whole bottle. Although I got drunk, that was the only thing that happened. And unlike the cheap stuff, I had no hang over the next day.

Now, that is the wine I normally drink. And I do so without any problems. When I went to NYC to see if my Kidney Cancer returned, my results were negative so at lunch with my brother, I decided to really splurge and I bought a bottle from Tuscany a Riserva from Italy that was $160 a bottle and that was the best wine I ever had and I had no reaction. Well, that is not necessarily true, as my brother asked me "Your going to spend a $160 for one bottle?" I said, "Why not, my tests were negative." So my brother says to me "Suppose the results of your test were positive?" I said "If my results were positive and my Cancer returned, then I would have to spend at least $300 a bottle and go out with a bang." Now my brother has spread the word with my siblings to go out with me to NYC because I don't care how much the wine cost and am willing to spend. And now its become a standard joke. I don't disapoint them either.

Rocket

quote:

Then in 2010, I go to the Holy Land and drank the house Red Wine

The best known red wine in Israel is a dry red wine called Carmel. In fact, before Adolph Eichmann was hanged by Israel in 1962 for Nazi war crimes, he refused to make a request for a last meal and instead asked for a bottle of Carmel. He was then hanged after he drank half of a bottle of Carmel red wine.

I've heard of Eichmann. In fact, the actor who played Klink on Hogan's Hero's portrayed him in a 1960's film.

When I went to the Holocuast Museum named Yad Vashem in Israel, they had a short newsreel film on his trial as if it was happening right now. As the charges were stated by the prosecuting attrny, the camera was on Eichman who had his hand over his mouth because he was laughing. At that point, as I watched this, I realized that I was not seeing a human being, but the Devil himself.

The museum was built by the generous donations of Abe and Edita Spiegel whose son Uziel was murdered in Auschwitz at age 2 1/2.

Although I am grateful I went to the museum, its something I can never do again. They had a children's museum and when I went home to reflect and put words with my photo's, I got too emotional and was crying. It was just too heart breaking to see photos of these kids. You go into a museum and walk along and the ceiling resembles the night sky lit up with stars. Then as you look up at the walls, they have a photo of a child smiling, his/her name is given, then the age the child died at the concentration camp he was at. So in the above example, you would see and hear, "Uziel Speigel, 2 1/2 yrs old, Auschwitz. And this would go on 24/7. 1.5 million kids were exterminated and that does not even begin to count the number of future generation that never came to be. Too this day, I can never get these faces erased from my memory. Have to stop now, as I am beginning to get emotional again.

Rocket

Rocco - I have the same problem. I even went to my doctor and said, "fix this NOW!" But it doesn't seem to be fixable in my case. We have friends who are winophiles (or as they say, "just plain winos.") They drink only the best - +$1000 bottles of wine very often. They purchase their wines directly from the famous winemakers in France so that they know the wine has been cared for properly.

Yes, the quality is definitely extraordinary. There is a difference. But even those do it to me. I also thought it was the sulfites so moved from red to white wines. Same result. So I thought is might be the grapes. I moved on to potatoes (vodka), juniper berries (gin), rum, and tequilla. Same results. So I'm assuming it's the alcohol.

new2thisstuff - to get back to your question. No, you can't hurt your pouch by drinking wine. It's time to make your pouch understand that you're the boss of it and you WILL have the occasional glass of wine. If the results aren't perfect, you could help things by taking imodium or by eating something that will thicken things up. Shaved parmessan cheese and crackers go well with wine...

kathy

Kathy,

That really stinks. That is not fair. If I had one wish for people with pouchitis, I wish some doctor would come out and say: One glass of wine is beneficial to anyone with pouchitis. If that were true, hmm, you think the insurance companies would cover that on our benefit plan?

I have to take it slow though because when I had pouchitis, I didn't touch alcohol at all. The last time I drank was June 3rd (went to NYC with my siblings). Then when I wasn't feeling good, finally went to the doctor and only have a little inflamtion as of 2 weeks ago, I started to drink.

My first drink of Chianti, I turned red. I guess I have to work back up to it. Originaly, the thought from my brother when I was in Italy was that I was away from home and not having to live with the stress of my wife. In any event, I will be back in NYC in November with a couple of my siblings, my SIL and BIL and two nieces to eat fine food and drink, and drink. My BIL does not drink so I told him he can make sure to get me home safely.

So you have friends who drink only the best? now that is someone I would want to be friends with.

Rocket

Do you think drinking wine will help pouchitis?

I am a very occasional drinker. I went out with 3 friends last night to watch the Giants-Panthers football game and we had dinner and they ordered drinks but I just ordered cranberry juice with ginger ale.

However I do like to drink white wine and if it could have some benefit to the pouchitis, I am all for trying a glass or two a day. What do you guys think?

DJBHusky,

Well, I like to beiieve drinking is good for Pouchitis. I don't really drink that often like I used to before I was sick. When I was younger, i would go out with friends and drink on the weekend only, but that was it.

Great game last night. I am a big Giants fan.

Rocket

I don't know what it does or doesn't do for pouchitis, but wine isfine for me. I am partial to reds, butwhites are OK too. For decades, I couldn't imbibe due to hot flashes. But, after passing menopause and dropping 60+ pounds, I can drink again. I now have a couple of glasses every night with dinner.

No problemo.

Jan

2 glasses of wine, I use to like white, or a vodka drink and I'm ready to pass out. It goes to my head immediately.

I have a wine rack full of wine that's just sitting there as my taste for it left with my colon. It also left for some foods too.

I'm in a ice cream phase these days, plus I can drive afterwards

I get more tipsy on red, but I think that's just me more than the pouch! new2thisstuff - the best way to know for sure if something's going to upset your pouch is to try a little of it, safely at home. Might seem like asking for trouble, but I'm glad I've done that over the years otherwise I might have spent a long time denying myself some of the things I like!