how did you feel?????

I felt like I still had plenty of recovering to do. Fortunately I could tell things were slowly improving.

Yes, agreed! Things progressed very slowly. I remember my surgeon telling me several times "just be patient". After a couple months passed, I said "aaahhh, that's what he meant!"

It was actually a year by the time I felt back to normal. So really, take your time, small steps one day at a time.

Take care and be patient . . .

Six weeks was the marker for me; that is when I first noticed a tiny bit of improvement. Measure improvement in weeks or months; this recovery is slow and patience will be your be your best friend.

Sue

I felt pretty good at 4 weeks but it was right around that time that I developed an anal stricture and I had to do several outpatient visits to my surgeon to have it dilated. After that was resolved though, I felt like my old self again like before the UC days.

I'm still on 2/3 bm's but I'm experiencing much more discomfort on anal area due to irritation! I have no urgence (absolutely not), but when things arrive there (because of force of gravity) I suffer some great pain... this and spasm are my only annoyances, hope they'll end soon!

My surgeon told me that I would feel "normal" again at about the year mark. You will definitely see improvements each month that goes by. Don't get discouraged or compare yourself to everyone else's progress as our bodies are all different. Just give yourself a pat on the back each day that goes by and remind yourself your finally on the path to getting better.

Phonix2g, yea that's what scares me... I don't think I can deal with the spasms and incontinence for a whole year... I'm really looking forward to the next 2 weeks... Hopefully I will start feeling better at the 6 week mark... I hope

Maybe what I said was in the wrong context. He was saying as "normal" being your body healed and operate as good as your jpouch is going to operate. It didn't mean you had to put up with that stuff for a whole year things will improve every month. Trust me you should be measuring progress in weeks and months not from one year to the next. You will be fine we all have these crazy thoughts and early struggles. Don't ever give up we got your back.

I'm a new poucher myself I'm 6 weeks and 2 days down and I'm starting to feel a bit better about it all! I have good days and bad days now where as at about 4 weeks they all seemed to just be bad! On my good days tho, it's great! The spasms have calmed down but I still get them but they are my biggest annoyance! Once they go I think il feel alot better but from what I hear we have a long road ahead of us!

Steph xoxo