I can't hold my poop :((((

The first few weeks I remember being crazy..nothing u said really sounds abnormal in the beginning days. If you start to get discouraged just remember it's early!

Did you ask about lomotil? How long did you have your colostomy bag? Maybe your sphincter muscles are out of practice. Have you tried doing kegel exercises?

Yes, I've been doing kegels. I had the bag just for 2 months (sadly, I've been missing it). I would be fine with a lot of bm a day, if only I could hold it!
Katie

I am five months since what you guys call takedown.
(First Post)
I still have problems.
I have good days and bad days.
I accept it.
The most accident prone time for me is overnight.
I had two accidents last night.
Some nights I make it to the bathroom.
Sometimes I am in a deep sleep and do not
make it.
I think (hope) that over time it will get better.
I'm sure it will.
Usually during the day, besides a bit of leakage, I have no urge to hurry.
I do have alot of BM's during the day.
But they are all solids.

It may take a few months for your new plumbing to start working as well as you'd like it to. I suggest you keep doing your kegels and work with your dr to slow your bowels. These are still early days, and time may well reduce or eliminate your problems. Good luck!

Please look at improvement at month to month or week to week at a time. It takes a long time to recover. Your j-pouch was made from small intestines and it is learning to be a "holding receptacle" instead of a "move it on down the line" vessel. It is going to take time for it to adapt but it will. Pretty soon you will feel the urge to go but if you just hold still for 10 seconds or so it will pass. I promise you. Then it will get better and better until you can hold it better than you ever did with UC! I remember a few months after getting my j-pouch I was in my new favorite store, Walgreens, and I'd get an urge. I would stop and just look at whatever was in the isle where I was. I learned a lot about their products. It is my favorite store as I was there a lot to get things while recovering as they have a little bit of everything - even underwear!

I know it's feeling like the worst decision you ever made but it's not. Maybe next week you can think of one that is worse. Take it easy on yourself. This is hard.

Thank you very much. It is hard. I got exhausted today just trying to hold it! It's weird because sometimes I can hold it, but sometimes it just comes out with little warning (I don't mean just a little leakage). So frustrating. I still am having accidents daily, hoping it will get better!
Katie

its gonna get better - might take a few months or so...for me it was about a year. After five years I still go 10-15 times in a 24 hour period. Still better than having UC and the pain that came with it....
work on diet - stay away from:
greasy foods - even fried eggs
sugar
cinnamon
hard to digest fruits n veggies/citrus juices
use a n d ointment and wash your butt as often as you can to help with butt burn. hand held in shower is a must...
Praying helps too
good luck

Hi Bebe,

Tomorrow I will be 3 weeks out of my takedown. I've been feeling good physically but I've had some trouble adapting to my "new normal". After the takedown I was having 20 plus BM's a day then about 3 days after I went down to 19 then 18 then 17. I'm having about 12-15 now.

However, now I'm having leakage too. I feel a BM coming and if I'm not right around a bathroom I try to hold it but some WILL leak out. Sometimes more than others. I've been putting a cotton ball right on my anus and this seems to contain the mess from making it to my underwear (on normal occasions). Every time I feel a BM I get nervous because I know I can't stop it from leaking some out. I was walking through Costco today and was trying to hold it but I just can't. I had to pull the cart over and go clean up.

Just makes me feel horrible. This is how it was with UC. I really hope that "with time" it will get easier like everyone says. I'm curious how you are coming along now that it has been some time since your last post.

Also I'm taking Imodium and a glass or two of Metamucil per day trying to help. I hope you're doing better ....

It is definitely getting better! I have accidents maybe every other day or every few days now (as opposed to three a day). I've tried the cotton ball technique and I love it! I use it at night especially, it helps.
Taking Imodium, lotomil, Metamucil, but still going 10-13 times a day, mostly in the evenings and throughout the night and early morning.
I still wear diapers at night just in case :/