Life after j pouch surgery-

I developed a hernia from Jpouch surgeries.   I left it go and it grew to the point I could not lift or bend over well.  I had hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction 1 yr ago.  I am doing very well, long recovery because I developed a obstruction and was hospitalized for that right after surgery.    I had always wore support when exercising, lifting   I would not want to go thru that surgery again.  Be careful!

Plenty of folks engage  successfully in strenuous jobs after J-pouch surgery. Some fraction of people do develop incisional hernias after *any* abdominal surgery, but most don’t. There’s been *a lot* of discussion here about lifting in particular that you can tap into by doing a search for the word “lifting.” Here’s a recent thread to get you started:

https://www.j-pouch.org/topic/...ights-and-exercising

Keep in mind that not everything you read will apply to to you, and some of it will be nonsense. Some people compensate for ignorance by expressing themselves even more strongly.

I guess an open surgery and laparoscopic surgery probably have different outcomes for hernia risk. However, ex-stoma incision is also a site for hernia risk. Elastic garments are suggested to decrease hernia risk, you might want to get yourself an elastic hernia belt that will cover your incisional scars.

Thank you.

In 28 years with a J Pouch, I did end up with a hernia once, back in 2005.  But I never thought it was due to my J Pouch, instead of my own stupidity. I was dating someone at the time and I sort of playfully scooped her up in my arms off a hotel bed and kind of twirled her around before depositing her on a chair.  She weighed around 120 pounds, and I around 175 or so at that time.  Totally playful act. I think I had a few drinks in me at the time, maybe even more than a few. But as I was in the middle of doing that, I felt something stretch and tighten in my lower abdomen.  Confirmed on an ultrasound. It ended up not being a big deal but honestly I think it would have happened whether I had a J Pouch or not.

In the 28 years I have had a J Pouch, I never did anything more or less strenuous than I did before.  I have not viewed myself as having any limitations as far as physical activities.  Prior to Covid I worked out at a gym and did the same kind of exercise routines as everyone else.  I do not see a J Pouch as any kind of a game changer in terms of activity level. The most strenuous thing I do now, post Covid, is lift the Poland Spring water jug up onto our office water cooler, mainly because nobody else wants to do it.

Thank you!

I sent you a private message

@JoeJoe there a some fear mongering types here. They no longer dare to spread their misinformation through public threads anymore due to backlash from team members and moderators. As a result, they started to continue their misinformation campaign through private messages instead. I suggest you ignore such messages, given that those opinions are not up to the challenge of public scrutiny. If they were, they would be posted here in public.

@joejoe btw, I would love to see some of your art work. Is there an anonymous way to share it with us?

I'm pretty sure it's against this webpage rules for me to post info on my art work or website publicly because it's not related in anyway to the content on this webpage, which I totally respect and understand. But I guess through private message there shouldn't be an issue if you or anyone was interested in contacting me.

@Former Member posted:

@JoeJoe there a some fear mongering types here. They no longer dare to spread their misinformation through public threads anymore due to backlash from team members and moderators. As a result, they started to continue their misinformation campaign through private messages instead. I suggest you ignore such messages, given that those opinions are not up to the challenge of public scrutiny. If they were, they would be posted here in public.

I must agree with this. Anyone reading this should pay close attention: unsolicited private messages, from any person posting information privately that could be, but is not, shared publicly, should be ignored and deleted as not credible and not likely to pass scrutiny by the Moderator.  The Moderator has had to warn certain persons about the constant posting of nonsense, and the nonsense should not be allowed to continue to be disseminated via backchannels.  All readers should note that if ANY information by ANY poster is worthy of being shared publicly, it would be shared publicly.  Your best course of action is ignore, delete, and do not respond.  If you have any doubts, send a PM to the Moderator about it.  Jan does an excellent job moderating this board and she is one of the most knowledgable and fair posters as well.

@JoeJoe posted:

After one goes through all the surgery and then the healing time after the j pouch procedure, are you prone to hernias? I was wondering about people who have the jpouch who work out or who have strenuous jobs. I've seen a few athletes who have the j pouch, but I know everyone is different, especially when it comes to genetics to begin with. The reason I ask is because as a metal artist, shaping, lifting, hammering and working with the metal in general is strenuous and physically demanding. I also hope to slowly get back into working out after healing up too.

I worked as a coppersmith and after my jpouch surgery the surgeon advised me against heavy lifting and suggested a career change , I now work for the Immunisation Team in the National Health Service in Scotland , I’m so glad that I did because I couldn’t imagine doing the heavy work I did before .

Thank you. I'm going to have to work smarter when it comes to any lifting in the shop.

I have to agree. There have been numerous debates about lifting, including pretty minor stuff that is part of of everyday life. The caution from some doctors (other than the general post op recovery restrictions) is not so much about hernias, but about pouch prolapse or rupture. Rupture is very rare and mostly associated with pouches with pre-existing problems. Prolapse is less rare and is associated with anything that causes sustained or repeated increased intra-abdominal pressure. This is the reason not to strain.

There have been a few here who successfully resumed major weight lifting competition, but I have no idea how well it turned out long term. That probably is nowhere near what goes on with metal sculpture, but what do I know? It may be a good time to rethink your process and see how you can reduce the heavy lifting, such as with dollies and pulleys. I just don’t know the feasibility of it all.

As to unsolicited advice received by private messaging goes, take it with a grain of salt, just as you would advice given on the public forum. If it bothers you, report it and/or block the sender. I fail to see the point in announcing publicly that a private message was sent, unless it is to “tweak” other members here. It certainly makes it less private.

One more thing. I think it is perfectly fine to post photos of your art projects. We encourage the sharing of what we can do without a colon. As long as you don’t cross the line and use the forum to advertise your business or conduct sales, you are OK. And, of course, no political or religious themes please.

Jan

Thanks, Jan. You provide the voice of reason, as always. It’s worth adding, I think, that the rectum we are born with can prolapse, too, though it’s somewhat less prone to prolapse than a J-pouch. Heavy lifting carries risk, and each of us gets to balance that risk against the value it provides us, ideally with measured information about a difficult-to-predict situation.