Looking for general description of life after surgery

A healthy, well-functioning pouch creates essentially no urgency. As the pouch fills to capacity it becomes increasingly uncomfortable, but it doesn’t threaten to empty involuntarily.

If a pouch is constructed improperly or structurally damaged, or pouchitis is present then things are very different.

Hi Gus,

There is always a chance that you can still have issues after the surgery, excessive bm's etc, but as Scott mentioned, a good healthy jpouch is much better than what you are experiencing now. It may take time to adjust, finding a "diet" that works for you. Eating a lot, or having gassy foods can still make you feel that urgency and give you excessive bm's. I average 4 to 6 bm's a day, with little to no urgency. I have had a few blockages, a few bouts of pouchitis which have sucked but still better than dealing with UC.

It sounds like your health is suffering and a jpouch is the next step. Just remember when browsing this forum that a good number of people don't frequent the forum because they are doing so well with the surgery and more of the posts are people still working through problems, just don't be discouraged.

Good luck

I've had my pouch for 15 years. When I first got the pouch, I was was going that often, 15-20 times a day. The biggest issue with that was the butt burn and I hadn't been told about Calmoseptine yet. I now don't go anywhere without it. It takes some time for the body to adjust but I'm sure it's different for everyone. After a few months I was down to less than 10 a day and within a year I was at my norm of 4-6 times a day. It really comes down to diet. Dairy doesn't process the same way it once did and now creates gas and discomfort. You have to be careful about what you eat as things like raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and popcorn does not fully break down and can cause blockages that are uncomfortable. If I do eat these I just make sure to thoroughly chew them. I stay away from popcorn all together though. The sense of urgency also depends on what you eat. The more liquid the stool, the more urgent it will feel. As time goes on my stools have become not as loose. It's best when I eat some sort of starch like rice or potatoes.

Hi,

I had a 3 step surgery in 2010/2011, after 10 years with UC. I am thankful every day I have this surgery. I was just like you, going to the bathroom 15-30 times per day. Now, I usually go 4-6 times per day, with 1 of those overnight. No urgency-- I can hold it if I need to, and I do when I am in a meeting, or at the theater. 

The only time I ever have urgency is when I have pouchitis, which I get about once a year. But it is super easy to get rid of- just a course of antibiotics. I never had the butt burn or post-surgery urgency. Some foods make you gassy, and that might make you feel like you need to go to pass gas. Soda does it most for me. I eat anything I want and nothing bothers me.

Anyways- highly recommend the surgery. I wish I would have had mine 5 years earlier-- would have drastically changed my life.

I had surgery with Dr. Remzi at CC. He is now at NYU-Langonne, but highly recommend him. I lived in DC, and am very happy I traveled for such a skilled surgeon.