New J Pouch

Hi, @Juliana. I had a different surgery (one big operation) and went back to work after 6 weeks. Jobs vary a lot, and I always had easy access to a bathroom (except while commuting) and a pretty flexible schedule. Are you using a fiber supplement (like Metamucil) or a bowel slower (like Imodium or Lomotil)? Have you been advised to gently, gradually delay bathroom trips to “stretch” your pouch? These are all things that helped me adjust. Good luck!

I don’t have easy access to the bathroom for my work…it took 3 months post takedown till I was thrown to the wolves…I was nervous at first but I have made some adjustments to my food intake and timing….been back to work for 7+ months now..i have managed pretty well, not everyday is perfect but give it time you will be fine..

I would say around the 2 or 3 month mark is where I started to get things figured out. I'm about 6 months out from my takedown and I workout hard just about every day. Today I ran 3 miles, jumped rope, did burpees and jumping jacks then sat in the sauna. I can eat pretty much anything I want although for the most part I eat very clean with lots of probiotic rich foods like organic Greek yogurt, organic cottage cheese, kombucha, and some other stuff like that. I sleep all through the night just about every night. If I eat late I will get up but knowing that stops me from eating late. I do take a teaspoon of metamucil before any big meals and that has been a lifesaver. I also find that intermittent fasting really helps me. At least 3 to 4 days a week I have a healthy breakfast, a healthy lunch then I fast the rest of the day. It works great for me. I always give people the same advice which is this. Don't freak out over things you perceive to be a problem. You are brand new and your body is still adjusting. For the first month or 2 after my takedown I was up at least 2 to 3 times every night to go to the bathroom. Now I'm never up. Things change a lot when you are at the stage you are at now. As soon as you think you have an issue it will pass or you will figure out what you need to do to handle it then something new will come up. Don't sweat it. Give it 3 or 4 months and you will really start to get it figured out.

First of all congratulations!

At you stage I was going 40x a day. Since I did not have a choice, I just coped with it and made sure I was near the restroom all the time. Whenever I went out, I always knew where the restrooms were.

After a few months, things started slowing down to 14-20, almost 7 years later is 14-20 still. What has helped is accepting reality and accepting the things I cannot change, when I started doing that, everything came together and I manage everything more better now. I have not gotten a 8 hour sleep in almost 7 years, its hard but the body adapts. I still have fatigue every single day but I push through. You will push through because you are resilient and a great adapter.

Food I eat to keep my pouch healthy are oatmeal and Greek yogurt. I have never had pouchitis. I did have cuffitis once but that was when no poop was coming ut during an ileus, I am guessing the bacteria from not pooping caused cuffitis but that was years ago. Oatmeal is a probiotic and Greek Yogurt is a probiotic, when you merge those together it creates a super antidote haha.

Some people on here like Kefir and that is a great option but I do not like it lol.

Definitely make sure to drink water: before, during, and after every meal as well.