Howdy! I've had a J-Pouch less than a week and glad to find a place to learn and share about my new reality. Short history...I was a 21-year UC sufferer. In relative terms I had a mild case. Although, it still controlled most of my life. After keeping it in remission for the first 10 years, it never returned to that state. But, meds and Remicade kept it from ever being painful or making me sick. Over time, I learned enough about my body and developed a few tricks to increase my chances of having many, many more good days than bad. However, after a November colonoscopy, my doctor told me that I had reached the point of no return. My choices were colectomy or near-term, eventual cancer. Fast forward...I had a 1-step J-Pouch surgery on Monday (1/12/15). I went into the procedure with no expectation for the outcome. Fortunately, my internal anatomy lent itself to the one-step surgery. Through my stay in the hospital this week, I feel like I had little pain (considering the tramatic nature of this surgery). I was up and walking on Tuesday and continued to do so throughout the week. I was released from the hospital yesterday. So far, still no real pain. However, I have noticed a fair amount of blood in my stool. I don't know enough about this to know if this is a concern or normal event. I am looking for some veteran wisdom. For the record, my drain tube contents continue to keep getting clearer and they did administer the requisite post-op blood thinners. Thanks...and I look forward to my time here.