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I had my takedown in January and the first two weeks were not what I was expecting.  It was hard emotionally and physically but then it turned a corner and things felt semi back to normal.   After some more time adjusting, I felt like I was getting used to my new pouch. 

Two weeks ago I started feeling a very large sense or urgency to use the bathroom and more frequently (right after saying how impressed I was at how long I could hold it).  I have also been up several times each night to use the bathroom with leakage when I don't make it in time.  Diet is the same as it has been, and no relief even after adjusting it.    Stool is sometimes formed as it normally looks, and sometimes loose.  But the urgency is still there no matter the form.   Is this pouchitis? I have no other symptoms and I am not in pain.  I worry that it is so soon from surgery, could this happen already?  I have antibiotics ready to take from my doctor, I am just not sure if I should / want to take them?   I haven't seen my doctor since surgery due to everything going on (covid-19) , I just asked for a prescription to get me by.

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I developed my only case of pouchitis right after surgery. I may be way off base with this but I attribute it to the liquid diet which contained alot of  sugar (juice, jello, and pop cycles).  I had a diverting ileostomy for a time later on and with that take down I ate broth, yogurt,  thin oatmeal and probiotics. No pouchitis. It could all be chance but it seems reasonable to me that a 'clean' bowel filled with sugar would develop an imbalance of bacteria. it cleared up with antibiotics. My diet continues to be no/low sugar and starches. Hope you get feeling better. Who needs pouchitis with the rest of the stress in the world. xo

J

It sounds like pouchitis to me. I’d normally suggest taking one antibiotic rather than two, unless your doctor felt strongly about your taking both at once. It’s nice to have a Plan B, and if you get bad side effects while on both at once you may not be able to work out a sensible next step. Cipro often works astonishingly quickly. Hopefully one course will be all you need.

Scott F

Yes, take the full two-week course, to maximize the chances that you’ll be done with this for a good long while. No one in their right mind “likes” taking antibiotics, but it’s best, if you can, to employ your rational mind instead of your emotional one in these cases. If antibiotics are that upsetting you might want to consider starting a good bacterial probiotic to (possibly) reduce the likelihood of future pouchitis episodes. The best ones are expensive, though. Good luck!

Scott F

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