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I hope to do my J-pouch takedown mid to late feb of 2014. I was hoping to hear from others who have had this done. I'm trying to plan for work and I'm the best man in a Vegas wedding in mid April.

I'm an electrician so I have to have a full release. The surgeon seems to think I'll be good to go 2-3 weeks after takedown.. Is this true? I know I will have a nasty hole from the stoma that needs to heal. I do have access to bathrooms easily at work but I do have to travel about an hour to get to work. Which was tricky back when my UC was active. I really hope to have confidence moving forward.

How soon until you can hold the bowel movements with confidence?

Thx for input

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mgmt10mgmt10Member
Since everyone is different, this is hard to answer. One person could be fine 3 weeks after surgery to go back to work and another may need 3 months or longer. The best advice I can give you is hope for the best but plan for the worst. But it's not unheard of to resume life as usual as little as three weeks after takedown. I felt really good at the 3 week point and was back to my usual daily routine. I was able to control my bowels right from the start...no issues there at all. Best of luck!
mgmt10
Holly MHolly MMember
I have to agree, everyone's takedown experience can be different. Mine was a little difficult. I had leaks and came home with two drains. I was out for 8 weeks after takedown. Then went back for two weeks part time then back to full time. I hope you have NO issues and can be back to work and in the wedding in the right time frame. It will be two years for me next month since colon removal and J-pouch creation, and I had takedown April 18th. I wish you the best of luck and keep asking questions we will help you get through it.
Holly M
GinLynGinLynMember
Agreed; everyone is different, and there are no guarantees. In my case, after REALLY rough recoveries from my first two surgeries (colectomy and pouch creation), my takedown was a breeze. I was able to work again after about a month with no problems at all, and managed to get my running to the toilet under control within 6 weeks. So that is possible, but again, everyone is different.

Also: don't be too concerned about the stoma site; again, everyone is different, but I've had 3 stomas reversed & closed now and have never had a problem beyond an infected stitch.

Hang in there!

Gin
GinLyn
lholdemlholdemMember
I went back to work 2 weeks after surgery, although I have a desk job. For the first week or two back I would be pretty tired when I got home. I would think by April you should be good to go for your friend's wedding.

Having the open wound wasn't a problem for me - I just couldn't do any lifting or sudden movements.

I was very pleasantly surprised at my continence post-surgery. There's an adjustment period where you can expect some leakage, but in general SO MUCH better than active UC.
lholdem
GinLynGinLynMember
Because the stoma closure involves abdominal muscles, quick turning movements and heavy lifting can too easily cause a hernia and/or tear or rip something. Generally the recommendation is no lifting over 7 pounds for the first 6 weeks and if things like pushing a vacuum hurt, don't do that either for a while. Better to be safe than injure something and cause a major problem and possibly needing more surgery!

Gin
GinLyn

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