My son has scuba dived. We have a good friend who is a master diver and said he didnt think there would be an issue but probably not to dive more that 50 feet. Check with your dive shop. 

There should be no issue. The main issue for colectomy patients is if they have an ileostomy, because of the gas compression/expansion consideration. The j-pouch itself is not an issue. There are a number of members here who scuba.

Jan

My pouch is perfectly happy down to 100' (or a little more). I try to have it fairly empty, of course. 

Scott F posted:

My pouch is perfectly happy down to 100' (or a little more). I try to have it fairly empty, of course. 

What happens below 100'? get gassy?

If you are cleared to scuba dive and want to do a scuba diving trip, I would suggest Turks & Caicos. I read somewhere that it's the #3 scuba destination in the world. I didn't scuba down there but I did snorkel. The main attraction for scuba divers are sharks. The waters near T&C are shark infested and one of the guys I was with in T&C went into the shark cage and took cool photos. The Sharks try and bite you but can't because you are in a protective cage, and he got some good pics of sharks trying to bite him. You should try this. I didn't do it because I was just a little worried about scuba diving but probably could have. And it's funny because the scuba instructor down at the club was really harassing me to try it because my friend went out on the boat but I said no thanks.

The other benefit is T&C has the most beautiful beaches. Really amazing. I have been down there a few times. Keep in mind you have to drive on the other side of the road because it's a British dominion so it's like being in England. And that freaked me out a little bit especially making left hand turns I kept thinking I was wrong way driving. 

When I snorkeled I was warned about fire coral which you can't touch. The bottom of the ocean is very uneven in places so be careful to watch for it because it can come up suddenly.

Last story on T&C is the only time I ever got propositioned by a male prostitute was there. I said no of course, politely, because I like women but not men.  This happened when I was alone at a bar having a drink, waiting for a friend and minding my own business. 

I hope you can scuba and report back and tell us about it.

Alexis, yes, the deeper you go the more gas will be compressed, and then expand upon ascent. If there is a lot of gas there is the potential of bowel rupture. Remember, the small intestine is less distendable than the colon/rectum.

http://www.diversalertnetwork....trointestinal_Issues

Jan

Alexis, nothing in particular happens below 100'. I could easily go to the recreational diving limit (120'), and have gotten close without any issues at all - my pouch doesn't seem to care about depth. I can't comment on deeper dives, since I have no experience in that world.

Jan I see that's why they say avoid gassy foods or drinks before dives. Looks like there is alot of lack of info on dives with jpouch. I did ask my surgeon right out of surgery and never took the classes till now almost 9 years later. I think even too much gas can be a problem with anyone too 

Scott are you able to pass gas in the water without an issue? I know above water it's definitely not a problem for me. 

I never pass gas intentionally when off the toilet, so I haven't tested it at depth. Have fun making extra bubbles!

My main concern would be if you have to have a BM while down under.

Alexis, for me the joy of having a J-pouch is that I never really "have to" have a BM, unless I've already put it off for quite a while. I do prepare carefully in the morning before diving, eating very lightly and taking Lomotil, but that's to avoid the need to use the marine head on the boat, rather than concern over any bathroom emergency while under water. The dive itself lasts perhaps 20-40 minutes. I do select dive boats with toilets (or at least I try to), but I don't tend to use them. That's just for backup.

For me, at least, the depth does not increase my need to poop.

Thanks I just figured I'd ask. I can go 3 to 4 hours without having a BM so that's not my worry that much it was a just in case. I'm guessing most driving won't last that long. I don't have to take anything to slow my BMs which is nice