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Most J-pouchers have almost all of their small intestine, and will handle capsules, softgels, and coated tablets completely normally. Even most delayed release products are designed to fully release before they get to the colon, so they will often work fine for us. I haven’t seen a good explanation for why some of us don’t absorb vitamin D very well (it’s mostly “mumble mumble terminal ileum mumble mumble”). Folks with rapid transit times can run into trouble with things exiting before fully dissolved/deployed/absorbed. Those with other GI problems may have additional absorption issues, which may get blamed on the J-pouch. And most of us (including me) seem to have developed food superstitions that aren’t well grounded in reality or evidence, except the scant evidence of one or two bad experiences.
thank you Scott (or should I say Dr. Scott). You always provide knowledgeable information.
my small intestines are fully intact. I do have rapid transit times occasionally but I contribute that to my j-pouch anxiety. Mind over body.
I’ll continue with my vitamin regiment and try not to worry so much!
I wouldn't take lots of supplements just because it is "good stuff". I reduce it to things where I know (or have a strong suspicion) that there is a lack that shows in my blood levels for example.
If we can absorb our nutrients in a natural context that is the preferable way in my opinion. But of course there may be things that need to be substituted, like iron for people with chronic inflammation, or vitamin D or B12 for some of us.
That is my opinion too, but my pouch wrecks havoc if I eat vegetables or fruit or protein shakes ( except bananas) I literally sit in the bathroom all day long and then there is the absorption issue with such short transit time.
That’s the reason I am taking supplements. After researching them I found out that the good ones are the expensive ones. Believe me, I rather eat food to get nutrition. Every once in a while I’ll try a some steamed broccoli or Boston lettuce, but I am sooo miserable afterwards that i just refrained from it.
Some say I should keep eating them and train my pouch.
Well after 7 years I gave up.
Thanks Steve!
Hi grateful. I really can't yet get enough vegetables in my diet either - there's only so much blanched frozen kale I can add to protein shakes. Somewhere along the line a nutritionist advised chewable vitamins. Since then I've used flintstones brand. And liquid iron when I remember. And Vit D because I've had low levels and don't spend enough time in the sun - plus if it works for Dr Fauci, it works for me. I need more calcium but even liquid form is hard to tolerate. Luckily I'm ok with dairy and almond milk. I appreciate the pouch, even with the challenges. But I do miss my old diet very much!
Hey AMB, I hear you …I do appreciate my pouch tremendously and I am grateful.
I do too miss my old diet so very much but in the big picture we are so lucky to have been able to have our pouch and we are alive.
i am checking into the “Fruits and Vegetables “ vitamins. They are a little pricey but suppose to give you all the nutrients fresh produce does. We will see….. nothing like a fresh spinach salad and lots and lots of berries!😏
thank you AMB
Grateful, if you're referring to the fruits & vegetables found in Balance of Nature, I have a couple of thoughts. First, if you do try these, I'd love to know if they made you fell better or if your lab work showed improvement. I tried to find scientific testing for this product and couldn't locate any, but it could be too early in the game for official testing to be done. Another thought is "buyer beware." If you listen to radio or watch T.V., there's a hard sell pitch going on. If this is such a wonderful product, they probably wouldn't have to sell it so hard. Yet another thought is that most of the "testimonials" on radio sound like they are done by folks well into their 70s and 80s and they offer a vague reference to "feeling better." Where are the younger people? Just my random thoughts. Keep us posted. --Rose--
Hi Roseviolet, thank you, but I don’t take fruits and vegetables by Balance of Nature. I take Pure by KaraMD. I like them because they combine fruit and vegetables in one capsule.
never thought about researching them. Good to know. So I did, at “Best health supplement reviews for informed shoppers”. Everything seems to be in order. They offer a free return policy as well.
i really don’t have any issues with my lab work (always in normal range) and I feel pretty good considering I have a Jpouch and I am older (73). I know the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables and it has always bothered and worried me that I cannot eat them because of the Jpouch.
I’ll try them for awhile and let you know!
thanks again for your input.
I seem to absorb powders mixed in liquid the best when it comes to supplements, I think because they get absorbed quickly and I'm a quick transit person. I'm getting some powdered greens just because of that. Not sure it'll do any good but we'll see!! I eat cooked veggies. They seem to digest easier. Raw shoot right through, though less since I've been ingesting the psyllium (powdered of course, in water) before every meal. I don't find much based in science about what the bodies of J-pouchers do or don't do. I just don't think we're a well-studied bunch....and we seem to vary a lot from one individual to another. I wonder if intestinal flora is unique, like a finger print?
