Waiting?

Hi Moondog,
What exactly have you had done so far? Did they make you a j pouch?

I have had several surgeries at this point and my surgeon always has me wait at least 3 months in between for healing. Good luck! So sorry to hear that your colon ruptured

mgmt10- i had ulcerative colitis. After my colon burst they took all but an inch of my colon "which they left for the reconstructive surgery". i now have a ileostomy no j-pouch. i was in the hospital for almost a week then went home. I was home for a day before i went back into the hospital with an abscess. Spent another 8 days in the hospital until i went back home. Ive been feeling better and stronger each day, but ready to get my reversal not to have my bag anymore. am i being impatient?
vstRN- so sorry to hear about your surgeries hope all is better now!

Ok unless I am missing something your next surgery should be the creation of the j pouch. Then it's usually 3 months after that then they do the reversal or takedown surgery. Now I know some surgeons create the j pouch AND connect it in the same surgery but it's not usually done like that. So I guess I'm not sure how your surgeon is going to proceed. I know it's hard to be patient but you want to be absolutely 100% healed before going any further. A lot less room for complications that way.

So sorry you ended up with a perforation. That must have been really scary.

i was still in alot of pain and really drugged up from the colonoscopy so it was more scary when i came to. will i need a jpouch if my rectum is is heathly and they just removed my colon? i think i might but im not sure

You have UC so they remove the rectum usually because the UC can flare in your rectum. If you didn't have UC then that would be a different story and they could just pull through and hook up to your rectum. It sounds like you need to sit down with your doctors and ask lots of questions as to what the next step is. Also, if you need to get a Jpouch, you want a highly skilled surgeon in there doing it. This is a great site and I'm sure yo will find lots of info here. Best wishes to you.

I don't think it matters how long you wait between the steps of the J-pouch surgery but it is a good question.

You have an end ileostomy now, right?

Right now, I don't think there's any rush to create the J pouch for you, especially if the doctor thinks you're not ready. Some folks have an end ileostomy for a year before they get their J pouch created. Kinda hinges on the person and the situation. Though WHY your doctor thinks he wants to wait is another question... doesn't sound like they gave you any concrete reason.

Once created, unless the surgeon goes one step and doesn't do a diverting ileostomy (and in your case, two step, since you already had an ileostomy), the wait between J pouch creation/loop ileostomy to takedown IS usually 3 months, at minimum. Mine was four months and 5 days.

Agreed, best to remove your rectum... if not removed, it's an ileorectal pouch. UC patients can have disease there, and the rectal tissue can, in turn and in years, sometimes turn and become malignant. I'd be hesitant to keep your rectum, and just go full on J pouch/ileoanal pouch.

Yeah i have a end ileostomy now. and thank you all so much i feel better about it. i really need to talk to my dr. about what is next in terms of j-pouch. its been almost 2 months so a couple more months of healing wouldnt hurt. Sometimes just get frustrated and really just wish time would hurry lol. i just have to remind myself to take some deep breaths and be patient. "not an easy thing for me"

I actually thought longer wait times were better. In my case, I had an emergency colectomy and then had to wait over 2 years for my surgery, as I had been so ill. I then waited another 6 months between the 2nd and 3rd surgeries while my j-pouch healed. The waiting part is frustrating, but the healthier your body is going into surgery, the better the outcome.