Oh, and most importantly: I don't have my first cup of coffee until I get to the office!!

I got my J Pouch in 1992 and I have worked since 1992 (31 years now) as a trial attorney specialized in general civil litigation. When I initially got my J Pouch in the 1990s, because I was in Court a lot, I would occasionally (especially during bouts of pouchitis) tell the Judge, if it was a longer hearing, that I might need bathroom breaks. I found that I never needed to take them. Whether due to adrenaline or using the bathroom judiciously before and after hearings and during breaks. It's never been an issue in my job. I look back at all of this with some degree of amazement about a few things. One is that I have actually lasted 31 years doing this, and the other being that having a J Pouch never affected me in any way in doing my job.

Back in the poorly controlled pouchitis days, I did occasionally wear Depends underwear. I haven't in the last 10 years. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have had this result.

My J-pouch journey began in 2006 while pregnant with my fourth child. I had a baby and three surgeries all in the same year. I stayed home with my kids and homeschooled them all through high-school. (Looking back its amazing when I didn't sleep due to pouch issues for a lot of their growing up years.) I was orginally diagnosed with UC, but it was later changed to Crohns. PTL for a new GI who regulated my medicatations so that I could finally sleep without my gut trying to keep me up to empty.

Currently, I have one homeschooler left and she's a senior. I also work in an office doing paperwork in the afternoons. My husband is my boss, so I get a lot of grace for any pouch issues that come up

I worked in an office setting when I had my takedown. I was self-conscious about pooping, so I found a bathroom on a different floor that had very little foot traffic so I could have privacy.

I work for a utility company and I work in the field at customers homes.  I went back to work at the peak of Covid which was difficult and even restaurants had shut down their bathroom access. I was forced to find parks with bathrooms or get really creative with my humor to gain access at the restaurants.  Been at it for 3 years now and am happy it all worked out. At first I didn’t think I could do the job as I go so damn often but over time things calmed down.

I had my takedown in 2004 and although I was retired I was doing consulting work on a constant basis.  My wife has been a great support and we have been traveling a great deal domestically and internationally.  I only rarely have any significant problems and so far I have been able to get through whatever comes my way.  I stopped consulting in 2014 but we remain very active.  The only continuing issue for me is handling magnesium issues, the problem being I never know where I stand and changes in outdoor temps can lead to increased sweating and problems.  I just do the best I can and hope it will be good enough which has generally been the case.

I gave up work 4 years ago.

And I commented myself to just that.

Lol.

I've worked long enough.  Don't even want to talk work!

;-)

R.

Surgery in Dec 2007. I was 47 years old and worked from home as a professional longarm quilter.That was very convenient as I made more than a dozen trips to the bathroom daily.
In 2014 I decided to change careers because the strong vibrations from my longarm machine were starting to worsen my fibromyalgia; causing issues with my hands and wrists. As I loved infants and toddlers and had worked for years with them in toddler Sunday School and Nursery Infants; and I had run a small family daycare in my home for 7 years before I stopped to become a longarm quilter- it just made sense to become a nanny.
Working away from home was the challenge I needed to get better control and cut down on all those bathroom trips. Now I manage by taking 1 generic Imodium in the morning. That helps me tremendously and I may only go once every 3 hours. I was resistant to Imodium for years because I have had several sbo s . But it does make life so much easier. I wear underwear designed for periods because I am just paranoid- but it has never been an issue at work so far. I also always carry flushable wipes in my purse.

@Golden Girl posted:

I wear underwear designed for periods because I am just paranoid- but it has never been an issue at work so far.

How are those period underwear for comfort?  I always found period products abrade the skin (all pads & panty-liners) and make all those sensitive tissues in the crotch area sore.  I have always wondered about period underwear.  They came about after my periods were mostly down to a trickle, so I never tried them.

There are many different brands of period panties. They weren’t around when I was still having periods- but actually I can’t imagine not wearing a tampon or pad and just using the panties for anything more than backup. Sounds gross to me. I discovered them when I had pouchitis and was having night leakage. I think they’re wonderful! I purchase mine on Amazon and really decide by reading many, many reviews about what to buy. I find them very comfortable. And I always look at how the crotch is designed. You want to be sure the extra layer of fabric covers the front of the crotch area as well as most of the backside. Because if you are laying down leakage tends to go everywhere. The more area covered the better protection. Also they tend to run very small. While I would wear a 7 in most panties; I listened to the many reviewers advice and bought extra large. They wash and dry great and last for years. I bought several different brands that had many great reviews and liked all of them fine but a few months ago I found my favorite most comfortable brand when I replaced some that we’re looking too ratty after several years use. I actually wear them almost all the time now because they make me feel more secure.

@Golden Girl posted:

There are many different brands of period panties. They weren’t around when I was still having periods- but actually I can’t imagine not wearing a tampon or pad and just using the panties for anything more than backup. Sounds gross to me. I discovered them when I had pouchitis and was having night leakage. I think they’re wonderful! I purchase mine on Amazon and really decide by reading many, many reviews about what to buy. I find them very comfortable. And I always look at how the crotch is designed. You want to be sure the extra layer of fabric covers the front of the crotch area as well as most of the backside. Because if you are laying down leakage tends to go everywhere. The more area covered the better protection. Also they tend to run very small. While I would wear a 7 in most panties; I listened to the many reviewers advice and bought extra large. They wash and dry great and last for years. I bought several different brands that had many great reviews and liked all of them fine but a few months ago I found my favorite most comfortable brand when I replaced some that we’re looking too ratty after several years use. I actually wear them almost all the time now because they make me feel more secure.

What is your favorite brand?  I might purchase a pair or two.  I occasionally have night leakage and would prefer something I can wash to wearing an overnight, single use pad.

My all time favorite is Innersy. I would go up at least 1 size. I actually ordered a size X-Large which is about 2 sizes up from my regular size. I wash and dry with no issues and they still look great after about 1 year. I like my underpants to sit higher than bikini or hip huggers because my belly tends to hang over a bit and I hate that. 3 c- sections, hysterectomy, proctocolectomy: and no amount of exercise will make my tummy look svelte again 😐 There are lots of styles to choose from in many brands- so just try 1 pack first to see how you like them. Cost about 25$ for pack of about 4 I think. Well worth the money. Let me know how it goes, and best of luck finding something you love!

Blessings, Golden Girl ( Dee)

@Golden Girl posted:

My all time favorite is Innersy. I would go up at least 1 size. I actually ordered a size X-Large which is about 2 sizes up from my regular size. I wash and dry with no issues and they still look great after about 1 year. I like my underpants to sit higher than bikini or hip huggers because my belly tends to hang over a bit and I hate that. 3 c- sections, hysterectomy, proctocolectomy: and no amount of exercise will make my tummy look svelte again 😐 There are lots of styles to choose from in many brands- so just try 1 pack first to see how you like them. Cost about 25$ for pack of about 4 I think. Well worth the money. Let me know how it goes, and best of luck finding something you love!

Blessings, Golden Girl ( Dee)

Oh yeah, I’m a big fan of the granny panties. I’ll check them out. Thanks for vetting!

I goofed and told you the wrong brand. Nalwort is the brand I like best. So sorry about that. Senior brain here 🤪

@Golden Girl posted:

I goofed and told you the wrong brand. Nalwort is the brand I like best. So sorry about that. Senior brain here 🤪

Got it.  Now maybe we should stop hijacking this thread to talk about underwear!  (I'm not sorry we did, though.)