Back from the Hospital: My J-Pouch Surgery Journey

For those of you who know me on here, you have probably noticed I haven't been on for a few weeks. I haven't forgotten about this lovely site and all you lovely people; I have been back in the hospital for 2 weeks. Shocker. I had my J-Pouch construction surgery on 23rd July and got home quickly and started to recover; all was well... then one day I got sick, couldn't hold down food, couldn't even sit down on a chair due to the pain in my back passage. I spent 3 days in this agony and was taken to the hospital for a 'quick scan' just to check everything was okay.
I had a pouchoscopy (like a colonoscopy, only I don't have a colon!) which was so painful and stressful! Then I had a CT scan which was actually quite relaxing! I was given so many painkillers including oral morphine which just made me sick again! The CT scan showed that I had developed an abscess on the outside of the pouch where it was connected by staples, it was less than an inch in size but it was definitely what was causing all the pain I was in. So, I needed a 'quick keyhole surgery' to flush it out, clean it up, and get rid of it! So I had that around 12 days after my major surgery and for a week I had to deal with a catheter, a drain through my stomach, and a 'rectal drain' and when they finally came out I was fine!!

Right now I'm at home relaxing and hopefully recovering this time. I'm hoping every day that the pouch will heal and I'll be able to get rid of my bag, as much as it's saved my life, I would be so happy to walk along the beach next year wearing a bikini and showing off my scars with pride!

I thought I would write this rather long forum post for entertainment, and to show people out there who know what it's like to go through what I have been through and people who are going through tough times that I found the strength to get through it all and end up smiling so I hope it helps you, please get in touch with me if you found this interesting I'm not a full member so look for me in the chat room.

Fran x

Oh good grief! It sounds like you've certainly been put through the ringers during the last little while. I am so relieved to hear that they were able to remedy the problem and put you back on the road to recovery. Based on my own experiences, and all the wisdom I've gleaned from the members of this website, it would seem that NO abdominal surgery (particularly something major like a colectomy) is without complications and sometimes temporarily painful results. Having said that, it would appear that your complications were worse than the usual infections and bouts with ileus that most people report.



Make sure you take it EASY! Drink lots of fluids, think happy thoughts, and get enough sleep.



Welcome back, by the way.

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Thank you

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yeah been drinking loads and trying to sleep as much as I can and relaxing all I can! x

Oh, bad times. Glad you haven't forgotten us. Lol. I've not been well either. See you later, and we can trade horror stories, and I'll fill you in on what's been happening with the site too.
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Fran
What was the reason for the J pouch? I understand you are missing your colon. What caused the removal of the colon?
Depending on how many procedures you had, after your J pouch is hooked back up and the bag is off, look for a recovery of one to two years.

I will tell you now, stop eating fiber. When your J pouch is up and running, it will not like fiber.

Good luck.

Rick.....

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Hi Fran, just wishing you continued success and a query, namely: how would you get an abscess on a J-pouch? I was thinking this would be a man-made substitute for a colon, and trying to wrap my head around the idea of having an abscess on it really makes my head spin. Anyhoo, keep getting better, and we'll wait to hear as you progress, Ed.

Hey Rick, I got the J-pouch so that I could begin to get rid of my ileostomy. I had Ulcerative Colitis and a huge flare-up caused me hospitalization and an emergency colectomy last year. Being young and a girl, I want to wear my bikini again
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I've still got a temporary loop ileostomy until everything settles down, but until then I'm eating everything and anything I can because my absorption has hit rock bottom! Ha, I agree with the fiber thing, they cause a bit of diarrhea with the bag etc. (And so do acidic drinks like fresh orange and apple juice)!

And Ed, I really don't know how the abscess formed! After the construction surgery, I didn't have a rectal drain so all the blood and mucus and post-surgery fluid were being held in the new pouch around the wound so it was never clean or dry. Also, I had an abdominal drain to drain away some of the contents of the pouch and I feel that it was taken out too early and some of the blood and mucus must have leaked out into my abdomen and gathered up around the wound outside of my pouch! So I didn't really stand a chance!

But now I'm doing a lot better
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thanks x