JPouch

Me and my girlfriendfiancee in Big Sur, CA (2006)

Good Food peanut butter banana bread potatoes meat rice juice (except orange juice and lemonade) water most cereals (unless they have really high fiber content) oatmeal eggs (don't overdue this) hard cheese pancakes waffles Food to Avoid soft cheese (causes gas) nuts (becoming more tolerable with time) mushrooms (was able to tolerate after about a year) anything really acidic (orange juice, lemonade...) Doritos seeds popcorn coffee & espresso hot chocolate Foods that cause you a lot of gas (broccoli, milk, beans, ...) carbonated drinks (soda, sparkling juice, beer, ...) Spicy foods Foods with a lot of fiber unless it's a grain

Supplements

• Juicing - I can get almost all of the fruits and vegetables I can't normally have including Orange Juice by juicing them!
• Greens First - I take this to replace not being able to eat many vegetables
• VSL #3 - this stuff is just generally good to take
• Fish Oil

Drugs

• Calmoseptine - I use this when things get irritated down there.
• Bottoms Up Balm - I also use this when it gets irritated down there (make sure the area is clean before applying).

Notes

• Get a detachable shower head so that you can keep the area down there clean. Having diarrhea will irritate the area over time if it's not kept clean.
• Drinking a lot of water without eating anything to absorb it can cause problems: it will just go right through you and will actually take more water to process it through the intestines thus dehydrating you. That being said, do not drink water at night. It will likely go right through you and make you shit your pants without you even knowing until you wake up :(
• It's much easier to become dehydrated with a J-pouch, make sure to get enough water in the day. When drinking water, make sure you eat something to absorb it (like bread) so it doesn't pass through you.
• Watch out for developing pouchitis; it can creep up out of nowhere. You may experience more frequency, blood, irritation and occasionally more urgency. In this case make sure you relax and destress and stick to a diet you know works.
• Make sure to get enough potassium and sodium (normally processed in the large intestine). I eat a lot of bananas to get the potassium.
• I am still unable to flatulate without creating a mess; most cases where I have to go to the bathroom are because I just have to fart.
• Occasionally the rectum starts itching when I have to go to the bathroom
• I try not to eat anything right before bed or I end up waking up every few hours during the night to go to the bathroom
• In chinese medicine, the large intestine is linked to the lungs so watch out for lung problems down the line. I developed a chronic reflux cough 3 years after the surgery and needed medication to get rid of it.

Colitis Information

Interesting information.  I have had a j-pouch for 5 years now and I have not narrowed down anything.  I am just beginning to write down what I eat, how much and how I feel throughout the day so I can find out what I should or should not eat.  I hope that I will be able to narrow down my BM as low as yours because I always feel I am in the restroom and also have the gas problem as you do which is difficult in public.  Anyone wanting to chat can e-mail me at BelindaKurtz@gmail.com  I will be more than welcome to answer any questions also.