Thought it might be helpful to share my experience with jpouch removal as well as anus and rectum removal with new end ileostomy. The procedure itself went fine with no complications(Mayo Clinic). Post op I felt pretty good for a couple days then struggled a bit with an ileus and NG tubes twice as I started to vomit. I was amazed that there are no diet restrictions post op other than no fresh fruit/veggies. They actually want you to eat right away to help wake the bowel. The bad days in the hospital I remember feeling bloated, pain and exhausted. It's hard to sleep when you have extreme nausea/vomiting. On those days I'm not exaggerating when I say I would have welcomed death. The important thing is it got better and exactly one week after surgery I got to go home.
As nice as it was to get home, the first 2 weeks were a struggle. When I ate, things weren't moving through my system well and I'd get really bloated with lots of pain. It honestly felt like something was going to burst in my abdomen. Diet didn't seem to matter, it was a very frustrating time. At the one month mark this straightened out and continues to be working well. My advice from a diet standpoint would be to eat small frequent meals(every 2-3 hours) and to eat bulk forming food such as peanut butter toast, al dente pasta, potatoes...
My stoma has been easy to care for. Every 3 sometimes 4 days I remove, shower and replace my hollister appliance. I did have super watery output for a couple days which led to some skin breakdown but it's getting better as my stool thickens. Initially there's a lot of trial and error as my stoma shrinks and the swelling goes down you have to cut your wafers to different sizes. Eventually it should be more precise and wafers can be ordered to size eliminating the cutting part.
My abdominal incision has been pretty much worry free.
My bottom didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It drained bloody/yellow fluid for 3 weeks then I thought it had healed. A couple days later it started draining bloody fluid again only this time it was nasty smelling. Started a couple antibiotics and within 2 days the smell was gone but it continues to drain. When this finally heals I'll be very thankful as its kinda creepy.
Keep a food journal if you're having difficulties. Track what and when you ate/drank and any meds you take. It may help you determine what food worked well or potentially caused a problem.
I had some extremely tough days while in the hospital and at home but almost 1 month to the day post op things really started to improve for me. Use your natural supports on the tough days. Whether it's family or friends don't be afraid to ask for help. I know I needed to lean on my crew a bunch!
Jed
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She said the stay at the hospital would probably be 2 nights and I hope she's right.