Hi All - Patrizia, apologies!
Everything has been much improved since the dilation at the end of July. When I asked the surgeon after the procedure about anal diameters and what I should be shooting for he reported: "The way we used to do the J-pouch surgery in the era when yours was created almost always results in some narrowing of the anus. I don't think I have ever seen a patient with a similar history as you have an anus that could be dilated beyond 18 mm. For you, I only got to 16 mm in the OR. I encountered a fair amount of resistance once I got to 17 mm so I stopped. In general, anything over 10 mm should be sufficient for normal J-pouch function, so if you can maintain anything over 10 mm you should be fine."
I was a little sore for only a few days after the procedure. The only pain (maybe 5 on a scale to 10) was felt if I did a Kegel ...otherwise it was just a distant ache.
I must admit that I have not been in any hurry to start self-dilation, but I'm hoping to give it a try this weekend.
Jim