I am an Air Traffic Controller and have similar medical standards to pilots. I had J pouch surgery about 13 months ago as I had UC for about 5 years which was becomming difficult to manage. I was never really sick, just suffered from the usual urgency, and frequency etc. This is obviously not good when you are tied to a control position. Fortunately I have been an Operational Manager for some time so I was able to take bathroom breaks when I needed, although this was becomming more difficult. So I decided to have the surgery, as a one step procedure, to improve my health and quality of life. I am sad to say it hasn't worked out for me yet. I am still unable to get my medical back due to a difficult pouch. I never had any major complications after surgery, and structurally everything is fine, it's just that it doesn't like processing waste. I am still working on things to try to get back to normal, and am ofcourse very hopeful. I just wanted to tell you this because this surgery is risky. You don't know if you'll have a dream result or you'll have problems. Even the best surgeons have problem patients. It is the human body and it is complex. I know there are many people out there who have a wonderful life with a J pouch, and I hope if your decision is to have the surgery, that your outcome is great. Good luck.