Hi Adam,
I haven't seen you on the board yet, so welcome if you are new to us.
A lot of people who have proctectomies have similar problems...some people find that if they have recurring abscesses then a sort of permanent drain can be helpful (your surgeon or G.I. has to agree)...but it is a possbile solution...I think that most of us have a degree of pain and pressure on and off once the colon/rectum are remove and things are closed off, my French surgeon likens it to 'phantom pains' similar to those that amputees suffer when having lost a limb. Some surgeons even suggest low-grade anti-depressants to dope the brain to stop thinking that the limb is still there...
It has been 33 yrs for me and I still 'feel it' constantly (especially when I am sitting too long on a hard surface, riding a bike or wearing very tight jeans) and dream of 'normal rectal functions' at night...when I have overdone it at the gym or on the bike I know that the zone swells, launches sharp pains and probabley collects a bit of fluid that reabsorbs on its own.
No surgery is perfect, especially our kind and the numbers of unsung complications are high...this is just one of many...
The valve pain is both common and not normal...As Jan says, your intestines do not 'feel' pain...they are not built that way but they do feel cramping and gas that reports the pain elsewhere...your brain does not understand your new plumbing...it does not resemble anything that it has been programmed to deal with and you will need a long time to 'rewire' the mental circuts so that it understands what it is feeling and how to differntiate between normal function and abnormal pain.
Traveling gas can get caught behind the pouch or between the valve and the pouch wall and make you feel very uncomfortable...But it is normal. The valve dries out and needs lube for smooth insertion and occasionnally it can 'hit a wall' but if you leak anything, have constant pain, sudden shooting pain or sudden bleeding (not just a bit of red or a couple of drops) then you should put a call into your doctor.
It is a long road but it is so very worth it in the end.
Sharon