MikeAZ,
If you do travel for your surgery as suggested by some of the posters above (and I think you may want to seriously consider that, as an experienced surgeon would be particularly crucial if you choose the J Pouch surgical option), you might want to contact the facilities you are contemplating having it done at and asking about lodging. In 1992 when I had my J Pouch Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City was, at that time, the highest volume J Pouch manufacturer of any hospital in the USA. They then featured the top colorectal surgeon in the country at that time, Dr. Irwin Gelernt (the other NYC hospitals have since caught up with or passed Mount Sinai on J Pouch surgery; Dr. Gelernt, may he RIP, passed away in 1996, and he ran their colorectal surgery center). At that time NYC was not any great travel distance for me- just a train ride- and I inquired about lodging for my family and I. It turned out that Mount Sinai had an erstwhile "hotel" for "medical tourists" and their families, because people were traveling to NYC to get that surgery in 1992. I ended up staying in that Mount Sinai hotel at various times before and after my surgery for various procedures and I think my parents stayed there as well at various times. At the time it was at a reasonable cost and was dormitory like housing.
I suspect that some other hospitals might make their facilities "medical tourist" friendly by either maintaining such similar lodging or, if not, they can perhaps direct you somewhere that other patients or their families usually stay short term. It is doable and if it means having a more experienced J Pouch surgeon, I would do it. Also, AirBnB and similar websites could be an option. You might want to stay in the area and near your surgeon for a few months and at least between step 1 and step 2.
Of course if you choose the end ileostomy, you don't need to be concerned with this issue as the likelihood that someone in the Phoenix area can handle a colectomy and end ileo is very high. Building and attaching/installing J Pouches, on the other hand, are very, very complex surgeries as others have attested, and you need a master technician. And you will want to travel to get to that person and maybe plan on living somewhere else for at least a few months. On that note, I was out of work and more or less out of action for 6 months after my 2 step J Pouch surgery. I had numerous complications both after step 1 surgery and with my temporary ileo, and then blockages after step 2. However, the support I got from Mount Sinai's staff and my surgeon's staff in getting me through those complications and other issues was phenomenal. You should always plan for the worst, and hope for the best. Good luck with the decision and keep us posted on your progress on it!