Hi Mike , you are a young person. I would try for a JPouch, you can always change it later. I started with a 2step surgery, which unfortunately turned into 4 surgeries. I had an end ileostomy, then my jpouch for a week, then a loop ileostomy, then a sucessful takedown. The end ileostomy was better than being sick with colitis, the loop ileostomy was worse than being sick with colitis, and the jpouch is by far the best outcome. My surgeon said it takes a full year to get used to it, but you will. I ran 7 miles yesterday, and weightlifted today. I have not yet had pouchitis. I take zero medications. There are daily challenges, but it's wonderful to be free of the UC - I did not understand how sick I was until after my colon was gone.