Lori,
To answer your question about stapling or stitches - mine must have been stitches as I didn't have to get them removed. My local stoma/wound care nurse helped me in healing my barbie butt as it took longer than expected to heal. It was no big deal. I don't know if that contributed to me needing to sit on a waffle cushion longer or not. It took months before I could sit on a hard surface. Recuperation was a breeze compared to dealing with my j-pouch that just kept getting worse.
TF,
I am no spring chicken as am in my 60's. I too had a horrible time with the temporary ileostomy in-between my j-pouch surgeries. I was in the hospital for 16 days after my first surgery because of it and suffered so much my take down was 8 weeks after the first surgery.
I wish I would have had it removed at least 18 months before I did. It was just over 5 years old when I had the removal surgery. I too had a limited diet and was on a lot of medications, including pain, and needed to give myself enemas in order to empty my j-pouch. It got so bad that I relied on other people here. They explained that a permanent ileostomy was much better than temporary one and were right. Is it better than a well functioning j-pouch? No, but I never had a well functioning pouch. It's better than my horrible temp ileo was. It gave me back a life. I can leave the house whenever I need to.
It is a difficult surgery but recovery was much better than my first j-pouch surgery. I too had a hernia operation. It was a breeze compared to these other surgeries. I hope your doctors are able to give you some j-pouch relief too.