Well hello, neighbor. I live right down the road from you, in the town of Wake Forest.
I am certainly not an expert on what it is like to live with a J-pouch, but I do know what has worked well for me.
The first thing that I found helpful was to pay close attention to what I ate. I find that I do much better if I limit the amount of bulk in my diet, and I eat fibrous vegetables very sparingly. I was never very good about eating my vegetables anyway, but now I have an excuse!
If the veggies are well cooked, I seem to do much better. I will also add spirulina to protein drinks, or throw some kale or spinach into the blender. Finely chopping everything up helps a lot. I also make sure to supplement my diet with vitamins to compensate for what I am not getting from food.
I am also very careful about when I eat. I prefer to not eat anything solid (and even liquid, usually) after 5pm, or 4pm is even better. My wife is not crazy about this, since she likes to cook a nice dinner, but I will often sit at the table, even if all I can do is just stare longingly at the food.
What made the biggest difference for me was my water intake, both how much and when I drink it. I make sure that I drink a minimum of 120 ounces a day. This might seem counterintuitive, since most of us have to deal with diarrhea, but it helped me considerably. First of all, I tend towards low blood pressure, and the water increases blood volume, and helps to prevent dehydration.
Each morning, I drink 48 ounces of water before I have any food. With nothing to slow it down, I can count on a bathroom trip within an hour, and I have the sensation that my pouch is thoroughly empty. I continue to rehydrate during the day, and I rarely have to revisit the bathroom (other than to empty my bladder) until late afternoon or evening. It has made a tremendous difference in how I feel during the day.
Case in point, my wife and I just hiked all weekend, and I was without bathroom access for most of the day. I was absolutely fine, and would not have dared to do that just a couple of years ago.
Obviously, you’ll want to follow your doctor’s advice on anything that you do. All I can do is talk about my own experience.
It does get better, as your body learns to deal with having a “stolen colon.”
Hang in there!