Hello, Cole.
When you start talking to a surgeon and decide to go with her / him, ask if you can speak with a few of the patients who have the permanent ileostomy, and to those who have a j pouch. If possible, ask to speak over the telephone with recent patients and with long term patients. In my case I talked with a fairly new ileostomy owner, and also with a couple of 10 year pouchers. Make a list of questions to ask these patients, what their life is like now, what it was like immediately after surgery, what the hospital and staff was like, what they think of the surgeon, how was their aftercare (home nurse visits). This way you will know more about the surgeon and how his team works. And you can make your own list of Pro's and Con's according to your own life.