I had UC and had to have my colon removed in June. I had an end ileostomy for five months before having j pouch surgery. After I recovered from the colectomy and adjusted to the bag, I ate everything I wanted, put on healthy weight at the gym, traveled to Israel for 10 days, and took my dog on day-long hikes. My personal experience with the j pouch is that it's been a disaster, and I haven't even had take down surgery. I'm talking with a new surgeon about removing it because between the pain, urgency, incontinence, inflammation, loss of weight, loss of appetite, nausea, and a fistula, I haven't been able to leave my house in three months except to go to the doctor. I realize many people have positive experiences with their j pouches, but all I want is my functional end ileostomy back. I just mean to say that I was able to maintain my active lifestyle just fine with the bag, but I have had no kind of life since having the j pouch surgery.