So here’s the thing. There are no guarantees. If you have IBD, you have it for life. Even if you have UC and your colon is removed, you still have IBD. Some people wind up with pouch failure, but the failure rate is low, 3-20% or so, depending on what study you read. That said, if your colon is toast, there is a limit on how long you can go forward without colon removal. We all hope for the diet cure, or the next new drug, or the elusive spontaneous remission. I was lucky to have a 20 year spontaneous remission. It was great while it lasted.
You just don’t know if your j-pouch will last your lifetime, be an early failure, or a late failure. You don’t know if you will have a heart attack, get diabetes, or cancer. This is not to be morbid or fatalistic, but to stress that we really have little control over our future health (other than making the obvious good health choices). I have been living the IBD life for 50 years (age 15-65), so accepting uncertain futures has been important for my sanity.
Jan 