Hi, Winterberry, thanks for your reply. I don't think actual sugar (sucrose) really bothers my pouch. I think it's starches and complex carbohydrates that do. It seems that bacteria eat the starches and break them down in the small intestine and cause really bad bloating and gas. So eating cake/breads etc are difficult because of starches. I've tried different fruit, and the fructose has always bothered me, even when I had UC. It's been interesting because foods marked as safe on the FODMAP diet have really caused an overgrowth. I used to take the enzymes and totally forgot about them. I will try them again with the carbs I currently eat and see if they help. The butt burn was really bad when I first started to acclimate to the J-pouch but really improved when I stopped eating cheese and anything derived from dairy. I know lactic acid burns for sure, because that's what gives cheddar it's orange coloring and it was particularly noticeable when i ate cheddar. I'm not quite sure how to feel about where I am right now. I am just happy that I've healed quite nicely.