I ended up taking antibiotics all the time. I rotated 2 different ones as that was to make sure they kept working. I also took VSL #3 DS which Walgreens filled and my insurance paid for. That was before the other alternative to it came on the scene. I would have gone on-line if my insurance didn't pay as it was expensive. I made sure to take it and the antibiotics at least 3 hours apart. This is so the good bugs the VSL#3 DS made wouldn't get killed right away by the antibiotics. Have you tried getting them to obtain the DS, double stuff? That is considered medical food and got approved but the VSL #3 of less strength wasn't covered.
I had to start taking prescription pain medication before my surgery and it was increased after my surgery. My PCP prescribed it as GI's and surgeons don't prescribe past the prescription you come home from the hospital with. I'd had the surgeries open as well as had past abdominal surgery and my abdomen was full of adhesions.
Unfortunately my j-pouch failed and needed to be removed. The wonderful surgeon that removed it spent hours during the surgery working on those adhesions. I still have abdominal pain that required pain medication but it's over 50% less in milligrams than before it was removed.
If anyone reading this is considering getting the surgery I hope your surgeon does it laproscopically. This would have minimized the adhesions and therefore the related pain. If I had to do it over I would have found a surgeon that did them laproscopically.