Thanks Joel. I am on illeostomy forums and joined this forum just to get the whole picture and compare everyone's experiences of pouch and bag. There are so many things to consider, so many pros and cons of both. The hardest thing for me to get my head round is that I am not sick at the moment or in any pain/suffering. It's really hard to think that for 6 years I have hardly been on any meds, no loose stools, no running to the bathroom 10x day and my colitis to me feels like it disappeared. It feels like I don't need the op, I don't need it to stop any pain or to make my life easier, I got my life back once steroids got everything under control after are very hard 6 years at the age of 16. It's a kick in the stomach to hear I need it now, but I totally understand that I'm practically facing bowel cancer if I don't get everything removed. It's just hard! I appreciate everything you say, and I feel like I'm not ready to watch what I eat again, or re train myself to run to the loos or spot where the toilets are everywhere I go. I'm just going to take one step at a time xx