I had surgery Sept 3, 2019 to remove my colon. It ruptured after 18 years of UC. That surgery I had an end ileostomy. I had been very sick so the first few weeks were rough, both getting strength back and emotionally. But I was doing well, eating anything within a month. Surgery 2 to create j-pouch was Dec 27. Loop ileostomy..ugh no fun. It leaked a lot for me, which I didn't experience with the end ileostomy. Then Feb 26 was my takedowm. So I'm still fairly new with my j-pouch. Recovery has been somewhat steady but I'm not one that was out and about in 2 weeks. For a few months I struggled with difficulty emptying the pouch and constant rectal pressure. I'm coming up on three months and I finally feel like I'm turning the corner. I can empty much easier, although now I'm starting to work on frequency. I go about 12 times per day but have not been using immodium or anything like that so I'm starting to experiment there. I rarely get butt burn and am expanding my diet now. I'm fortunate to work from home. My main struggle right now is trying to gain weight. I'm 5'7 and 114 lbs, and would love to hit 130! A few words of advice I took from this site are measure progress in weeks or months, it does get better. I'm not where I want to be but I know I will continue to improve with time. And don't be afraid of food. You have to try stuff to see what works for you. Best of luck!