Gas pains

I take Hyoscyamine it was a life saver and still is.  You just put it under your tongue and the gas goes away for me.  You might want to look into it.  If my gas is really high up then I chew 2 Gas Relief (80 mg of Simethicone). Another life saver. Good luck.  Keep us posted.  

Thank you!

You are welcome.  I truly hope it helps you out.  It’s so hard to know what to do.  

Keep us posted.  Good Luck.  

AGree with the answer above, everything is still pretty new, you will get the hang of things . If you start feeling nauseated, definitely recommend protonix, that help

Congratulations by the way

Thank you

Some things work better than others. I think part of it is having your body adjust to flora, etc. changes, too; Beano is unlikely to work bc it targets the colon. I didn’t have any relief from hyoscyamine; it is supposed to help spasms of the gut, but it didn’t do anything for me before or after pouch. I also didn’t find simethicone to help much, but it sounds like others have had better luck.

What I was told by surgeon/team was: avoid drinking through straws and chewing gum, don’t talk while you eat (lots of swallowed air), don’t drink carbonated beverages, and avoid beans/‘gassy’ vegetables until you adapt.

I think it was generally true; it took about three to four months to understand what worked and what didn’t for me, and for my gut to be able to handle certain foods, or talking during a meal (argh). Now I can do all of above and it doesn’t cause distress, but it took a while to get there.

One thing is that small bowel isn’t used to the bacterial activity that colon usually handled; as ileum becomes more ‘colon-like’, symptoms get better, bc the bacteria do their work in a new location. You had abx for surgery, right? Flora got knocked for a loop, as you know. Probiotics may be helpful at speeding things along. They helped me more than any anti-gas tx, but I still think tincture of time helped the most.

The worst thing that never left after my j-pouch was gas pain when flying. No bloating on the ground, but every time I flew, I felt like I had to go, again and again, because of gas. (And they don’t want you getting up during takeoff and landing, when it’s the worst d/t pressure changes.) Still happens.

They didn’t teach us enough about the gut in med school, I’m convinced; I’ve learned far too much more after becoming a patient. Good luck!

Very helpful thanks.

Certainly some foods are more apt to produce gas, and at this early stage they probably aren’t worth the trouble. The loud bowel sounds may never fully go away, though they have diminished considerably for me. I use Beano when I eat the foods it’s designed for, and maybe the J-pouch is colonified enough for it to make a difference. Some people have described various postures (“bathroom yoga”) that help them fully empty the J-pouch, particularly of gas. The discomfort will likely diminish, too, as the pouch accommodates to its new role. Patience is critical. Good luck!

Thank you

Any other helpful replies would be welcome...

It's bad for the first few weeks but it gets better.I got worse by taking too much husk but found loperamide works.Its a balancing act as you don't want to slow your guts down too much.but it just takes time and you will feel better.

Thank you. That helps. These cramps and pains are awful. I’m 16 days out from my ileostomy reversal so I guess I have a few weeks to go before things settle down?

Chook what is husk?

I think it’s psyllium husk, like Metamucil or Konsyl. I’ve used it every day since my hospital discharge (except for the several days off I needed to verify that it was helpful).

Thanks. I think my over-indulgence in pretzel nuggets may be part of the gas problem. Just a theory.