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Hey everyone....I just have a few questions. First, let me start by giving the basics. I had my first surgery (total colectomy) in 2007 and my final JPouch take down in 2010. Since then, things have been relatively good I suppose. At least what I consider good! Over the years, I’ve learned that I can not eat raw fruits and veggies, I can’t even eat cooked to mush veggies sometimes. Beans cause an issue. And I’ve noticed that any time I have any sort of pressure on my abdomen, it causes digestion to slow to almost a halt causing discomfort.
throughout all these years, I have not seen a GI at all. I never really as issues that made me think I should go see one. Now I’m wondering if that has not been a smart idea.
lately, I’ve noticed that I’m bloated a lot more often than I would call normal. The discomfort that I would get from wearing clothes that apply even the slightest bit of pressure to my abdomen has increased. I’ve also noticed that I have pain in my lower abdomen when I use the restroom. I don’t really know how to describe the pain other than mildly sharp if I push.
Any guidance from you all would be very much welcomed!!

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Liz, it’s reasonable to see if a good gastroenterologist can help you sort out this problem. Sometimes they figure it out and can help solve it, and sometimes it’s hard to diagnose or hard to treat. I don’t think you’ve put it off too long, and the rear-view mirror isn’t very useful in these circumstances anyway.

@ytcrockpot posted:

Hello,

I would think you need to see a GI ASAP. Although I never really had problems for the longest time after my second surgery, I always saw my G.I. At least once a year for my yearly scope test. Got to make sure everything is good with the pouch.

Good luck, hope they figure it out and you feel better

I kind of wish I would have been given more guidance after I was discharged from my doctors after my final surgery. Even though my dad also has a jpouch, he never goes to a GI doctor either. I guess that is one of the reasons I thought it was “normal”.

thanks! I hope I can get some answers soon!

Liz, it is normal to just live your life when you feel fine. Unless you have a high cancer probability (from FAP or dysplasia, for example) there is very little risk from ignoring a well-functioning J-pouch. Some folks like to monitor things more closely, and that’s fine, but other folks will treat that like an urgent matter, and that’s an exaggeration at best. Now that you have symptoms it’s a good idea to deal with them, but I’m glad you experienced what sounds like 10 completely normal, “nothing to see here” years.

@ytcrockpot posted:

Hello,

I would think you need to see a GI ASAP. Although I never really had problems for the longest time after my second surgery, I always saw my G.I. At least once a year for my yearly scope test. Got to make sure everything is good with the pouch.

Good luck, hope they figure it out and you feel better

Have you had a yearly scope test since you’ve had the jpouch? I think I may have had one done over the last 10 years. I don’t think it was to check out my pouch though, I believe it was for a stomach issue.

@Liz H.2013 posted:

Have you had a yearly scope test since you’ve had the jpouch? I think I may have had one done over the last 10 years. I don’t think it was to check out my pouch though, I believe it was for a stomach issue.

Changing your entire digestive system I feel is something that needs to be checked often, since cancer and other issues can arise in the pouch.  I’ve had a scope test every year for the past 40yrs, sometime twice in a year.
Thank god, I’ve never had cancer, but have had a bad case of pouchitis.

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