Hey that looks like...

Fabulous news...And yes, you deserve to brag...I just hope that it is contageous and all the other j pouchers catch it!
Sharon

Hurray!!!!

I'd also like to add that I just went back over 190 pounds. I'm 6'3" and weighed 235 before everything went to hell, so I still feel fairly skinny. As of now though, I'm 15 pounds up from my low point.

wow, that's awesome!!!

What is it that you don't eat 5 months out? At 3 months, I am still experimenting with diet. I lost a lot of weight and trying to gain it back. So far, I can only maintain my current weight, and haven't gained an ounce!

According to this, I need to take in like 2500 cal/day to gain weight. I'm probably at like 1800-2000.

http://www.freedieting.com/too..._gain_calculator.htm

Hmmm, what don't I eat? I don't really eat beans, but I haven't tried them in awhile, so maybe I should head to Qdoba and see what happens now. I can't really think of anything I don't eat now that I wouldn't have eaten before. Everything on my "do not eat" list is pretty much just there because I don't like it (like cantaloupe, that stuff is awful).

I don't really drink alcohol at the moment, but maybe I just haven't thrown enough at my system to have it adapt. I was never a big drinker to begin with, so I don't really not drinking.

So yeah, beans... maybe. I'll eat some beans and get back to you.

how was the "bean experiment"? did you try it yet

Terrific news! I had my j pouch for 23 years, so I know how feel, keep up the great work, and enjoy your new found health!

Cheers!
Eric

Wow 3-4 times a day what meds are you on to go so little??? I go 12 times a day it kills me, but still lead an active lifestyle.

bren

I take 2 immodium and a multivitamin with breakfast and 2 immodium with dinner. I ran out of immodium last night, so I'm going to see what happens today without immodium before I go buy more.

That's so great! I think bragging is good because its good for people who are struggling to hear success stories, too. I am actually having almost the exact same experience 7 months out. However, I struggled with pouchitis and major BB for about four months straight right after takedown. I was really discouraged thinking that I was going to be miserable forever!

I don't take any meds other than vsl#3, omega3, and fiber. I go 4-7 times during the day and 0-1 times during the night. And my stools look like what I imagine a normal persons look like. I was so constipated before I got UC that I either didn't go, or it looked like rabbit poop

I attribute my healthy pouch to the fiber that I take. I was getting constipated even with the pouch and I think that was causing the pouchitis. Hope more people on this forum can feel this good soon!

fq - I forgot to mention this, but I haven't done the bean experiment yet. I did have a burrito without beans and that went down just fine (and was delicious).

AP - Awesome.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I made chili the other night and ate it for dinner and lunch the next day. No change in bowel habits. I also make this corn, tomato, bean, onion dip and eat that with no problem.

I do have some awful memories of eating beans with UC towards the end when I was begging to have surgery! I'm sure you can imagine. Those were terrible times! So glad that is over!

Epic - So glad you are enjoying food again!

Although I cheat occassionally -- beans are one of the rare things that always give me trouble. Chocolate is the other. Thankfully, I've never been a chocoholic so staying away isn't an issue, but I LOVE beans -- of all kinds. When I make any dips, chili's or Mexican anything -- I will always serve the beans on the side for others (cuz I'm nice like that) but I rarely resist just having a few, knowing that even one causes major increased output.

Epic, I do have one question. You say everything comes out normal only smaller. Do you have solidified poop? I didn't think that was possible. For 16 years I've passed mostly liquid. Sometimes it's a bit more thick than water, but most often, it's very watery. So, if you've got mostly solid waste after only 5 months -- YOU ARE A STAR!!

Laurie, yeah it's mostly solid. Sometimes it's not very formed, but I think that happens when I don't drink enough liquid (think dry sand vs. wet sand). Depending on what I eat, it's either fairly solid and normal looking or it's just kinda loose (but not watery).

My only real trick is that I have extra long intestines, so removing my colon basically cuts my tract down to a more average length (though the capacity isn't the same).

ooh i missed the bean discussion! i haven't been brave enough to try beans, BUT I did eat take spoonfuls of soup around the beans (YUM!), and avoided the beans. when I think of beans, i think they might cause too much discomfort and gas with a j-pouch? but it's been so long since i've had a "good" digestive system, so i dunno...

I love beans too, especially lentils! a hearty, protein-filled, amino-acid, healthy bowl of lentils! they aren't the same as beans, right?

Laurie, have you tried lentils? I think they are lighter than beans, and may not cause as much trouble?

Epic Scotsman, do you have an estimate on how much longer your intestine is than normal? is it 4 feet, like colon length?

my poop is not solid, but it feels solid coming out. when i look in the toilet, it is more like a pile of mud or chocolate sauce (sorry chocoholics!). so i guess that means it is soft solid....

I don't really know how much more tubing I have. The surgeon just said it was longer than average and that he thought I'd end up going 2-4 times a day. I do highly encourage the extra footage to be as colonic as possible.

I finally went and had some beans. No muss, no fuss (and they were delicious). Also, today I didn't end up using the bathroom (other than peeing) until about 4:30 this afternoon today. I had last gone before going to bed at around midnight last night. Didn't feel stopped up or anything like that, just didn't need to go.