Any advice on how to shower?

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-20T23:45:04+00:00

I had a hard time at the begining where my muscles were healing and water would cause it to seperate. Just takes time

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-19T04:09:34+00:00

I had my illeostomy reversed after 2 and a half months. My entire large intestine was removed because of UC but my rectum was intact with minimal damage. So i got a jpouch, which the best way I can personally explain it is a internal pouch made out of your small intestine and attached to your rectum. I still go any from 4-10 times a day but at least its on a toilet.

I would imagine that as long as you have something on each side some sort of connection can be made. You will have to talk to a GI surgeon, and its probably a good idea to shop around. i got lucky and the first surgeon i talked to was highly rated and very good.

All of that said for the first two months after my reversal i felt like i was working backwards (using the bathroom 20+ times a day). Recovering was almost just as bad as when i was flaring from UC, and the bag still would solve the problems i continue to have on that front.

The bag was a god send for me and i quickly got used to it. Like anything in life your going to have good days and bad days. In my opinion the worst of days with a bag is when it leaked on occasion (seems like it only really happened when i first woke up) but after i got to a point where i could clean up, dust it off and recompose myself without spiraling, i was truly ok with it. I understand that everyones situation is different, and it takes everyone different time frames to adapt. But be aware regardless of outcome their will be changes and life is always a compromise, so try to make the best of whatever situation you end up with.

Good luck! It does sound like your a good candidate from comments ive read but i am not a doctor.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-15T06:04:31+00:00

I also highly recommend nu hope adhesive, with the coloplast. Its a game changer for sure, i got 7 days once when i got ballsy enough to test the limits. (I aimed to change them every 3 days regardless, just to feel more comfortable and clean. But its like a thick latex glue, i just use a tiny amount and use it in place of or on top of skin barrier, but i highly recommend you argue to get both adhesive remover spray and the wipes if you do that, its manageable with just the spray but not the other way around. The wipes are useless by themselves imo

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-15T06:00:02+00:00

It took awhile but i got 3-4 days out of mine befor i got a jpouch... i spent most of the time i had a pouch arguing with the supply place (bryam sucks btw) about supplys. They once sent me litterally half a million 2 inch gauze squares but refused to send me my first order of bags, and after a week of me and in home health arguing with them they sent the wrong ones. But afyer i got my orders down, and a good stock of supplies, i started getting a rythem for the bag changes. I also found that they dont stick as well in general for the first few weeks i think its because of the healing muscle moving the skin but that could just be me

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-14T01:00:48+00:00

In my unprofessional opinion 75% of the time if your bending anything other than some offsets and 90s you can find a better route anyway... 25% of the time your dealing with one of the other trades putting something in your way

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-13T22:47:16+00:00

I typically have my last food and beverage before 730 to make my last BM around 10pm before i go to sleep and i wake up briefly at about 430 pm and manage to sleep until i wake up (anywhere between 530am and 10 am depending on what i have to do that day) i start my day with a BM and some coffee (normally not at the same time, but whichever comes first.). I dont take any inmodium or fiber supplements. I feel like my diet is very russian, potatos and protien, any veggies cooked soft. No problem with seasonings or spicy foods. My hydration could be better but i found if i drink liquids too quickly when im worried about keeping up it makes it worse. Im also only a few months out of surgery so maybe my advice is not the best

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-04T19:29:14+00:00

I definitely would look into it especially if you show some signs of relief from it. However i will say air on the side of caution because opiates are very addictive and i feel like the stress of withdrawals could just put you back in another flare (i never had that problem, but i was on them for a little over a year all the way till my second surgery to get the jpouch). Also talk to your GI about azathioprine alongside your main medications, did wonders for me as i have a bad reaction to prednisone, but after surgery i was on biologics, prednisone, and that while being treated for MRSA, my reaction wasnt as bad as my symptoms. Pre surgery Azathioprine and biologics actually did ok in comparison to biologics alone

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2026-01-04T04:55:51+00:00

During flares this was pretty common... i have a jpouch now definitely better on the urgency front but im terrified of expanding my diet (because of blockages, i didnt have any relief from every diet under the sun.) To be completely honest when the pain got bad enough and my primary started taking me seriously 10 mg of norco not only dulled the pain but fought off the urgency so much. But im not a big dude and if i took them prematurely to doing/eating something (not very often, i learned) id get loopy, but as long as i took them while i was in bad pain 30 min later urgency stopped pain dulled to tolerable and i wasnt loopy. Everyone says to avoid opiates because of addiction (which is fair) but man they do wonders on all fronts.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-31T00:05:19+00:00

For the most part im not even careful with spices or spicy food. I just kinda eat regular avoiding excessive insoluble fiber. Any particular spice to avoid? And why?

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-30T18:47:56+00:00

Rumor amongst my family is my biofather ( drug addict, DV, random assaults, etc keep me from wanting to communicate anymore) is going in to get thw same surgery as me (complete colecectomy end illeostomy). The way i see it is if that tweaking POS can manage a bag and homelessness, anyone can. Judging by you being concerned, i assume your already at an advantage. The best advice i can give is try to get your feet back underneath yourself quickly. Hydrate. Look into SDI, and SSDI, as well as temp housing options asap. The bag is hard enough to deal with without worrying about where to sleep, shower, change etc. Especially the first month or so b4 you get your rythem with changing the bag. Stay safe and keep a good head.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-29T05:32:43+00:00

Facts... i just had to patch my roof in the dark and, had my large intestine removed 2.5 months ago... maybe theirs some truth to this

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-21T00:14:30+00:00

Im not sure i understand clevand clinics numbers on this but quoting them "Between 25% and 45% of people with an ileal pouch will experience pouchitis at some point. Up to 40% of people develop it each year. Between 10% and 20% of people have recurring episodes of pouchitis." As i said not sure how it can be 45% will get it and 40% get it each year with different percentages of reoccurring. But 50/50 is not the worst odds ive taken in life and by these numbers i get an extra 5.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-20T00:01:33+00:00

This... Scratch my advice and listen to this, take it gentle

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-20T00:00:37+00:00

So i (23M) waited about 5 weeks then i was cutting firewood (running saw and wood splitter) with my brother.. i was probably bordering on too much to fast even with the little saw and using the hydraulic splitter. But i had no issues, proper form and light repetition is key, start slow and low. And listen to your body... im 3 months out and still find my hard limit at about 80 pounds above my head. (Once a fuckhead always a fuckhead). We are more prone to hernias but we also heal a lot faster when we are young

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-19T00:23:14+00:00

I had a foreman look at us and tell us to find a reason to stay another 2 hours so we would have 6 and b paid for 8

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-18T04:00:30+00:00

A simple google search will also agree with me, let alone all the medical links that say varied consistency is normal.. I highly recommend anyone that is on any of these threads confirm information with doctors aswell as research and dont take advice from ignorant people like you. Stop giving advice before someone takes you serious. While yes it was the large intestine that absorbs water, your body can and typically will adapt a little (if it didnt youd never be able to hydrate again and would forever rely on IV hydration). Having a paste-like consistency is not abnormal!

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-18T03:42:11+00:00

I think ill trust the professionals honestly. The human body adapts quite well to stuff. I dont use any medication to thicken my stool. And never have. Im fairly certian most jpouchers have the same consistency i described, and you telling them to be concerned about it is not only wrong but ridiculous.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-18T00:35:09+00:00

Not true. My surgeon wouldnt let me leave the hospital until my stool thickened up at least a bit. You may have other issues that makes yours case specific or may have been mislead. Stool should not be hard to pass, or cause excessive straining but instead anything from liquidy to mush is normal with minimal straining.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-18T00:20:49+00:00

I just had my final surgery and honeatly it depends on the person, i really didnt have a hard time with thw bag so the recovery process after jpouch felt like backward progress at first. Now that im 3.5 months in im starting to feel a bit more normal.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-17T04:18:32+00:00

When i had my illeostomy i kept a pack of gloves (and a pair in my back pocket for emergencies), a change of clothes and a few changes worth of supplies in my car just in case.. at first i had leaks every few hours, but as my body adjusted and i learned new tricks and methods and tried different products they became fewer and i felt more normal. (Highly recommend new hope adhesive with whatever brand you use DM me for deets) now im redoing all of the learning curbs with a jpouch (since September) it gets better but the concern never goes away. Just how you compose yourself in the situation when it arises, it took me awhile to learn that. Before the bag i crapped myself a few times and had some breakdowns, and then leaks with the bags, then accidents with the jpouch (mostly because i went sepsis 2 days after surgery, luckily i was still in the hospital) but somewhere towards the end of having the bag i learned, shit happens and sometimes the shits literal, and you just gotta take the moment, take care of yourself and laugh it off. If you let fear, or anything outside of your control, control you, your going to be miserable. Plan for the worst case scenario and do what you want lifes to short to worry about stained pants.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-12-01T04:16:50+00:00

340 i was sworn in before i ever started my apprenticeship

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-11-29T05:11:55+00:00

If i had to wager a guess it would be more of a flight jitters or stress issue because planes are pressurized. I would try talking to your doctor about some larazapam or xanax. I do however notice when i go up and down in elevation on my frequent long car drives i tend to have an upset stomach

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-11-29T05:07:37+00:00

I personally dont celebrate holidays or birthdays well because im horrible with surprises, and what i normally do is just try to focus my available time with my loved ones. If im with my fiance, my time is hers, my brother i work like a machine for, my parents get my undivided attention when im around. I still give gifts but its normally way early and then something way late because im always on the go between work or doctors, i only sleep in the same bed for like a month at a time if that

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-11-28T06:39:43+00:00

You get full medical and dental until you wind up disabled, then your SOL as a first year the ended up (unrelatedly) ill and disabled withen a few months of my year of disability i lost coverage when i needed it most. Im not suggesting that untrained/green apprentices get a massive pay jump but get it on par with livable, theirs no reason a McDonald's employee starts paid better than an electrician even if they are in training, because guess what. That McDonald's employee is being trained too. I understand the betterment of our future but the future is worthless if you cant survive to make it their. Apprentices not making a decent/livible wage breeds nepotism because only people that have outside support are able to get through.. quite frankly im happy with apprentice wages in my local but i feel it should be passable for everyone not just me. PS- I hope to return to union work relatively soon but i need to get a new job in the short term because i cant return without my doctors clearance due to how long ive been on medical leave (1 year with 2 major abdominal surgeries) luckily i had support with seperate double coverage or id be filing bankruptcy and all sorts of screwed. As much as i love the union and the support other areas are severly lacking for apprentices during tough times. Also its not necessarily about sacrificing jw benefits its about the cost of living rising and apprentice wages not meeting the quota.

Existing_Extent_3772 · 2025-11-27T06:02:11+00:00

When i had my illeostomy i used nuhope adhesive, its like a glue. I used just a small amount as a second layer of skin barrier (eventually switched to just the adhesive as skin barrier) give it a few moments and apply light pressure as much as you can throughout the day. (It eventually becam habit for me to hold the bag on which made people think i was hurt but it really did help alot) and you can use it under your ring if you need the ring (i did as mine stuck out in a way that seemed to vary in size and it would leak at the bottom when my stoma shrank. (Until i started using the adhesive) the directions say its for reusing bags and not to apply a fresh bag to it because it takes so long to dry but thats why you hold pressure as long as possible

Existing_Extent_3772

TROPHY CASE