Pros & Cons - Ileostomy vs. JPouch

liza.judy · Post by **liza.judy** » 2008-08-02 07:22:31

Is it worth it? 4 hours of surgery plus a 5 - 7 day hospital stay for a JPouch compared to a stoma that is working perfectly (although ugly).

What do you think?

lesson · Post by **lesson** » 2008-08-06 06:47:11

I do not have a Jpouch.
This is a personal (and difficult decision) for you I am sure.
I don't know how much research you have done, if you have 'traveled' further that the UOAA board, but the www.jpouch.org site might be helpful answering some questions.

Steph · Post by **Steph** » 2008-08-20 04:43:41

My stoma was working great before my jpouch surgery as well. I had gotten to the same point as you, but knew I would always wonder "what if" if I didn't give the jpouch a chance. I've had it fully functioning for almost 7 months now and am so glad I did it!

It really is a personal decision for each person. There is no guarantee with how well the jpouch will work and pretty much everyone I know with a jpouch has had different experiences with their outcomes. The jpouch board is a great resource with lots of friendly people. My concern with you going there to help decide whether or not to have a jpouch is that from my experience most of the people on there have problems, so you will hear more failure/horror stories than success stories. I actually had to stop going there before my jpouch surgery because it got me so freaked out. But, as I said before, the people on there are very friendly and welcoming.

If you have any questions about my experiences, feel free to ask away!