For anyone who has had the surgery:

(FYI cross-posted in optimizes too) My husband is indefinitely getting surgery...just waiting to align some things work wise before he can take the time off. I’m just wondering if anyone recommends (or likewise, doesn’t recommend) surgeons to do the ostomy/j-pouch surgery? We are Just outside of Toronto, but willing to go where the best treatment is. I just want this to go as smooth as possible for him. <3

My DH has suffered long enough under bad doctors, lack of proper care from nurses, and hellish long drives to get any decent treatment.

To anyone interested: (I see that there a few views checking in on this post.) I was able to confirm that the surgeon we are seeing/consulting with is, at the time of this post, #3 out of 344 surgeons in the GTA; and at Mount Sinai, Toronto. Her name is dr. Helen Macrae.

Other recommended surgeons: dr. Kennedy (another female; sorry don’t know her first name)

Fingers crossed all goes well when/if surgery happens!

Hi yes Keith is correct I live outside Toronto, I had my surgery at St Joes in Hamilton. Amazing hospital but I would not recommend my surgeon. I didn't have a choice picking one, was extremely sick and surgery was given to me as all else failed.
Mount Sinai is a fantastic hospital, wishing your husband all the best.

Hi loopme I wish I was one of the ones that could answer “ I love my j pouch “ unfortunately I have had issues since my take down last August. But many on this site have had positive results with no issues what so ever .
I was hospitalized at St Joes for 4 weeks before my operation went in thru the ER . I wanted to try everything and have no regrets before I went under the knife . For the most part I believe a big chunk of folks are happy with their pouch .. but there are also ones like myself that now have more issues then before. I still go up to 15 times a day I suffer from serve gas pains and butt burn is horrible the only big difference is I am not pouring blood like before with my UC.
And the two major surgeries were extremely rough on myself and my family I still have 4 children at home . The third one was fairly easy no issues with that one.

You mentioned your husband is on xeljanz has be tried humira ? My flare ups used to last a year before they subsided . This last one was my worst but I was under a great deal of stress losing my mom so my body reacted differently then all the previous flare ups since 1993.

I would never recommend surgery unless his quality of life was so poor and that was the only choice.

With my UC I couldn’t keep any BM in I would experience 10-20 a day and half of those I didn’t make it to the toilet and I poured blood all day . I needed 4 blood transfusions in the hospital. I should have gone into the hospital weeks before to get it under control but unfortunately I thought I would go into remission.
I would try ER then getting hospitalized to see if they can control it then if nothing works surgery . But that’s just my view on it . Maybe if all was well with my pouch I would recommend it right away .
The last thing I want to do is discourage your husband but research as much as you can then see what the doctors advise in the hospital.
Please keep us posted
Valli

Lopomme,

about 10% of us (jpouchers) comedown with chronic pouchitis.

I consistently treat my pouchitis and I have no problems. It does not affect my quality of life. Pouchitis responds very well to medications. Where you see a lot of pouchitis complaints is patients who aren’t treating their pouchitis regularly while they are figuring out if they are having a bout of pouchitis or if it is chronic pouchitis that needs to be treated full time.

My life is so much better than when I had a diseased colon.