J-Pouch Life

Welcome to J-Pouch Life!

Hi Everyone, I’m  Sharon and I had Ulcerative Colitis for over 13 years. My journey ended up in J-Pouch (Ileal Pouch) surgery and along the way, I had the most amazing support from my husband, Mike, who spent countless hours reading and researching topics to try and help me. Now that I am living the J-Pouch Life and feeling better than I have in a long time, I really wanted to share my experiences with you and the knowledge that we have gained along the way. Mike and I are hosting this website as a resource for people who have a compromised GI tract through Inflammatory Bowel Disease (whether from Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis), and especially for people who have to have Ileal Pouch surgery.

Throughout this site, I hope you will be encouraged to stay strong, stay hopeful, and learn ways to take care of yourself so you can feel your best.

I also want to recognize and thank caregivers and loved ones who sacrifice to help us manage through chronic illness and the ups and downs that are a part of our lives.

Check out my Nutrition page for information and limited ingredient recipes.  And stop by the Resources page for the scoop on all the products I have tried and come to rely on to stay healthy and feel good.

Thank you for taking time to explore J-Pouch Life.
We wish everyone continuous healing and good health, always!

Huge Disclaimer: We are NOT medical professionals so anything discussed here represents just our own experience or research we have done. Information shared here should NOT be a substitute for the advice or care from a licensed medical professional. We are NOT dietitians or nutritionists. We are simply a UC patient and caregiver who have been to lots of doctors and done a lot of reading and research on various topics. Our intent is not to make recommendations, but simply let you know what my experiences and outcomes have been and let you know about products and services that you may find helpful. I highlight lots of products that I like and that work for me, but I know everyone is different so you may not have the same results. I have affiliate links to some of these products which means if you buy them through the links here, I may get a commission. Other things I’m letting you know about just to share with you what I have come to rely on after trying lots of different products. 

More Disclaiming: We are not recommending that anyone elect J-Pouch surgery. That is a decision you have to make for yourself with your medical providers and your family. There are risks and complications that you should be fully aware of before making the decision to have any surgery. The surgery discussed here (Ileal Pouch Anal Anastomosis) is MAJOR life altering surgery with lots of risks and possible life-long complications. It affects your physical appearance while you have an ileostomy and leaves you with a few scars at the end of the day, not to mention a whole new way for your body to digest food. In my case, surgery was the best option so this site contains information about our experience. If you click on any of the affiliate links throughout our site, you will be taken to another site and we have no control over the content, services or products provided by other sites, but we may receive a commission. We only describe products we use ourselves and encourage our readers and followers to always do your own research for what is best for you.