How a J-Pouch and Ileostomy for UC Work

One type of surgery to treat UC, sometimes called J-pouch surgery, is commonly used for treatment. The first step in the process is to remove your entire large intestine, or colon and rectum. Next, the surgeon will take the tail-end of your small intestine and use it to create a little J-shaped pouch, which is then attached directly to your anus.

It takes roughly three months for the surgery to heal so that you can go to the bathroom normally using the J-pouch. Until then, you'll need a backup system to remove waste. To help with this, the surgeon pulls a section of the end of your small intestine, or the ileum, out the side of your body so you can get rid of waste while you're recovering. This part of the process is called an ileostomy. And the little bag the waste goes into is called an ileostomy bag.

The last part of the process occurs a few months later when you're healed. The surgeon removes the ileostomy bag, closes the opening. And then you can go to the bathroom with only a slight increase to bowl movement frequency.

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