Has anyone had only colon removal? And had a success rate.
Turt
Jun 08, 2021 11:31 pm
Past Member
Jun 09, 2021 2:01 am
Hi there, that would be me and all the other Ileo people. How can we help you, friend?
This is a remarkable community of 40,826 members.
You will get real advice from fellow ostomates who truly understand you - things you won't find in the books.
And it's not all about ostomy - there is friendship and relationships too.
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iMacG5
When I found this web site, I didn't think its name had anything to do with actually meeting an ostomate but I later learned there were some folks who did meet and develop relationships. How good is that? That wasn't my intention. I definitely didn't want anyone to meet me. I felt broken and wasn't prepared to express those feelings. I thought it was a place where ostomates wrote about themselves, posed questions, shared thoughts, told jokes and, sometimes, just vented. I thought of it as a community of folks with similar interests and various degrees of experience. Mostly I found some of the most caring, selfless, wise and understanding people I ever imagined. I was so impressed with some of the writings; not because of their literary value but the way in which they addressed such a very complex environment. I read hundreds of exchanges and admired the way folks cared for each other. I became hopeful with my own situation and looked forward to the next day's offerings. Certainly some contributors stood out with their experience or particular skills in addressing some things but it seemed like a total effort with synergistic results. I felt blessed to have found this site. I still do.
Mike
ron in mich
Jun 09, 2021 1:45 pm
Hi Turt, define success as I've had no colon for 36 years. But seriously, ask any question and someone will have an answer or experience for you.
Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister
Past Member
Jun 09, 2021 2:53 pm
Yes, since 1989, I have an ileostomy but I'm not an expert on them. But ask any questions you like. I'm sure someone will be able to give you some advice.
Turt
Jun 09, 2021 5:35 pm
Well, I know there are many different reasons for an ileostomy. I was wondering if anyone, like myself, had their whole colon removed and had a successful reversal.
Past Member
Jun 09, 2021 10:41 pm
I had a sort of reversal with a "J POUCH". A long time ago. I was one of the first who got one. My one failed eventually. New techniques may have improved this method??
First of all, was the rectum removed? Was all of sigmoid colon removed? Did they remove some small intestine also?
An ileostomy is when the small intestine is left intact (all there) and the colon is removed totally. Just about all of my sigmoid and rectum were removed, which means that the "Inner Sphincter" is not present anymore. This means there is only the outer sphincter to keep all that shite where it belongs...inside and not running down your legs!!! My remaining sphincter (outer) did a terrible job of keeping my smelly liquid shite inside, leaked early on, and never worked 100%.
The biggest concern is the acid in the output was burning my skin off my butt and still had to know where the toilet was every place I went.
My cousin in Chicago got connected without an inside pouch (J Pouch) and it has been a long road for him. It is a long recovery process and it can be very troublesome. You should be aware of how difficult it can be. However, the new procedures may be better. I hope someone with a more recent J Pouch or Koch Pouch, Continent Ostomy can write in with more info.
I would advise getting as many details as possible on what is proposed. When you know exactly what the plan would be, just write back for more info from us.
Ask lots and lots of questions and have someone with you to back you up and ask questions on your behalf. You must have a "Wingman/Woman". Hoping to hear from you again, my friend.
Eamon.
Turt
Jun 09, 2021 11:11 pm
My colon was removed due to an accident I was involved in. As far as I know, I have all my rectum. And they are wanting to do a J-pouch.
Fingers
Jun 02, 2025 1:56 am
Greetings. I can share a bit about this topic. The average rectum is less than 6 inches in length from the sigmoid junction to the anal canal. That's not much space. If you've had your entire large colon removed—your entire large intestine for those who don't understand they are the same thing—then what it comes down to is very simply this: Your fecal matter passes from your ileum into your reconnected rectum. If you have the sigmoid junction still in place, you get a little more length, but not much. My entire large colon was removed from two ruptures—everything from the cecum to the rectum, but the doctor left about four inches of rectum "in case I wanted to have it reconnected." So I put it to him thusly: Doc, knowing what you know, but talking to me like any person out on the street, if this were you, would YOU reverse it?" He was emphatically negative. His reply was, "Right now, with an ostomy pouch, even though there is the periodic misfortune of a leak and the regular struggle to manage skin deterioration, you'd be relegated to positioning yourself as close to a toilet as possible, you'd find your wish to be out in the world rapidly diminish because of the challenges, and your 'insurance policy' would be wearing an adult diaper and carrying extras with you at all times, to say nothing of always having a change of clothes nearby, just in case." I get it. So, while I was seriously considering reversal, at least I can manage the bag situation. I'd rather do a bag change every few days and only OCCASIONALLY put up with a leak, which, by the way, seems to happen only when I go too long between bag changes and the glue gives out.
Do we have to give up things? AB-SO-LUTE-LY. It's unfortunate. As an actor, I can no longer be onstage, or do improv, or TV commercials. THAT is a hard sacrifice. But I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with the fear of going out to do something as simple as shop for groceries, or buy someone a birthday present, or get together with friends for coffee. There are limits to sacrifice.
My counsel, then, to you in your situation is this: live with the ostomy bag. I know exactly what it is to have to do that. Your rectum is only worth so much in terms of usefulness when you don't have the rest of the works. Ask yourself, "Am I prepared to have to change my diaper in a public setting because my rectum filled so quickly that I couldn't get home in time?" I think the bag is the lesser of the evils.
Good luck!