Ileostomy Reversal with Red and Inflamed Stoma Area

Hello: I'm anticipating a surgery date in August to reverse my ileostomy, which was performed when I had a rectal tumor removed. I'm getting nervous and excited, both, but meanwhile the area beneath my stoma is very red and sensitive. Can I still get the reversal if that area hasn't completely healed?

Hi knitter,

You're asking the wrong people. You need to ask your specific surgeon what he or she can deal with. So it doesn't matter what we say here... it's their call. Normally what you're describing is just superficial and the structural stitching is below skin level, but depending on what you have going on... your surgeon may want it cleared up before he/she touches you. Again... ask. And then the week before your surgery ask again, unless things have gotten a lot better. Your surgeon won't be a happy camper if they end up wasting OR time that someone else could use.

;O)

Yeah, Bob is right. It depends on what exactly you have going on. I've been trying to see if I can do a reversal for 3 years, but unfortunately, I had to get off TPN first and then got a serious infection. But before all that happened, my surgeon said she wouldn't even think about it until I was healthy.

Ileostomy closure will stop the irritation. However, the surgeon will want the closure site to heal too. Most likely the irritation is from the ileostomy especially if it is a loop ileostomy since they are hard to get a good bag seal. The ideal situation would be to have a visit(s) from an enterostomal therapist and get the skin cleared in short order.

If there are questions about the ileostomy take down location, the surgeon can always do a secondary closure of the skin at about 5-7 days.

I had a reversal with red weeping irritated skin, they closed everything up and the skin was back to normal in a week or two. I was younger then but don't know if that would matter much as long as the area wasn't severe or a serious infection.

Thanks, Bob. Just what I wanted to hear. I've had a difficult few days, and I just want to hear something positive!

I am one week post ileostomy reversal. So far everything is ok. The entire time I had my ileostomy, I had reddened and even many times bleeding raw skin (including just before my surgery). The last couple of days before my reversal, I tried to sit for at least 30 minutes with my skin totally open to air - I just tried to do this during my stoma's quieter time and used moistened TP to catch any output. When I had my surgery, the area was considerably better even with just a couple of days of doing this. (I wish I had known about and done this more during the 6 months I had my ileostomy - live and learn.) The stoma hole is not fully closed during your surgery - mine was partially closed and then left open the rest of the way with daily "packing" of site until it closes on its own. (This is because it is considered a "dirty wound.") So now I have no redness around the site and am packing that area once daily and keeping my fingers crossed that all continues to go well. I hope this helps. Good luck on your upcoming surgery!