This past March 2023 I had my reversal and was pretty scared after reading a lot of posts and the horror stories. I'm a 57-year-old male who had an ostomy first on my large intestine and then on my small due to a collapse of my colon and went through three operations. My reversal was the easiest of them all. After the reversal operation, I was able to walk to my hospital bed without help. I had to use the bathroom a lot for about three days and then I completely was back to normal. My bowel system works better than it ever did. It's now been six months and everything is outstanding. I wanted to share this because all of the bad stories I have read. I think people share the negative results and people like myself that had success don't share their results.
Do you have any colon left? I think a lot of the more difficult reversal stories you hear are when someone has no colon left and they are just working with small intestine and maybe if they're lucky some rectum and anus. Then depending on how the latter 2 are doing with the reversal, that greatly affects the outcome.
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23 days and a wake-up. That's when I can add some fresh reporting on my colonless reversal. We will see if I made a bad choice or not. I am fully aware that I will be tied to a toilet the rest of my life. But, that is no different than now. But, I have almost a complete rectum and my anus is strong. My biggest worry is incontinence, which I am prepared for in the beginning. In the long term? Well, I do love potatoes! :-)
Daniel
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I had 8 inches of my colon removed. Of all three operations, this was the worst. They had a hard time stretching my colon. It was a 7-hour surgery and after the surgery, my stomach wouldn't wake up. This lasted for about 2 weeks and I nearly died.
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When I had the ostomy on my large intestine, I didn't use the bag much. I would eat at the same time each day and created a bathroom schedule, and as long as everything stayed on time, I didn't wear a bag. When I ended with an ostomy on my small intestine, there was no control and had to wear a bag.
I had the same worry about being tied to the toilet, and I know everybody's situation is different, but after reversal, I only had three days of being tied to the toilet.
Ah yes. But, you have a colon and I do not. I will be tied to a toilet the rest of my life, bag or no bag. And that is okay. I'm still here when my surgeon expected that I may not be. :-)
Daniel
Daniel, you know I'm in the no colon boat like you and only have 8” left of rectum so that's all the waste storage I get compared to a typical healthy 5' colon. I really think you're going to do well with your reversal. You're doing all the right things to get ready for it. There's a learning curve figuring out what different feelings/sensations mean for you. And there's the 50/50 chance of an ileus with any abdominal surgery and those can be devious buggers. I'll send you a list of supplies that can be helpful in the first couple weeks figuring stuff out at home. We didn't tell anyone because we didn't want to hear any comments like ‘uh is that wise' but I was taking care of a preemie foster baby about a week after being home from the hospital because she was under my weight restriction lifting limit. I just didn't do any stairs with her so I stayed on our first level. Sometimes I need a purpose outside of myself to push through some post-surgery funk.
Great to hear good news, RandyB!
I have most of my colon remaining, but I'm not a good candidate for reversal due to prostate cancer radiation therapy I had 4 weeks before my emergency colostomy surgery. Wishing you continued good health.
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Thanks, Jodie. As always, you are a light in the wilderness. I've heard the naysayers and those that say I am too old at 75 to have this surgery. I say bugger all that. I am in reasonably good condition and I come from a long line of hearty individuals on both sides of the family. I had a friend that started to complain about how old he was when he was in his 40s. He kept complaining up until he died at the age of 58. That's not me. No matter the aches and pains or adversities, I refuse to think old. And I will continue to not think old until the particles that came together to make me diffuse and become something else. :-)
Daniel
Great news, Randy, Berlin. Thanks for sharing your success story.
Thank you so much for sharing. It makes me less scared to have my reversal in the upcoming year! Very refreshing to hear success stories!! Take care.
Didn't. Wear. A. Bag??! Didn't know such a thing was even possible! My, you are a brave one. You had that little sucker trained good. I'd never have the nerve, or the luck.
Loved your share... I cry a lot because I feel my life has been destroyed due to the ileostomy. I am preparing for a reversal... I so want to poop from my butthole. Does that make any sense? I have an appointment with a new colorectal surgeon. All my scans show that my intestines have healed. I'm just scared of surgery because the last one was for a reversal, but the outcome was a different ostomy, two fistulas, and a horrible large open abdominal wound.