Had a total colectomy with IRA on July 15, 2024. Originally, I had planned to have a loop ileostomy, but the surgeon (during the operation) saw no reason not to reconnect my ileum to my rectum. To this day, I have been in worse pain than before I sought treatment, and the doctor believes the pain is unrelated to the surgery—perhaps imagined? I have terrible pressure, cramping, and defecate with the aid of some sort of purgative. Moreover, the pain that I feel 24/7 is exacerbated during the consumption of any food. At this point, I can only tolerate soup. Would the ileostomy have been the better choice given the difficulty I have described, and what kind of testing would be needed to confirm this supposition?
mm737777
Oct 29, 2024 6:42 am
Justbreathe
Oct 29, 2024 11:21 am
So sorry to hear of the problems you are experiencing. The better choice may be a different doctor. If your doc is not paying attention to what you are saying, it's time to get another opinion. The first clue, as I see it, is when they say, "perhaps imagined?"
I have seen many comments on this site asking similar questions and many replying to seek another opinion. jb
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warrior
Oct 29, 2024 11:23 am
Agreed with what jb said.
U can always kick yur doctor in the nuts
and say imagine that.!!
Joking aside if u were told u were getting an ileo and ended up with an IRA.. that isn't right at all.
When I got my ileo it was suppose to be robotic. I have the 4 scars. But Dr said there was too much blood and opened me up . No issue with that.
Usually the ileo comes first..then later the IRA
I think he jumped the gun here without discussing his plan or options " if "..
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CrappyColon
Oct 29, 2024 6:45 pm
Hi, I had an abdominal colectomy, also known as a subtotal colectomy (all parts of the large intestine in the abdominal cavity removed and the rectum/anus spared), and an IRA connection formed during the same surgery, but I had a loop ileostomy while the new connection healed.
If you were healthy before the surgery, that may have been one reason the surgeon thought putting the IRA into use was a good idea. Did you have any pelvic floor/anal manometry testing (sphincter muscle) before the surgery?
I didn't catch your reason for surgery?
Of the few people that I have personally talked to with an IRA, a few factors that seem to make a difference are: the length of rectum you are left with, pelvic floor muscle function, and healing time in between when the IRA is formed and when it is put into use.
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