Post-Surgery Pain and Diet Challenges After Colectomy with IRA

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?

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

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 ".. 

Imagine that!

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.

How to Adjust to Life with an Ostomy with Bruce | Hollister