Deciding Against Reversal Surgery for Now

Hi all, just got my 2nd/3rd opinion today and really liked this doc a lot. She said if she were younger (like the 1st doc I saw) she too would say let's take this down tomorrow, but she is 20 years older and has been doing this awhile, so she is extremely cautious with cancer patients. She even had one that had no evidence of disease, did the reversal, and cancer showed up. Reversals are pretty major surgeries that tax your body and your immune system, and my body is just starting to feel somewhat normal after chemotherapy. Hey, I can easily walk a mile in 30 minutes - on a good day! So, I've decided to go with the revision surgery and possibly fix the parastomal hernia, though she wasn't at all sure that would be possible. She does think she can fix my stoma so that will help me in my everyday life, whether I have to do more chemo or not. She also said she needed more info about just how much scarring is going on in my pelvis, as the CT is inconclusive, so she's ordered an MRI to see if that gives her more details. She is also thinking of ordering a PET CT scan for more details before she even attempts a reversal (or take down) of my colostomy, but she wants to be completely sure that my chemo doc has released me before she attempts it. I am excited that my colostomy/stoma will be repaired; I hope this is the only time this needs to happen (I've heard others need it done multiple times), so wish me luck!

Good luck, and I hope it all goes well for you. Keep us up to date.

Regards, IGGIE

Good luck, 🤞

Dewild,

So good to see folks taking 2nd/3rd opinions - very wise!

When reparative surgery is sought, it is essential to get the most informed advice from a surgeon in whom one can trust :-)

Well done you.

The thoroughness of your experienced surgeon is heartening - caution and different types of scans show maximum detail from different angles and depths: While I am no medic, from what I do understand about surgical 'complications,' it is indeed the multiple scarring and adhesions that make for challenging separations of our layered abdominal/bowel tissue, and outcomes may be adversely affected, especially where our immune systems are compromised.... Patience is hard at times - but better to be safe rather than 'cut too soon.'

Good luck with your interim intervention/s - hope all goes well for you, and a staged improvement is achieved.

Keep us posted

BW

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Jayne ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I hope you get all you wish for.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

The experience expressed by your last doctor is so reassuring. I'm glad you found someone like her.

Hi Dwild, good luck with the surgery. My oldest brother had colon cancer in his mid-70s and had a reversal with no issues other than needing to take Imodium for about 6 months afterwards until his system got regulated.