Experiences With Reversal After Rectal Cancer

Experiences with Reversal After Rectal Cancer

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236

KRachel

Jun 09, 2025 8:56 am

Good morning

Just wanted to check and see the experience of others with reversal after rectal cancer. I have an ileostomy at the moment, which I am glad I could have and that it saved my life. But as a 47-year-old, I decided to go for the reversal option; stoma for life was very scary, and the thought of it really scared me. Thinking that they would remove my organs for life was the deciding point to try and see if reversal was possible for me. I had 5 days of radiotherapy and 4 cycles of CAPOX before my LAR last December. At the moment, I am coming close to the date. I am doing pelvic floor exercises every day and was advised to use a mini irrigation system to help me prepare. Please let me know your experiences; I heard of positive and negative from the Bowel Cancer UK forum. I know everyone is different, and there are no two cases the same, as well as to prepare for a rough few weeks post-surgery. Thank you, and best wishes to all of you. Kat.

IGGIE

Jun 09, 2025 2:39 pm

G-Day KR,

What kind of reversal are you going to have?

Regards, IGGIE

KRachel

Jun 12, 2025 8:29 am

Hi IGGIE, I will have an ileostomy reversal; I had it fitted during treatment for rectal cancer. It will be reversed in July. Thank you for your message. Kat

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Posted by: iMacG5

Hi Crossley. Ya know, I think it’s all about feelings. I don’t mean the pain feelings which could control everything. I mean the feelings inside our heads, our hearts and even our souls. I mean the feelings of who we are now compared to who we were; how we accept our situation or maybe we don’t. My wife asked how I felt and I said, “like crap”. She asked what hurt and I answered, “Nothing hurts, well, everything hurts, I don’t know, It all sucks.” That was a long time ago. You question if your feelings are normal. How normal is it to relocate your butt hole to your belly where it’s usually in the way of your belt and, you know. But that’s where we are and for lots of us we are so much better off than we were before, physically. Emotionally, psychologically, well, that might be a different story. I believe talk therapy is wonderful if we could find a real empathic or sympathetic listener. So guess what! I found MAO and began “talking” with a keyboard with some of the wisest, kindest most sympathetic and compassionate folks on the planet. Regardless of where we’ve been, lots of folks here have been there and worse places and found their way back healthier and happier. We really do help each other.
Keep “talking”,
Mike