Persistent Abdominal Soreness After Ostomy Reversal

I had emergency surgery over a year ago and had a colostomy or ostomy. I'm still not sure what the difference is. I have had issues with soreness in my abdomen the entire time. The best way I can describe it is when you have a full bladder for an extended amount of time and it starts to cramp. It's worse in the morning or after I've been seated for a while. I've asked my doctors, and they all say it's a result of “touching every part of your intestine” and it'll go away. I had reversal surgery in March, and I still have this pain. It's not getting better or worse; it's just constant for a year and a half. Does anyone else have this?

Hi 👋 there!

While our intestines don't have feeling in them like other parts of us, they do sense stretching too much or bloating type “pressure.” Like what you're saying about when our bladder is very full and it becomes uncomfortable. My ileostomy stoma doesn't have any feeling, and I found this out in a totally crazy way. 🥴 A few weeks after getting home from the hospital, my skin was so raw from leaking and having constant problems with it that I was trying to let my skin have a few minutes of air. I stepped outside the back door for a few minutes, and a honey bee 🐝 stung me on my stoma of all places!! I could see the stinger it left in it, but I absolutely never felt a thing! My husband is a beekeeper. This is why a honey bee was around in the first place.
As far as your insides feeling “sore”… Is it like a tenderness if you touch your stomach there, or do you only feel it inside? I think all kinds of things go on with us in our bodies that aren't always “textbook” from a physician's point of view. I have a place on my lower abdomen where about a 6”x6” area is completely numb since my surgery. They must have cut a nerve or something? Maybe they slightly damaged a nerve or nerve endings when doing your surgery. You never know…

I'm probably no help, but it was nice meeting you, and I hope you find a real answer. 👋🙂

Why did you get the stoma? For me, I have Crohn's disease still in the small intestines, so I feel pain when it is active. Sometimes I feel nerve pain through the stoma down to my leg. I took time to heal as I was very weak and underweight, so the muscles were causing pain too, like the surgery pain after healing that stayed with me for a while, especially when I turn in bed or I get up or sit down.

Welcome to the site.

Ostomy is a general term for having an opening in the abdomen where waste comes out. This includes colostomy (colon or large bowel), ileostomy (small bowel), and urostomy (urine).

It is correct to call yours either the general term "ostomy" or the specific term "colostomy."

I had abdominal pain and tenderness for a solid 6 months after surgery. I still get occasional sharp gas pains, which are more intense than before. Bloating, etc., can cause swelling, which will lead to pain in the area. Be sure you are getting enough fiber and avoiding constipation or diarrhea.

Have you mentioned this to your doctor? If you just had surgery in March, you may still be healing from that. It might have re-aggravated things in your tummy and kept the pain going.

My Ostomy Journey: April | Hollister

Hi Whitney, welcome to the site. I had resection surgery for my ileostomy a few years ago, and 3 months after, I had a scope by the surgeon to check things out and also by a gastroenterologist I was seeing. 3 months after the surgeon took a look, I was wondering if you've had any follow-ups like that. Also, have you been having regular bowel movements? If your doctor doesn't give you answers, I would look for someone else.