Just had a reversal, anxious about blood in bowel movements.

Hello, I am hoping to get some information from others who have had ileostomy reversals. I am feeling quite anxious......

Just had my reversal last week and was discharged from the hospital yesterday. I had some issues with severe gas and vomiting, so I was on a liquid diet for most of my time there. I finally passed some gas and had very loose stool, and they let me go yesterday after only having one very small regular meal there. I started to eat small amounts of food/meals yesterday. I went from watery urgency movements yesterday to almost constipated very slow small movements today, and both days there was blood involved. I am so scared when I see blood as that's what happened back in December when I discovered I had a cancerous polyp in my rectum. There was a small amount of blood in one of my first loose movements in the hospital, and my doctor said it's early and not concerning.......but it has continued, and I am scared! Can you please share your experiences as I am hoping I am worrying for nothing!!

Also, last night I stretched for something and had pain in my stitched ileostomy site. Now it's pinching occasionally today and feeling tight (which wasn't there before)....I am so scared I may have given myself a hernia but hoping maybe it's just a pull and will be okay....there is no noticeable bulge. Has anyone experienced this?

PS
So glad to find this site, been feeling quite alone in this ordeal....nice to see I'm not!

I think what you are experiencing is very normal, especially since your surgery was just last week.. When I had a reversal in 2004, I felt sensitive with any pulling or tugging. I doubt if what you are describing is a hernia, but that's my non-professional opinion. Why don't you just call your doctor's office to report this concern? No need to remain anxious about something that may be nothing. And, ps, welcome here.

PB

Welcome young lady and glad you had your reversal. You are still young and your body is strong so hang in there and all will come out ok, I promise. Drink some gator aid and make sure you stay hydrated. Don't bum yourself out with the cancer scare, you are now a known survivor and besides it wont come back that fast. Like Primeboy said it's all natural so take a deep breath and give yourself a treat or buy a new dress Go celebrate and enjoy yourself. DO NOT LIFT ANY THING HEAVY. Please let us know of your progress because we care about you and others can later look at your experience and be assured. Take care and keep in touch.

Thanks to both of you for answering my post and the welcome, much appreciated!  

The pulling and tugging in stitched ilistomy site  has since disappeared a couple of times where i am no longer feeling any sensation and i am thinking I have figured out what is happening. Once the gas bloating has calmed down, which it now has for the most part, you have more sensation and awareness of the area.  I also think i was just experiencing the times when food was trying to get through that area and it was feeling extremely tight and full.  Today has been much better.

I still am having the blood so if anyone else can share around that it would be appreciated.  I do know that my bowels still had a little bit of the contrast dye left in it three weeks after the test (discovered via an xray) and it was starting to come out right before my reversal surgery last week and was one of the first things out after the reversal.  Hoping just may have some irritation in there.  I see my Dr in less than a week so will discuss then.

Thanks again to both of you for replying!

I was reversed on May 22nd.  I think what you are experiencing is normal.  I didnt see any blood but they did tell me I might.
The tightness and pulling sounds right too.  I had that and still have a little.  When doing yoga I couldnt do any body front stretches (cobra, upward facing dog) as it pulled and was tight.  But able to now.  I massage the scar with scar cream and that has helped with softening it up and loosening it up a bit.
Still having issues with not making it to the toilet but all in all things are going ok, but if this continues I will opt to have a permanent ostomy when my year of trying this out is up.
Some days I have things firmed up and then other days not.  Can't figure out what works and what doesn't sometimes.  
Another thing I found helpful - calmoseptine is great for soreness of your bottom.  I do great with that when I use it but don't always remember or seem to be in a hurry to get out of the bathroom.
Good luck with your reversal.  I hope all goes well for you.  A few weeks from now this part will be passed and you will be on to new adventures.

Thanks for replying to me Jodelin, I appreciate that! .

I did do some research online and didnt see alot of people with the blood issue but found one person whose Dr.said their rectum was restretching and went back to my Dr.   for staples to come out earlier this week and he still wasn't that concerned as said still early and i did have a resection of rectum. It wasnt bleeding out, just on movements so I was starting to relax abit about it but then I started a brand new issue.....I have gone from one extreme to the other ie constipation!  My last bowel movement was last Monday morning!  Spoke to my Dr.'s office Thursday and again he wasn't concerned as long as passing gas and not vomiting (gosh, sure wish I could be as relaxed as him about things...lol).......it's starting to really scare me as i get closer and closer to a week without.  I called and spoke to an RN through a telehealth service we have and she said should see a Dr within 24 hours but assured me with current symptoms shld be ok just may need a laxative or whatever Dr wants to do due to surgery (he didnt want me to take anything last Thursday). My biggest fear is that my resection will fail with all the pressure - my Dr said (before the constipation issue) that it still could happen after operation..think he said up to 5 weeks after but rare.  I must say I thought this reversal wouldbe much easier than the resection operation but I was wrong!  I guess they are both hard in their own different ways!  I know that many suffer with the diareaha  and i did too for the first week and a half so I feel bad complaining about constipation as so much better than diareah but i am scared as think my bowels just said to heck with that, we're just going to stop working now!

Thanks for sharing the stoma site info!  Mine has eased up too.  I think at first when i ate and the food hit that area it was also making it feel tight and pulling as it passed through.

Hope your diareah (sp?? I can never spell that word!) gets better and i am sure it will.  After reading many many posts it seems can take awhile for things to get better.  My Dr said  3 - 6 months and i have heard up to a year.  Hang in there!

I was constipated one day.  Drink hot cocoa and before I finished the mug, I was going .
I used to be constipated a lot before cancer.  I wish I had those days back. Well maybe - they are both hard.
I would think that is a long time to be constipated - I have never not went for that long.  
I hope you go soon.  Drink hot things, use a heating pad, or take a hot bath.  It may help move things along.
Good luck.  And, thank you.