Preparing for Ileostomy Reversal: Should I Skip the Colonoscopy?

Hi.i had my surgery  last april due to rectal cancer.3 weeks ago i had an  xray with barium sulfate and the result said im a candidate for ileostomy reversal.my surgeon advised me to do a week of stoma irrigation using nss which i did all by myself at home to flush out the barium sulfate reaidues that might clog.after  7 days of irrigation, my doctor approved my hospital admission so here i am admitted already in the hospital with a lot of excitement.after an hour my surgeon came only to tell me to undergo abdominal xray and colonoscopy to be sure there is no barium left.i had the abdominal x ray a few hours earlier and it showed few traces of barium.im quite worried of undergoing colonoscopy that might injure somewhere that has already healed and cause further delay of my reversal.need help? Shall i tell my surgeon to proceed with the ileostomy closure with out undergoing colonoscopy? He said we may do so but it is my choice...

Hello Aniv. Life is full of conflicting choices and sometimes it is very hard to choose between one choice and another. You describe the dilemma you are faced with very well and it would be great if someone else would be able to advise you as to which way to go in your decision making. Unfortunately, both ways have their own risks attached, which hopefully your surgeon has explained. The 'traditional' way of deciding in such matters is to toss a coin and hope that 'luck' is on your side with the outcome.

I hope everything goes well for you whatever you decide.

Best wishes

Bill