This topic is about considering an ileostomy reversal when someone has lost their entire colon. The person in question is preparing for a medical procedure to determine if there's enough of their rectum left to reconnect their small intestine. Their surgeon has mentioned that if they proceed with the reversal, they might experience 11 to 12 bowel movements a day. They are seeking advice from others who might have gone through a similar experience to understand if the surgery is worthwhile.

Here are some insights and advice shared by others:

- Connecting the small intestine to the rectum can work for some, but it might lead to frequent bathroom trips, especially after meals. In one instance, this setup only worked for two months before other issues, like pelvic floor dysfunction, arose.

- Generally, ileostomy reversals tend to be less successful than colostomy reversals. You might experience:
- Very frequent bowel movements.
- Liquid output that can irritate the skin around the anus, leading some to prefer living with a stoma rather than dealing with skin irritation.

- Important anatomical factors to consider before making a decision include:
- Whether the ileocecal valve is present.
- Whether both the internal and external anal sphincters are functioning properly.
- Whether there is enough rectal length, and it's important to ask your surgeon what they consider to be "enough."

- Without a colon, the body reabsorbs very little water, which means the anus might struggle to hold liquid, leading to incontinence or a constant sense of urgency.

- It's advisable to seek second or even third opinions from surgeons who are not part of your current medical team.

- People with only a small portion of their colon left have been advised against reversal. They were warned to expect ongoing diarrhea, painful skin, difficulty sitting, and more disruption to their lives than living with an ostomy pouch.