This topic is about the decision-making process for someone with Crohn’s disease who has had a colostomy and is considering whether to have a reversal or to keep the stoma and eventually remove the rectal stump. Here are some insights and advice from others who have faced similar decisions:

- If you experienced severe bowel urgency or incontinence before your surgery, keeping the stoma might be preferable, as a reversal could bring back those same issues.
- For those without a large intestine, the output can be highly acidic, and a reversal might lead to painful rectal irritation or skin problems.
- The type of disease you have is important:
- Temporary colostomies for colorectal cancer are often reversed once healing occurs and cancer is no longer present.
- Ulcerative Colitis affects only the colon and rectum, so removing the diseased rectum can be a cure.
- Crohn’s disease can appear anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, so even after a symptom-free period, it might return, making a reversal potentially only a short-term solution.
- There is no rush to make a decision; some people wait years before deciding on rectal stump removal. It's common to focus on improving overall health first, such as correcting low hemoglobin levels.
- Persistent issues like inflammation, bleeding, or infection in the rectal stump often lead people to choose removal.
- Consider the possibility of needing another stoma in the future. If further disease activity or complications are likely, living with the current stoma might help avoid additional surgeries.
- Many people report being satisfied with their ostomies in the long term, preferring them over the unpredictability and frequent bathroom trips they experienced before.
- Lifestyle changes, particularly dietary adjustments like adopting a vegan or strictly dairy-free diet, have helped some individuals keep their inflammatory bowel disease in remission, which might influence the timing or need for further surgery.