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BagLady1955
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About
I had rectal cancer in 2015 and had a diverting ileostomy for 8 months after my lower anterior resection. After the ileostomy reversal I had significant lower anterior resection syndrome that I managed using daily enemas, intermittent fasting, soluble fiber, restrictive diet, and not leaving my house after 6 p.m.. To add to the challenge, 3 years after surgery I began to have increasingly frequent small bowel obstructions.I had 26 obstructions that progressed to violent vomiting in 2021. To humor my doctor, I took my obstructions to the ER to get a CT 3 separate times, each time the CT showed a complete blockage.
I decided that the benefit risk ration had tilted in favor of getting surgery likely to remove adhesions and decided that a permanent end colostomy would likely provide a better quality of life. I figured that the bag would be significantly more portable than my bathroom.
Oct 26, 2022, I had surgery. They removed a "smoking gun" adhesion with respect to my obstructions and left me with an end colostomy that has been rough to pouch. They revised it Oct 30. I spent 10 days in hospital with ileus.
I'm a retired mechanical engineer/project manager so while I'm healing I'm working on finding solutions to the pouching so I can get back to tennis, the gym, traveling and socializing in the evening.
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