My 82-year-old mother had an emergency ileostomy last July. We thought we'd lose her, but she has recovered well and now is ready for the reversal. She has adjusted well to living with the ostomy; pretty much back to her old self. Her questions echo my concerns: since she has adjusted, is it worth having the reversal? Now she can live life as she wants and control her ostomy, though she hates it like everyone else...but from what we hear, the possible diarrhea? Wet farts? Runs? Burning rectum? Cramps? Hernias? Infections? More surgeries? All sound far too scary...is that the norm? Can a former ostomy patient ever have normal bowel habits and go back to the way things were? She is 82 with other minor health issues and is realistic...to her, if the trade-off of getting rid of a disgusting yet manageable bag is soiling yourself often and not leaving the house, then that is not much of an improvement in quality of life...I'm sure there are good results out there, but it's human nature to take heed of the disaster ones...appreciate any helpful thoughts?
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