Just had reversal done

[tradeitallfor]

Just want to let everyone know that this is not a death sentence In August of 2017 i had a sever issue Colon ruptured with peritinitis. Rushed into emergency surgery where a good size portion of my colon was removed. I had a colostomy bag and spent just 4 days in the hospital. Positive mental attitude and great surgeon helped me get through took some getting used to but adjusted within a week Was back to work within 6 days no strenuous activity but tons of walking Within a 2 week period i was able to walk for an hour with 15lb dumbell as i walked. Diet was pretty much unrestricted and just the usual discomfort. Last week had reversal done left hospital within 48 hours liquids 3 hours after surgery and solids next day. Did not take pain meds other that Percocet for 6 hours Switched to extra strength tylenol Walked and walked and walked. Next day after having low residual food . Lasagna and applesauce had fist bowel movement that next morning. Discharged that day and went home Walked and Walked And Walked Next day some light office work drove myself to work about 5 miles I can tell 1 week later i feel brand new have eaten pretty much high protein low residual foods starches and carbs Life is great little jammed up from time to time but nothing to complain about. Male 56 in good shape for the shape im in. just want to let everyone know that this is a small speed bump not to worry it gets better every day LIFE IS GREAT

[sassie]

So happy for you and the news is great, gives others hope for sure...

[Dog lover 23320]

I just had my reversal done 4 days ago. Be careful to not over do it. Be gentle.

[p14175]

I had my illy take down 2 weeks ago. Had a bad case of constipation from the meds but after that cleared I feel great. It's hard to not do anything strenuous because I am ready to go! I feel great.

[sassie]

So happy to read this thread, Have had my colostomy 17 months now and it has only had output if i take milk of mag or irrigate, but having trouble with my colon responding to both mainly because of a huge para hernia and so i called a different. colo doc and he said, "he had gotten all records" you need a take down,if i fix your hernia your just going to get another and its where your trouble is, i'm scared but this post sure gave me hope...I replied im not sure and he replied "Why"? nothing in life is guaranteed and i can put a colostomy back if all would fail but you need to get back to a normal life...have read so many post on regrets of getting reversal i was thinking maybe i'd say let me deal with this until it total fails but this post gave me so much hope, thank you....sassie

[AJM]

Love this post! My reversal is scheduled for August 1st, I never thought I would say I am excited for major surgery....

[MyBernard]

Hi AJM-

I had my reversal 7 days ago and am healing well. I won’t say it isn’t painful, but the joy of packing up my pouch covers to give to Goodwill today made quite a bit of that pain worthwhile! I am saving emptying my supply closet until I can bend down and really enjoy that process!

A bit of history: perforated diverticulitis in 11/17 with an emergency colostomy and sepsis recovery. Due to the emergence of an autoimmune disorder, I had to wait this long to be healthy enough for this surgery. I spent 5 nights in the hospital (until I had a small bowel movement) and have been home for 2. Been eating scrambled eggs, applesauce, chocolate pudding, watermelon, etc and things are moving in a predictable and controlled way. (I had read elsewhere that bowel control was a real problem for others, but haven’t had any issue with that so far.)

The pain I am having is gas related and in my lower back as I put my weight there while walking. Sutures are tender and my belly hurts when I move, but nothing horrible after the 4th day.

It can be a horrible experience, I know, but all in all my experience hasn’t been all that bad! Here’s hoping you fly right through!

UPDATE
I am now 4-weeks post surgery and wanted to record my experience for others in similar situations.

I did end up having challenges with unpredictable bowel movements (loose one day, constipated the next). I had a few rough days of frequent BM’s as I started eating more and had to be more faithful to the advice from my doctors: eat small bland meals, add new things slowly, be patient and all is well now. Not once did I have an uncontrolled BM, though. (That was my biggest worry!)

I am still dealing with the healing process for my incision and not lifting heavy objects, but this really hasn’t been that big of a deal.

Other Advice:
-stock fridge with good applesauce and pantry with flavored oatmeal packets.
-buy lots of very good TP.
-Boudreaux Butt Paste (diaper rash cream) is a god send when you are going to the potty 10 times a day (that only lasts a few days)

Oh, and I cleaned out my supply closet today to send to a charity that gives supplies to un- or under insured Ostomy patients. There are no words to explain how amazing that felt!

[sassie]

I agree AJM , love love love it, its gives so much hope, now i'm looking forward to getting what the Doc called a take down, i still have to get a colonoscopy july 22 and need a tube run down my throat cause in the scan they saw something they want to check out before they will proceed and i pray its just a big nothing.... i'm tired of trying to get poo out and also having tummy aches ect. ect. all the crap that goes with these things, if it don't go smooth like we all wish it would..the smooth ones are not on here looking to solve anything cause they were lucky and ones who know people that have these ostomys that go smooth say ,Oh, thats no big deal my friend has one bla bla no problems, wish they could relate to us who wish we had good out comes..Praying for ALL here daily !!!

sassie

[Miasophia]

Hi AJM-

I had my reversal 7 days ago and am healing well. I won’t say it isn’t painful, but the joy of packing up my pouch covers to give to Goodwill today made quite a bit of that pain worthwhile! I am saving emptying my supply closet until I can bend down and really enjoy that process!

A bit of history: perforated diverticulitis in 11/17 with an emergency colostomy and sepsis recovery. Due to the emergence of an autoimmune disorder, I had to wait this long to be healthy enough for this surgery. I spent 5 nights in the hospital (until I had a small bowel movement) and have been home for 2. Been eating scrambled eggs, applesauce, chocolate pudding, watermelon, etc and things are moving in a predictable and controlled way. (I had read elsewhere that bowel control was a real problem for others, but haven’t had any issue with that so far.)

The pain I am having is gas related and in my lower back as I put my weight there while walking. Sutures are tender and my belly hurts when I move, but nothing horrible after the 4th day.

It can be a horrible experience, I know, but all in all my experience hasn’t been all that bad! Here’s hoping you fly right through!

I love reading this. Your experience sounds so much like mine! I’m 9 weeks now with an Ostomy and my surgeon says I must wait at least a year for a reversal, due to my overall health. I’m just happy to read about some with my experience having a successful one.

[AJM]

Hi Everyone!!

One week after surgery, home from the hospital, and all is FABULOUS. The first few days post-op were very difficult between the pain, horrible gas and nausea, but once that cleared up, it's been smooth sailing. I have a wound vac for the stoma and mid-line incision wounds, and that will likely be removed next week. Going in as a planned procedure, and not as an emergency, and without all the infection/etc made a world of difference.

Still waiting for my digestive system to normalize but so far no real issues other than slow BM's but that should clear up soon. I can say I am thrilled and delighted to have had the reversal done. My surgeon and his team were also absolutely incredible so if anyone is in the NY area and in need of a great doc or a second opinion please let me know.

Best of luck to everyone - I will continue to post as recovery progresses, but I don't foresee any issues and truly feel the worst of this is behind me. This procedure is truly a lifesaver. So grateful.

[sassie]

watching your success and praying mine will be like yours, its going to happen sept 25th and alltho i dread the surgery i can hardly wait to go back, i'm only going to have a foot of my colon but the doc says it will be fine, i pray that is so true,, if not fine ,i will not go back for more surgery, i will wear depends first.. keep us posted AJM it gives me so much hope..


sassie

[AJM]

Hi Everyone -

MyBernard - thank you so much for sharing your experience and the well wishes. I am so glad things worked out so well for you!

I just passed the two week post-op mark and the wound vac is off. I will share that the ostomy wound is a little bit scary, they leave it open (wide open!) so it can heal properly. Yikes.

Sassie, one thing I wanted to mention is that this go-round they implemented a Rapid Recovery Protocol, which many hospitals are doing - it involved pre-surgery medication and they got me up and into a chair less than one hour after surgery. I also had to drink some almost boiling water at that time as well (weird). But it really worked, the recovery process was SO much better than the first surgery. Also, the wound vac is a miracle appliance for healing, check in with your surgeon if they will be using one - it keeps the wound incredibly clean and speeds healing. It also helped me feel more secure right after the surgery when moving around. You have to stay connected to it for 2 weeks, but it was totally worth it.

Another thing I did in the weeks pre-surgery was to strengthen my body and my immune system. Lots of walking, and restarted workouts with my trainer (be sure you mind the abdominal weakness). Lots of water, sleep, healthy foods, etc. The stronger you are going in, the stronger you'll be when you come out. Take this time to really nurture yourself and you'll be ready for anything.

I have had no trouble at all getting back into regular bowel habits, and things are basically completely back to normal now except for the incision and ostomy wounds which need to close up.

You've got this Sassie - you will be back to normal and better than ever. Remember, "Courage is not the absence of fear, it's pressing forward when you feel afraid." I'm sending much positive energy your way.

Andrea

[sassie]

Thank You So So Much Andrea.

I am so grateful you keep us posted, You must have some idea how much this means to me and so many here, I can hardly wait to get to the 25 of Sept.

Only thing i'm scared of is i do get Anesthesia amnesia ever time its used, even a small dose and this surgery is at least 4 hours, last time i was not aware for 2 weeks but it was a emergency so had no clue what they had done until i was home a week.

At least this time i know whats going to happen ,so i'm not going to come back to myself with a shock like before...They tell me that i do answer there questions but it seems like they ask, I reply. and its erased from my head...but they have been informed of this so nothing more i can do but go forward...

So Happy your doing so good Andrea and I grabbed that positive energy, Thank You , sassie

[AJM]

Sassie -
I am certainly no expert on the topic of anesthesia, but for both surgeries the surgeon wanted to use an epidural - I wasn't able to use it due to a morphine allergy and weird clotting factors - but I believe when you use the epidural there is MUCH less of the regular stuff used, and you can get up and about without as much pain right after. I'd speak with your surgeon about that, I know mine prefers it.

Andrea

[Temo_51]

Hi, everyone!! Well, it’s been a while. I just wanted to report that I had my ileostomy take down the end of January 2019 & things are going incredibly well! I’d had my Ostomy for 16 months & am so relieved that it’s gone & not running my life to a certain extent. I’m prone to infections & complications when it comes to surgery so I guess there was no surprise that I suffered from ileus & a horrible bacterial infection called C-Diff which landed me back in the hospital ER post surgery. Now.. don’t freak out because not everyone will experience these complications. If you’re planning a reversal, talk to your doctor about these possibilities & percentages of these likely hoods. Having said all of this, I’m still VERY happy that I decided to have the reversal. I was very fortunate that my colon cancer was Stage 1.. T2 & I didn’t have to have any treatments at all. Also the location of my colon reconnection was in a good spot. As a result, when I finally returned home, I had absolutely no trouble with any diarrhea or clustering.... all solid stool. The only issues I’ve had to deal with have been constipation which I’ve handled with Miralax, stool softeners, & a fiber supplement. Things are moving through quite well & i’m Introducing new foods now along the way. Things will never be as they were before my cancer surgeries, but it’s certainly doable & I don’t have to deal with the Ostomy. Having the take down is a personal decision that’s fortunate for some of us that can be in that position because not all of us qualify for a reversal. I’m very grateful & hope that this does shed some light & will help someone make a qualified decision. I wish everyone here the best & pray for a great life with or without your Ostomy!!! God bless!!