I just wanted to share my ostomy/takedown experience because I feel I fit into a slightly less common dynamic and could be of some help! I am 28 years old, in decent health, and joined the ostomy club due to a failure to diagnose a serious injury by two ERS. My injury was caused from consensual sex and was very much a freak accident. I was sent home twice the night it happened by two different hosbitals with a dianoses of "dysfunctional uterine bleeding" although I was bleeding so heavily with golfball sized clots, felt a tear, was in shock and nowhere near my cycle. They performed a transavaginal exam at the second ER and likely tore me more. 5 days later I woke up with a migraine and passed feces vaginally and rushed back in to find out I had a 4cm tear vaginally and a 3cm tear anally that connected. (A trauma induced rectovaginal fistula) I was still shoved off and not rushed to a surgeon and had to go back again for stronger pain meds and feces POURING out of me. It was embarrassing. I had a bacterial infection, a UTI, a yeast infection and was towing the line of sepsis. Almost an entire pain filled week passed before I finally saw a specialist who scheduled me EMERGENTLY based on the severity of my injury. We decided a temporary ostomy was the only way I could heal properly. My first surgery was pretty no nonsense. I was THRILLED to get fixed up so that might have made it easier to swallow after getting dismissed by every other doctor. They did a three layer repair on my fistula and my colostomy went smoothly. I had a lot of pain the first two weeks passing stool through my new stoma but it passed fairly quickly and my stoma was down to size by week three. I had a lot of confidence issues waiting on my reversal but overall it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I ate veggies with skin, nuts, steak, and all the no nos too and never had a problem with output or blockage. My fistula repair took and I was scheduled for a reversal about three months later.
My reversal: It was so much more painful then the colostomy waking up from surgery. I would describe it as fullness and burning pain which I've now concluded is nerve pain. (I've had shingles and the pain is similar) I was walking around with a couple of hours which helped SO MUCH. I ate solid food by day two and was able to pass some runny poop later that day. By day 3 I had passed more runny poop and was sent on my merry way. Day 4 at home I started passing solid stool and although I cramp after I eat and it's uncomfortable I was off my pain meds about 6 days in and walked a little over a mile with ny husband to keep things moving. I had my staples taken out around 8 days in and have noticed very little pain since. Bowel movements still hurt a tiny bit but I stopped using stool softners and haven't had much trouble. I am however having a huge problem tolerating dairy and have cut it out almost entirely. (I lovvve cheese so it's crappy) that may calm down eventually as I'm only 11 days in. I've been extremely active, able to lift my kiddos without pain, and been cleared to resume as much physical activity as my body can take. I feel my experience has been a very positive one where reversal is concerned and although I had less issues to combat as far as not dealing with chemo or diseases of the bowels I do hope it can be a little light in all the gloom and doom of ostomy takedowns.
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