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Ileostomy Reversal Surgery

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Posted 3/26/2007 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
I should be going in for my ileostomy reversal surgery within the next couple of months and I'm not sure what to expect. I was in a car accident on Jan. 2nd and spent 45 days in the hospital. The doctors had to remove part of my colon and 3 feet of my small intestine. While in the hospital I had to have wound vacs and I was just wondering if anyone knew if I'd have to have a wound vac after this surgery. Any information about this surgery would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Posted 3/26/2007 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
I wish I could answer your question. My reversal surgery wont be until September or so. After my stay in the hospital recently where they did 2 surgeries I did end up with an incision infection. I am currently lugging around my wound vac. My doctor said though that I will be healthy going in this time so there should be a lower risk of complications.
Posted 3/26/2007 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your response. When I was in the hospital I had 3 wound vacs so I know what you're going through. The physical therapists would come in 3 times a week to change the sponges, boy how I don't miss that pain. I did find out though that if they use saline on my wounds before and as they pulled the sponges it didn't hurt as bad. Before I left the hospital I had a skin graft surgery so I didn't have to go home with the wound vac. Good luck with your reversal surgery. I'm still trying to get in contact with my trama doctor to see when I can schedule mine.
Posted 3/26/2007 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
I also had the wound vac due to the perpheration of my colon. It was horrible. I just had takedown or reversal done on thursday the 22nd. I was realesed today on the 26th. This surgery is a peice of cake compared to the others. I had 3 steps. The same day of surgery I wanted so bad to walk around but they wouldnt let me. You should not need the vac at all with this...Angela
Posted 3/27/2007 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry for being stupid but what is a wound vac?  My husband has had his colon removed and an S pouch has been attached but he has had a lot of pain in the anal area.  The doc removed some of the staples but he is still having pain.  Is this normal before the take down stage?  Is there a chance that he will have to have a wound vac?  Clueless!
Posted 3/27/2007 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
i only know four peole who have had ostomies reversed and all have been very successful and welcome for the people that have had them done. good luck with the surgery and keep us posted
chip girl x
Posted 2/17/2008 5:40 AM (GMT 0)
Good news and luck for all! I was in a really bad car accident in January 2007 which caused me to have to have an ileostomy placed on my right abdomen. I had my ileostomy for about 6 and a half months. On July 12th, 2007 I had my ileostomy reversal surgery. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask me about anything. I would love to be able to help any and everyone!
Posted 2/17/2008 11:57 AM (GMT 0)
My dad had reversal surgery on Feb 6, 2008, came home from the hospital yesterday. He had explosive diarrhea while in the hospital, pretty uncontrollabe, but that seems to have settled down. Do you have any suggestions on eating? What foods should he avoind? The hospital told him he could eat whatever he wanted. His first solid meal when he finally felt like eating was ravioli and spinach with garlic bread, (hospital provided) which we discouraged him from eating. He has a tendency to become very bloated and start vomiting after a few days of real food....and now that he's home we want to avoid that and try to get his bowels back to "normal". Thanks for your help. I'm thinking time and patience?
Posted 2/17/2008 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
Jetta, I'm surprised the nurses and doctors didn't tell him to eat bland foods. I'm sure anything citrusy (i.e., tomatoes, oranges, salsa, tomatoe sauce), would cause problems. Even gassy foods should be avoided and gradually introduced back into his diet slowly. Probably avoided for the first two weeks. We all have stubborn streaks in us though. I know it's hard to stay away from foods we love.
Posted 2/17/2008 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
MyPoopChute,
Did you have some of your colong removed? If so, how much? Have you fully recovered from the reversla of you ileostomy? My husband had an ileostomy 9-5-07 (10" colon removed), with reversal 2-1-08. So he's only 2 weeds post surgery. He experiences constant urge to go, but actually has bm infrequently. At time of discharge from hospital, we were advised to do low fiber diet. Now the surgeon's nurse has recommended regular diet & take fiber. I suppose we should just gradually add fiber. Do you have any suggestions. Of course we're in a hurry for him to heal. Yet, we are grateful his colon cancer was contained in a polyp and removed with the 10" of colon. It's hard to be patient during the healing time. Any advice? Thanks
Posted 2/17/2008 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Actually Dad's Doctors told him he could have what ever he wants....I often wish they could go thru what he's been through and then perhaps they would be a bit more sensitive? He's being pretty careful, but did request that his dr write a prescription for an apple pie a day! He's lost about 50 pounds during this ordeal and I'm hoping he can gain some of that back, he went from being a very strong 70 year old to a very frail 70 year old. He had 24 inches of his colon removed, several cancerous polyps and has been undergoing chemotherapy since October, with good results so far. Thanks for your help.
Posted 2/18/2008 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Right on, jetta3. A person who had gone through such surgeries would not only be sensitive, but have some experience. It seemed like our nurse was speaking of a regular healthy diet. But someone who has had colon resection and takedown I would think needs some guidance for diet. I am hoping to encounter someone who has had takedown who can let me know if any particular foods were better than others. My husband is starting to eat pretty much anything, except heavy beef menu and roughage. I'll probably start a little roughage, since the nurse even suggested supplemental fiber. I'll make a couple phone calls to dietician and nurse for more guidance. I think they just say experiment. And, like you said, easy for them to say.

Sorry for you dad. My husband, 64, lost about 20 lbs. and looked fragile after colon resection 9/07, but is looking more healthy and has gained some weight. I wish he could get comfortable soon. His open wound from ostomy site is healing well from the inside. But to me it was really big, needing a 4X4 packing. Now I'm using half as much packing, so it's healing, and I don't mind taking care of it.

Guess I talk too much. Like my nickname says, I'm just looking for some reassurance that my husband will eventually feel well (the sooner the better).
Thanks.
Posted 2/18/2008 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
I can't agree more, yesterday while we were waiting to be discharged from the hospital and they were insisting that he eat one meal of solid food before we left, the lunch they brought was Yankee Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots and a whole grain roll, a brownie with whipped cream...I told him to only eat a couple of bites of the pot roast and then I went to the cafeteria in search of something bit blander, found some chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and tapioca pudding, which he only at a small amount of but that seemed to sit ok. Dad had a fairly small incision from the reversal and they removed the stiches before we came home yesterday, healing nicely. When he had the original surgery he had a 8 inch open incision that my mother did a great job taking care of. Keep me posted if you find out anything and I'll do the same. Patience, plenty of rest and time seem to be important. Stay well, both of you!
Posted 2/18/2008 4:57 AM (GMT 0)
needreassurance,

Yes, I had part of my colon removed, but I don't think it was much. They had to remove different sections of mine. I definitely know what he's talking about as far as having the urge to go all the time. I had diarrhea for a long time afterwards and am still fighting diarrhea off and on. My doctors tell me to try to avoid gassy vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, etc. I have found that cheese definitely slows the bowel movement process down. I had other internal injuries as mine was a result of a car accident. All in all, yes, I have fully recovered from the reversal surgery. I finally feel NORMAL again! Hope this helps.
Posted 2/18/2008 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Jetta3, I wish your family well. I can't believe they fed him such a heavy meal in the hospital. I couldn't believe either when they sent up a full meal including salad for my husband. We were under the impression he should not have roughage. Ken ended up with an ileus, which means a portion of the intestine was not working at all. So he literally could not swollow anything. They gave him Reglan which woke up the peristalsis process. (I wish there was just a pill one could take to get everything going.) Now, 2 weeks post surgery I am going to start adding roughage to Ken's diet, because he's constipated. Yet, I feel some of these symptoms are particular to surgery, not usual constipation, and that one needs to be somewhat careful. As Mypoopchute wrote, stay away from the gassy stuff. Lucky for us, we don't eat much gassy foods other than onion. I'm not much of a cook. I was wishing I'd have more instruction about diet and menu. But each family & person is different. The important thing is to eat good nutrition. And, like you said - p a t i e n c e.

MyPoopChute (I hesitate typing your name, but love it.), Thanks for responding. I'm so sorry about your terrible accident. Glad you are recovering. It's been a long haul for you. I know your situation is somewhat different from Ken's. I think you had your reversal in July 07, and are just about back to feeling normal, right? How long did it take your insides to react normal for BMs? Excuse my bluntness. I'm desperate to hear good news. Thanks.
Posted 2/18/2008 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
needreassurance,

Don't worry about being blunt; I am now able to talk openly about my situation. My ileostomy was not one of my bigger issues. From my accident - I was laying down in the seat, we went off the road and flipped end over end about 5 times, I was wearing my seat-belt which cut through my abdomen cutting through my colon and small intestine. My abdominal muscles were torn from my pelvis and spine. The doctors had to do exploratory surgery through my abdomen which left my stomach split open, I had to have skin graft surgery in late Jan. last year to cover my stomach so I could get rid of my wound vacs. When I had my reversal surgery they also pulled my stomach back together and stitched/ stapled it shut. So, as you can imagine, my ileostomy reversal wasn't much to deal with for me. I do remember that I didn't have much of an appetite for a long time after and I had to take small bites and chew my food really, really small so I didn't have any complications digesting it. All in all though, it took me about a few months to eat normal and have somewhat normal bowel movements. They also took my gall bladder out in July so the doctor said that could be cause of my diarrhea that I'm still having. Hope this helps.....
Posted 2/18/2008 8:33 PM (GMT 0)

MyPoopChute,

Wow, what an ordeal you have been through.  Sounds like you are walking and looking forward in your life.  Good deal.  Your comments have been helpful and hopeful.  Thanks.  Ken has a good attitude and seems a little better.  I'm thinking fiber for him.  And I've been able since his reversal, to get back to some of my activities.  Good to have some balance in life.  Thanks again.

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