Subtotal Colectomy

Hi there, I have a Sub-Total Colectomy, but not sure what you mean by "returned to normal"? What this procedure means, is that the majority of the Colon is removed, but the Rectum is left intact. A Stoma is then formed from the Ileum (small intestine) and a bag/pouch worn over it to collect waste. You no longer defecate in the "normal" manner, so if this is what you mean, no, it does not return you to "normal". It does however resolve the many symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis, which was also the affliction I was suffering from.
Dealing with a Stoma has it's own set of issues, but I wouldn't describe them as "complications". I was unfortunate enough to suffer from a post surgical complication called an Ileus, which is where the small intestine "goes to sleep", which wasn't pleasant, but I don't think they're an overly common thing to occur. How bad are your current UC symptoms?

That is an immediate reconnect, which I was, I have not had a colostomy bag. What my surgeon did was remove all but 6 inches of the large intestine, and took 2 feet off the small one to have a good area to connect to.
That was exactly a year ago (wow! where did the time go?) And if by "back to normal" you mean solid, formed predictable bowel movements... then no, I am not normal yet. I go about 20 minutes after eating, and have to drink TONS of water (dehydration is VERY common)..and if you do not have any appetite or eat very little, then you pass lots of bile (and trust me it burns no matter what end it comes out of!)
BUT you need to remember, it is different for everyone. I had some complications as well, for example, I had to have a partial hysterectomy at the same time...then I ate something with wheat contamination ( I also have celiac), and ended up back in the hospital for 3 weeks, as that shut down my entire digestive system..
And I have had a few blockages, and then an ovarian cyst that wrapped around the "good" intestine I have left and that had to come out..and now I have another cyst, (the first one was grapefruit sized, and this one is apparently "smaller" at the size of a baseball).. but don't get discouraged.
If your doctor thinks this is what needs to be done, then it all boils down to how much you trust his judgement, and if you are comfortable with it.
While I can tell you that aside from all of this other "crap" (pun intended...haha), I do feel better than I did pre-op.
And I will tell you what I told one surgeon that saw me but refused to help..he told me that I didn't understand what it meant to have a colostomy bag...that it is a life changing move. I told him "NO,you don't understand. A colostomy bag is a bag of crap you deal with, life changing is NOT getting the help I need and NOT seeing my 10 year old grow up, and NOT seeing my grandbabies get bigger..THOSE are life changing things to me, a colostomy? Just more crap you deal with in a different way."
He politely threw me out of his office :) And if that was his attutiude, I wouldn't have felt comfortable with him as my surgeon.
Hope my ramblings answered some of your questions.. best of luck!

Shan, do some searches on here for "j-pouch", as I think this is the procedure you're thinking of. If you have UC it's the common surgical alternative to permanent Ileostomy, the only other being a k-pouch or BCIR, which are rare. You could also take a look at the website j-pouch.org, but the forum can be a little off putting, as some that are having problems post bad experiences there. Your toilet visit frequency itself doesn't sound bad enough for surgery, but it depends on other symptoms, such as urgency, continence, pain and blood loss, along with co-morbidities like joint pain and eye problems.

Two and a half years ago I had a sub total colectomy for chronic constipation. Back to normal? No. But dealing with the side effects of almost no colon is much better than only going with the aid of a handful of laxatives. My surgeon removed the colon except for about seven inches of the sigmoid then attached the small intestine to what was left. No pouch or stoma needed.

Thanks ddd45, you've filled in the blanks I left! I had a sub-total with end Ileo, reason being, my Rectum was left in to leave me the option of a j-pouch later on (Rectum left in maintains Rectal cuff integrity, needed for pouch attachment). If I were to get a j-pouch created, the Rectum would then be removed for pouch attachment to the Rectal cuff. Shaz, as I said before, the j-pouch is the common surgical treatment for UC, the remaining Colon and Rectum have to come out, as the disease will just return in what's left. Not only that, but UC almost always starts in the Rectum anyway, so the j-pouch replaces it and the Colon goes.
I think there may be occasions where Ileo-Rectal anastomosis is done, but this obviously wouldn't resolve Rectal inflammation, which as I say, is usually the first occurrence of UC.