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Barbie butt?

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Posted 7/22/2013 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
Can anyone tell me precisely what this term used for regarding IBD surgeries?

Wondering if would described as : "It is a surgery that removes your whole bottom including your perineum and replaces it with your abdominal muscle with abdominal skin still attached to it. It creates what is called a flap or a patch, but the best description of it is like a skin diaper that is sewed to both sides of your crotch. This procedure is mostly used for those having surgery due to cancer."

Or :  "The removal of rectum and anus, followed by closure of the anus.  Closure is achieved by sewing and/or stapling the remaining flesh of the empty anus to itself.  This does not involve muscle or skin from any other part of the body."

 

Lastly :  Does it mean either?

For the record :  I don't really like this term at all, btw.  My closure looks nothing like a "Barbie butt" - it's actually hideous. 

Posted 7/22/2013 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
Basically, it means we're like Barbie - no holes back there (if we've had our rectum and anus removed) - I just wish my butt were as petite as hers as well :)
Posted 7/22/2013 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
musicmaker, your surgery was recently, right? The butt closure look worse at the beginning -- they kind of pull up the skin to put the stitches/staples in, and it's all swollen and nasty....looks much better after the stitches/staples come out and the swelling goes down....

the first surgery you describe is a flap surgery, which is not the routine one for a proctocolectomy .... that's for complications or for people who had anal cancer. The second one is probably what you had.

"Barbie butt" is not a technical term....:-) it's just as Shaz said....
Posted 7/23/2013 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
I honestly don't know what mine looks like. I can't feel anything sticking out or moving around.
That was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around, how do you take a hole out? I also still have an irrational fear that one day the hole will just pop back open and stuff will come pouring out!
It's stupid, I know, lol.
The barbie butt thing doesn't bother me, I never even really thought about it.
Posted 7/23/2013 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
I had everything removed, but was not sewn shut. I was so sick at the time of my surgery that the surgeon was worried that the wound would be too much for my body to handle while healing. She did say we could go back and do that part of surgery at another time if I so desired. What is the purpose/benefits of being sewn up? Is it something I should consider? I do pass mucous just about every time I sit down on the toilet, but just a small amount, and it doesn't really bother me.
Posted 7/24/2013 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
had everything removed (jpouch excised) and backside was left open to heal. Needed to heal from inside out. Multiple EUA surgeries, drains, etc... to keep it open as it was closing from outside but unhealed inside. Anyways... it is a Barbie butt now!!!
Posted 7/24/2013 2:11 AM (GMT 0)

I have the "Barbie Butt" after having everything removed.   I was left open to heal from the inside out, as well.  I was a little worried about that because I am also Diabetic, but it healed very well--albeit slowly.   2 years out, I still have to be careful if I sit too long, so I continue to use a piece of waffley-foamy stuff to sit on. 

I don't mind the reference to having a "Barbie Butt" as it reminds me that I never have to use that part of my body ever again.    I just wish my surgeon could have given me the "Barbie B@@bs" to match smilewinkgrin

Posted 7/24/2013 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
What I don't like about the "Barbie Butt" term is that it sounds like a glamorous end result, like a plastic surgery type thing chosen not at all for function or disease, but for vanity sake alone. That is what I find derogatory about it - not that I'm against plastic surgery or look down on it..... my hole being sewn up is due to disease only.

bluegrass - yes, my surgery was done on the 15th & I get my staples out on Thursday

summerstorm - I don't think of it as removing a hole - rather folding and sewing shut (I'm a sewer, though)

UCwhat? & ddd45 & ChrohnieCJ - did you have your entire rectum and anus removed - or is there a stump? I cannot imagine having it done as mine with all of it removed (no stump left behind) and a gaping hole through which anything could gain access to my abdominal cavity - WOW, sounds dangerous

ChrohnieCJ - heck yeah! I'd love the matching boobs!!
Posted 7/24/2013 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
I am so curious about barbie butts. I wish i had a tiny butt like hers too. I like the term, it's fun. I probably wouldn't like it if i had one.
Posted 7/24/2013 10:39 AM (GMT 0)
I honestly would post pics of my butt & it's wound/protrusion if it wouldn't be perceived as offensive or ****ographic. LOL.

I would also post after I got the stitches removed.

Sure is a strange thing to see...
Posted 7/24/2013 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
It is my understanding that my surgeon removed everything, except for a very small portion of the stump, so that there would not be a gaping hole! I did send her an email asking about this, but she is out of the office for the rest of the week. I will let you know what she says when I do hear back from her.
Posted 7/24/2013 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
 

My rectum and anus were completely removed.   My disease was Crohn's Colitis and confined to my colon & rectum, with no small intestine involvement.   I didn't want to leave anything in there that could potentially lead to a recurrence since my Crohn's was pretty aggressive.  

The way I understand it, the rectum and anus are both removed through a lengthwise incision made from enough past the girlie part to wherever to get the rectum and anus out.   My surgeon said my incision was stitched up on the inside for part of the way, except for the last 1/2 inch or so along the length of the incision which was left open to heal from the inside out.   It has been 2 years and I have never looked, so I don't know what it looks like, but it "felt" like a flap of skin.

My perception and use of the term "Barbie Butt" is just that it is closed with no opening and not the perfect-ness of Barbie's butt.  That would have been nice, though

Posted 7/25/2013 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
This is an interesting post.

When I had surgery I kept my anus but been having complications. Now they found a fistula in the anus and talking with my surgeon's nurse it sounds like they would have to remove the whole thing instead of just fixing the fistula.

I kinda worry about going in there now. It's almost been a year since my surgery and now they want to open me back up and sew my anus close? I was told it's painful. I'm sure this will give way to new complications.

I think my complication was due to still being on Prednisone during and after surgery. Got weaned off by end of Nov 2012. By then I already had an abscess and it been a domino effect ever since. No abscess this time..just a fistula draining out yellowish fluid. So if they sew up the anus what happens to the fluid does it just stay inside and turn into another abscess?

Has anyone have issue with their barbie butt? I wonder what questions I should ask a surgeon about the procedure. Sounds like there are several different approaches!
Posted 7/26/2013 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
I would ask the surgeon if the intent is to remove what is still remaining of your anus/rectum prior to sewing closed or if they plan to leave it there- but close the hole. Mine is all gone - just the bit of inside out skin that is stapled shut. I can say it is uncomfortable, today I had 2 staples removed that were crooked and pulling on other skin - at least now it feels bearable & I can walk ok. Until today I shuffled so slowly even the elderly were looking funny at me! Had to walk with my knees touching each other at all times for it not to feel like a knife in there. MUch better now, though. I go back in 2 weeks to get the rest removed.
Posted 7/27/2013 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry but I can't stop picturing this perfect butt with no anus every time i see this post.
Posted 7/29/2013 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
For anyone who might be interested, this was my surgeon's response to my email question about what I was left with since I was NOT given the "barbie butt"

You have an anal stump. All the rectum was taken out. The anus is stapled off at the top so there is no access to your abdominal cavity. However, no one should do a digital rectal exam or use a scope to look inside this. Eventually this should be removed and sewn shut but I did not want to do this while you were so sick and thin. It is difficult to heal this wound on the bottom when there is steroid use, malnutrition etc involved.

....I wonder if this means I MUST get the surgery finished at some point. I thought it was more a matter of just do it if it starts giving me trouble. Does anyone know if there can still be UC symptoms in an anal stump??
Posted 7/29/2013 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
My guess would be that there's a possibility of perianal disease like fissures, fistulae, skin tags, etc. By springing for the perm ileo you sort of leapfrogged over the "do I *really* have UC???" obsession of us j-pouchers but it's still a possibility (and perianal disease is possible, though uncommon, in UC as well). Since you have no need for an anus now it's probably best to remove it rather than leave it there as a potential area of inflammation.
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