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Reversal Surgery

R

reversal

Hi all,

I had an ileostomy bag for about 3 years. Just last month 12/18 I had the reversal surgery. It has been an entire month and I still have awful diarrhea, at times uncontrollable. Does this mean I am having a "flare up"? I am not sure since the 3 years with the ileostomy bag were pretty much pain and issue free (almost issue free). I get so nervous that something might be going wrong, and I have contacted my surgeon several times who has assured me that this is all normal, but. . . . . has anyone else had similar experiences? While I am so glad that I no longer have the bag, I feel sick almost all the time after eating anything at all. When I don't eat at all I also feel sick from not eating. I don't know what to do & I want the diarrhea to end already. I am also nervous about the internal staples (yes they used stainless steel staples to reconnect) might pop out or something like that.

Any advice? Any similar experiences? Any really great experiences after reversal surgery?
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

You might want to repost this in the surgery/stoma forum, you may find more people who've had similar surgeries read threads there: http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

My ileostomy is permanent, so I can't offer much advice. However, I have a load of staples in various places inside me and nothing's popped out so far.

Have you tried anti-diarrhoea medications like loperamide (Imodium) or co-phenotrope (Lomotil)?

Do you have a doctor other than your surgeon you can ask? I would have thought you'd need tests to be sure about what's going on, even if it's just simple blood tests at first. I know I've read that diarrhoea cab be a problem after reversal surgery, but there are so many other causes of dirrhoea, I don't think your doctor should assume it's normal, and even if it is, it doesn't mean you can't treat it, and I've not heard that nausea is to be expected after reversal, which makes it more likely still that you could have something else going on.
 
2thFairy

2thFairy

Diarrhea after a reconnect is normal, as the bowel is inflamed from being handled and needs time to settle down and readjust. As for the staples, nearly everyone who has had a resection has internal staples. If those staples were to pop open, you would be VERY ill with pain, fever, vomiting, etc. The staples used are very tiny and NUMEROUS in overlapping layers of 2 or 3 in just one line. Though a leak can happen, generally it will happen early on after surgery and does not happen very often.
 
2thFairy

2thFairy

This is a drawing of the staples used in gastric surgery, but you can see how the staple lines look. It is similar for bowel surgery, large and small.
 

Attachments

superzeeman

superzeeman

I had my reversal two years ago and still have loose movements. Most times just outright diarrhea. My issue are due to the resection according to my doctor tho. I was told it would get better but I am not sure it will. Congrats on the reversal
 
Samboi

Samboi

Location
Australia
I'm all good thanks Toothy - thanks for asking.
I am making hay whilst the sun shines!
I have a wobbly remission that flares ever now and then - always brought quickly back under control by short burst of Pred.
I start full time work again in a few weeks, and I'm planning to start my masters this year.
I've travelled to Borneo and India in 2014 - both were amazing. This year I'm off to Turkey and Egypt in July, then Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil in Sept. I am trying to cram in as much as I can whilst I am well. Mostly because the arthritis in my back and feet has become quite unbearable - so I know I will be limited at some point soon.
And I also met a really lovely lady who does not care at all that I have CD. She is wonderfully supportive and terribly nice and kind to me. I feel very lucky :)
My horrible three to four year flare that nearly killed me is finally over - but it has left me with a powerful legacy.
I hope all is well with you :)
 
highlandsrock

highlandsrock

Location
Surrey,UK
I had my reversal in June 2011 and was expecting everything to return to normal and to able to stop taking Loperamide. I hadn't heard of bile acid malabsorption (BAM) or it may have been mentioned in passing but I didn't understand the implications of the term. It was only last autumn that I had a SeHCAT test which confirmed that I have it. (BTW - I don't think that particular test is licensed for use in the States). The effect of BAM - chronic diarrhea. I had been thinking it was caused by a flare-up or a virus or had eaten something dodgy before I had the diagnosis. Suddenly everything feel into place.

I'm not saying that you have it but it does seem to be a common problem that isn't discussed widely enough in the IBD community - both doctors and patients. I made this point to my consultant yesterday.

You may not be suffering from BAM but it would be worth mentioning it to your GI doctor because it is controllable. Good luck.
 
Fififluff

Fififluff

Hope this is of some help to you. I have been offered a reversal, consultant said I would have frequency of about 5 or 6 bowel movements a day which I could cope with but am worried about the urgency of them. I have been told that it can take a year for your bowel to adapt. The doc said that the large bowel helps absorb the fluid from the stool and the less bowel the more fluid you will have. He told me I could have about 2 litres a day. I don't think I'll be going for it right now as have not been back to my work a year yet. I was off for 6 months and don't want to be off again so soon. Hope you get some answers.
 
R

reversal

highlandsrock said:
I had my reversal in June 2011 and was expecting everything to return to normal and to able to stop taking Loperamide. I hadn't heard of bile acid malabsorption (BAM) or it may have been mentioned in passing but I didn't understand the implications of the term. It was only last autumn that I had a SeHCAT test which confirmed that I have it. (BTW - I don't think that particular test is licensed for use in the States). The effect of BAM - chronic diarrhea. I had been thinking it was caused by a flare-up or a virus or had eaten something dodgy before I had the diagnosis. Suddenly everything feel into place.

I'm not saying that you have it but it does seem to be a common problem that isn't discussed widely enough in the IBD community - both doctors and patients. I made this point to my consultant yesterday.

You may not be suffering from BAM but it would be worth mentioning it to your GI doctor because it is controllable. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I believe this might be it, not sure. I am having some tests done next week including a ct-scan with contrast. I understand the CT wont test for this, but they are also testing the stool.

Thanks
 
R

reversal

Fififluff said:
Hope this is of some help to you. I have been offered a reversal, consultant said I would have frequency of about 5 or 6 bowel movements a day which I could cope with but am worried about the urgency of them. I have been told that it can take a year for your bowel to adapt. The doc said that the large bowel helps absorb the fluid from the stool and the less bowel the more fluid you will have. He told me I could have about 2 litres a day. I don't think I'll be going for it right now as have not been back to my work a year yet. I was off for 6 months and don't want to be off again so soon. Hope you get some answers.
Click to expand...
I sort of wish it were 5 or 6 times a day. If I eat that day I go 20+ times. I was at the GI today & we are doing some tests next week. Thanks again & best of luck with the reversal. Keep positive thoughts! (easier said than done).
 
R

reversal

Samboi said:
It took months for my reversal to heal.
Be patient.
Everything should settle back down again.
But it takes months.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much! I am just nervous because it seems that it started to get somewhat better, but now I am going 20+ times a day. I hope I don't have another fistula (reason I had the bag put in the first place), but I do have a few tests going on this & next week. I plan to travel to New Orleans next week & into Mardi Gras, I have never been there. I hope I am able to go!
 
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