Short Bowel Syndrome

[Liverpool FC]

Having just read the thread about surgery possibly being looked at as a last resort reminded me of something i was asked a few days ago.

I was explaining to a friend about (and please correct me if i'm wrong - cos this is only how i understand it to date...) that if your colon is bad for instance they might remove it, so you get a stoma bag??

Ok so what about if its the SB? All i could say is if you get too much removed you get SMS (even though i didn't really know what that entailed at that time), but then i was asked what happens if you get it all out... i didn't have an answer...i assume that it isn't an option because you'd die because there'd be absolutely nothing in your body to absorb any sort of nutrient??? Or is there some way it can be worked round?

 

[Rebecca85]

I assume you can't get all the small bowel removed because of the nutrients. You can get 'fed' directly into a vein, but this is used for complete bowel rest in hospital, I can't imagine that you could live like that.

 

[DustyKat]

I was explaining to a friend about (and please correct me if i'm wrong - cos this is only how i understand it to date...) that if your colon is bad for instance they might remove it, so you get a stoma bag??

Yes, if your large bowel removed or part of large or small bowel and the couldn't reconnect the ends you would have a permanent stoma.

As to your small bowel it is difficult to live with most of it removed and attached to your large bowel but for all it to be removed would lead to major problems with malnutrition. You can have Total Parenteral Nutrition to overcome this problem and it is possible to have it long term.

Dusty.