Reverse, Reverse. (cha cha real slow)

2 minute read time.

FormerMember

11 Oct 2011

Back to the now well trodden corridors of the hospital and it was nice to see my consultant in plain clothes for a change (rather than latex gloves etc....).

He's a very nice chap and we get on well cos he likes beer and football, but NHS deadlines prevent us from getting into much more than a couple of lines of chit chat, today was just comparing injuries. Anyway today's appointment was a bit of mystery to me and so once we got off the injury subject he said "Now would you like to get rid of your baggy and have a reversal". Oooh I can have one then, all the tests have shown my rectum is once again back to its old self, if a little shorter!

He then spent 5 minutes telling me all the possible nasty side effects and the very small % of people that get them, so the chances are very small, hmmm.... Risk 1) After they reconnect you they have no idea how long your bowels will take to start working properly again (some never do). Risk 2) They don't know if you will regain the ability to "hold it in" and "push it out" (you get the picture) it takes time for the body to learn this again. I didn't realise reversal meant you go back to being like a baby!!!!!

Other risks ain't worth mentioning really. But after all this he says "we just don't know how anyone will react after the reversal op, we have no way of telling. Do you still want to go ahead and have the reversal?" I wanted to say do bears sh&t in the woods, but said "why of course, it will be fun finding out".

So the die is cast, and I ask "when will the op be, before Xmas?", silence before Oh leaned one says "Hmmm not likely cos I'm going on holiday for the whole of November. Probably next year". "But I want to go to a ball in February, will I be able to go?" I ask hoping to get him to "do me" in Dec. Oh skillfull one says" Oh yes, you should be able to go but sit near the loos."

Finally I am also going to get my first post op scan, but only cos I asked if this would happen, apparently they (or he) don't see much value in them, but he said we will do them as a routine.

So that is it, as far as I'm concerned it's full steam ahead, to reversal.

Tight Lines

Tim xxx

FormerMember over 13 years ago

Brilliant news :) bet you'll miss baggy though.... lol xx
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FormerMember over 13 years ago

Ah, found you Tim. Just been catching up on blogs and couldn't find this one, but read references to it on others.

First on a serious note, It must be quite daunting, another op (all be it a walk in the park)! and i know all the complications as those upon high call them. 'cos at first they weren't sure if i was for APR or LAR ?resect or not, so i got clued up on both. The biggest worry is not having a holding place (only the one they make for you out of perhaps papermache) lol. You are so brave (and yes that's said with sincerity, i really mean it) and determined and positive and strong and yes you will come out the other side and it might take a while (big radar keys and toilets at the ready), but i know you will do it. You WILL be bag free and you will be a big grown up and have behaving bowels again, so there!!

On a lighter note, oooooh Balls and special tables for warped and loons, with all requirements catered for, yay how exciting.

Well i'm off asda shopping with mum now, should have picked her up an hour ago, oh dear, this site does become addictive.

Take care, onwards and upwards Tim,

take care all

Jan xx
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mark0110 over 13 years ago

Tim.

Hello there. I was meeting (again) my consultant surgeon on the 11th as well!

Actually they initially sent in a young doctor, who asked how I was etc.. she didn't mention reversal though and did state that my regular checkups would be 6 months not 3. I asked a few questions & she then sent in my consultant surgeons registrar. She was fantastic, and clarified everything to me. As you were told, I was told that the op was like 30 minutes (they must rush here in Sheffield!) and would only entail 48 hours in hospital (barring mishaps/problems). She then went on to talk a lot about how I'd be back to pretty much "Normal" after maybe 6 weeks. At this I was shocked because my understanding was that my rectal tumor had meant that my rectum was taken out (therefore normal would be debatable at best). I queried this & she told me that the operation had removed some of the rectum, not all! At that point, I though "F***k, really???". Before my surgery, my consultant surgeon had said we'd remove the rectum & I'd asked, because it was in the upper 3rd of the rectum if they could only remove part. He said a definite (and dismissive, as only God-like surgeons can) "No". Needless to say, almost exactly 12 months on I'm quite shocked. In a good way I suppose.

Plus I had ages with them as well, not the normal rushed job, every time I saw my chemo consultant from Jan to July this year was usually rushed too ..

They gave me the usual, "you're young and will heal well / adapt" etc... stuff (I'm just 40, but seem younger therefore docs generally assume that means you're more healthy ... well except for the fact that I managed to develop an aggressive tumor in my mid 30s!!!) and were ridiculously upbeat about the whole thing! Even down to me picking the date for the reversal, with 6 weeks notice ....

Let me know how you get on. You're in a pretty similar boat to myself. I think my cancer was a stage 3, with one lymph node. However, the initial radio/chemo business made the tumor disappear so they couldn't confirm the stage.
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mark0110 over 13 years ago

I should add, we're down in the West Country this weekend ... how's the weather?!!

x
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FormerMember over 13 years ago

Hi all,

Thanks Jan, you are very kind, I have my radar key already on my bunch of keys :-P. I am thinking positive and if it doesn't work out then....well sh*t happens as they say!

Mark, we do seem to have very similar paths except for the fact my tumour was a stage 4 and shrunk ever so slightly to a 3, and also 1 node affected. I don't know why some tumours shrink and some don't, and if and what the implications of it are, I try to not think about that sort of sh*t!

Thinking about how you got told one thing about your op then another after, perhaps when they opened you up they realised they could be much less invasive. My C did say he would have a much better idea about things once he could have a "good luck round"! I went down to theatre not knowing if I was going to wake up with a colostomy or ileostomy, that is how touch and go it was for me.

For sure I will let you know how things go, just try and stop me from writing on here, I'll be on here all the time after the op!

Weather predictions for the S/W this weekend Sunshine Sat 18C, cloudy Sunday 16C. So I'd buy your ice creams on Saturday!

Tight Lines

Tim
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