Help with illeostomy reversal

Hi Missdoo

Yes this sounds 'normal'! It is very early days for him yet and his bowel will still be adjusting, which makes it all very erratic. I had my loop ileostomy reversed too, and it took a good 3 months for me to settle into a new normal pattern. I remember bloating being quite bad in the early days even though I avoided all gassy foods  

Could it have been triggered by a change in food? If he hasn't already, try keeping a food/BM diary, so you can better understand the impact of certain foods. As for the soreness - just use wet wipes if possible and a bit of sudocrem! 

Sadly my reversal hasn't worked out. I've been diagnosed with Lower Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). I always knew it was going to be a gamble. So now looking to take the plunge a move to a permanent colostomy to improve my quality of life as I'm on the loo all the time! 

I hope your husband gets on OK and things start to improve. 

BelMoon x

Hi . Things do get better with time but everyone is different! I had my stoma for 15 months and can honestly say that constipation has not been an issue - in fact I take 2 loperamide in a morning and 2 before tea to try and slow things down. One of the surgical team told me that my new Bowel habits would probably be same as my stoma habits which has been quite accurate - very quiet in a morning then the rumblings start mid afternoon after my sandwich and often a quick dash or a few quick dashes in an evening but at least I’m not up every 2 hours in the night like I was with Lily the Ileostomy.

Unfortunately, as you say, lots of small movements can leave the bottom very sore. I’ve tried some of the expensive toilet paper with aloe Vera and Shea butter and stuff but found it disintegrates! I also find the toilet wipes not really big enough (the things we talk about on here!) .If things are getting really sore then I resort to the large patient wipes like you get in hospital (you can order them off amazon) and also finish with a huggies baby wipe then put them all in one of my leftover poo bags and then in the bin. Apply some nappy cream like sudocream or, if really sore - and believe me I know why babies cry cos I’ve been close myself - then I use a haemorrhoid cream as it has a slightly anaesthetic effect. 

My friend who also had a reversal and suffers from constipation swears by a glass of prune juice first thing and that usually works. It may be worth keeping a food diary also as his Bowel may react differently now - cous cous has become a no no for me and my attempt at trying to eat a bit more healthier with brown bread wasn’t too successful either!

Ive also tried to not drink an excessive amount of liquid because if we have a short Bowel  then the transit of matter through it during which water is absorbed is quicker so less water absorbed and runnier stools. It’s striking a happy medium - I still have 2 cups of tea before work but not big cups. 

It’s a shame your stoma nurses aren’t more supportive - mine assured me that I could still ring them if I needed to but, as you say, there is great support on here and the BBC UK site. 

Things will settle down over time and can take anything up to 2 years so take things slowly, stick to a low residue diet for a few weeks then introduce new foods gradually and if he struggles with certain foods then try again a few months later or just avoid

Hope things start to settle down quickly

Take care

Karen x

ps I’ve attached a link to soul traders post about his reversal likening it to a grizzly bear!

community.macmillan.org.uk/.../ileostomy-reversal---my-tips-tricks-of-dealing-with-the-grizzly-bear

Hi @BelMoon , thanks for your help ! Think we are going to stop the laxido and see what happens , if he doesn’t go for a day the bloating gets uncomfortable so will take it then x

We are keeping a diary but diet hasn’t really changed much as it’s still early days so trying to keep to small bland meals ! 

Usung wipes and Sudocrem , read up on here a lot beforehand so we were prepared ! 

So sorry that your reversal didn’t work for you as well as you hoped but hope you soon get your colostomy and your quality of life improves . 

Thanks again Gill x

Thanks @Kareno62 for your help x Wayne’s stoma was always quiet in the morning and early afternoon , which seems to be the same now ! Most active after dinner and a couple of nights it has taken many trips to the toilet , no diarrhoea but lots of small poos which is causing the soreness .

Thanks to this site we were prepared with wet wipes , dry wipes and Sudocrem ! I have also read about the haemorrhoid cream so think I will get some . 

As it’s still very early days haven’t tried different foods as yet , sticking to low residue and small portions at the moment .

Might try the prune juice ! 

He had rectal cancer so his holding capacity has been reduced so to speak ! So feel he will need to go a number of times before it’s empty .

I have read soul traders post and got my husband to read it ! 

I think it is early days but would be nice to know that we are doing the right things and that it is all normal so thank you very much for replying , it has been very helpful .

Thanks Gill x