This group provided so much help, advice and support on the long months that I relied on stomas - initially a colostomy and subsequently an ileostomy. Thank you.
I was fortunate to be able to have a reversal just before Christmas 2020, but haven’t yet found a way to stabilise my motions. I was diagnosed with Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, having had most of my rectum removed. Following the advice from my specialist nurses, I take a sachet of normacol after breakfast and lunch. Also 3-4 loperamide tablets through the day. And the dietician has encouraged me to avoid non-soluble fibre. I’ve certainly cut that back.
However, I still experience up to 8 motions a day and some are very urgent. On the other hand 24 or even 48 hours can pass with no urges at all. While at other times, they can come every few minutes - 5 times in 2.5 hours this morning, for instance. And with so many variables, it’s hard to find a link between input and output! And between having a degree of control, or having to run fast.
Macmillan are planning to establish a Stoma Reversal group presently, but any advice or relevant experiences would be welcomed. A previous contributor has alerted me to a podcast by Dr Ana Wilson from St Mark’s, a specialist in this field, on LARS. In the new group, it would be good to build a catalogue of helpful hints to help us establish new normal lifestyles that free us from the throne room.
