Stoma Reversal

Hi, good luck for the stoma reversal & hope you recover well! I had mine in Feb 2024 and I recovered much quicker in hospital than from the original op. I’d had my stoma for 15mths and was nervous about doing my first poo again but it didn’t hurt (it wasn’t solid) and I felt ok!! I can remember a nurse giving me a big hug afterwards!! I took it slowly to reintroduce foods after being on the low fibre diet for the stoma. I changed the dressings for the stoma wound at home and it healed and closed within 4 weeks. I had some cramps but only had to rush to the loo once - my surgeon had said before the op that the bowel regains its full function quickly and it did! 

Thanks for your reply, I'm really stared about going for reversal 

Hi, being scared is understandable & natural. I was concerned about having another op and also worried that my bowels wouldn’t function well & I’d regret having the reversal… I’d had the stoma for 15mths and I was in some sort of routine by then. Also the surgeon said that although all the pre-op scans and assessments were looking positive, she might find during the op that it wasn’t going to work out well so I could wake up with the stoma still intact… the first thing I did when I was in recovery was to feel if the stoma bag was there or not! 

I had the usual post-op pain and discomfort but it was managed well with meds and the bowel function quickly developed its ‘new normal’.

For me, the reversal was my final phase of the treatment plan and being able to feel that this bloody awful cancer was gone! Perhaps it’s worth talking through your worries with your stoma nurse or surgeon? Wishing you good health whatever your decision