Coping with Bowel dysfunction after rectal surgery

Hi Jack33494fdf 

Not a direct answer to your concerns but I am not dissimilar in that my tumour was in the rectum in Dec 24 and I had a good chunk of rectum as well as a good chunk of Sigmoid colon resected then rejoined, with an ileostomy stoma.

Tomorrow, I am having the stoma reversed; and I have considered the potential for it being a bad move, living on the toilet etc since the stoma is pretty easy to live with-but- I want to get back to as near normal as things will allow. So once I've recovered from the reversal Op I'll be in a good position to help advise you 

Hi Jack33494fdf The problem with a LAR is there is no guarantee as to how your bowels will be after. I had mine in 2016 and my stoma reversed in 2018 and I run on the loose side whereas my friend who had the same scenario suffers with constipation. 

The first few months can be difficult but things do improve over time and you’ll get used to a new ‘normal’ however it’s unlikely to be how things were before. Personally I’m ok until lunch time then I start with lots of wind then I take an immodium 30 mins before my evening meal then the toilet trips start after that. I will usually go 3-4 times in the evening on a good day. If I have a lot of creamy food or a lot of liquid then I will have to rush to the toilet and it can be very loose. I always wear some form of protection in my underwear to be on the safe side although I can appreciate that’s maybe a bit more difficult for men. I also practised the rectal exercises in the booklet below so I can squeeze my muscles until the immediate urge passes and I get safely get to a toilet. 
I’ve attached a link below to the page on here that has LARS posts and also the booklet which describes the exercises.

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_experiences/ileostomy-and-colostomy-discussions-forum/f/stoma-reversal-and-lars

https://bcuk.adidocdn.dev/Publications/Bowel_Cancer_UK_Regaining_Bowel_Control.pdf

Do I regret having my stoma reversed? No - it was very active and loose and I was glad to say goodbye to it. I’m obviously aware that my bowels have changed and I know that big meals will trigger toilet trips and will pints of lager! 

I’m a member of an online LARS page and some people seem to have a really hard time of it and resort to irrigating their bowels on a daily basis. Once part of your bowel is removed then everything moves through more quickly and less liquid is absorbed hence the looser stools. The rectum acts as a storage area so if some of that is removed then there is less storage available. 

Sorry I’ve not been able to give you a definitive answer but hopefully some of the posts will help?

Take care

Karen x

Hope all goes well tomorrow Nevermind Take it easy food wise for the first few days - I dived straight into a Cornish pasty and ended up with ileus and nil by mouth for a few days  x