What to expect post stoma reversal.

Im 2 years on now the first few weeks are tricky but within a month I was venturing out it's a matter of watching what you eat and eating small meals to start with the best advice I had post op was to dry with a hairdryer after pooing to avoid soreness in the longer term your dad will go to the loo more often and he will learn what to eat and not eat I can eat everything except salad celery garlic and curries are best avoided  I haven't looked back it's just a case of readjusting a bit xxxxxx how old is your dad xxx

I am exhausted. I wake up after pooping myself at night and it’s distressing. 

Hi Reversals. This is quite an old thread - although still very useful. Perhaps you’d like to look and/or post on here? 

Living well with a stoma reversal or LARS 

You could perhaps add a bit more information like how long ago your reversal was too? 

I'm a week post op and this has reasured me a little,started to panic as I'm constantly on the loo with diarrhoea and unbearable cramps,beginning to think things had gone wrong,I'm having to wear nhs pads as I can't control my sphincter muscles yet ,so glad I've got them ,I'm sore from constantly wiping so rather than loo roll I'm using what's left of the wet wipes I used for cleaning stoma,I didn't eat at all yesterday as panic has settled in and I'm scared my reversal hasn't worked,no one told me to expect these symptoms so reading here has given me a little hope,I had my bag for 6 years and had it removed 2 days after my 56th birthday,cancer free now but still feel guilty after losing so many friends and family who didn't, thanks for giving me a little hope that these awful symptoms post operation is normal

Hi Suann and a warm welcome to the board. Yes things can take a while to settle down and you may have to get used to a new ‘normal’ but it’s still very early days for you. I found the burning after multiple trips to the loo brought me close to tears at times so I used up all my remaining wipes and also ordered sone of the large dry cleansing wipes that they use in the hospital? Using a nappy cream helps and also a haemorrhoid cream can help as it has a slight anaesthetising effect. Have you been practicing sphincter exercises? They can help you ‘hold things in’ until the urge passes and you can get to a toilet - I’ve attached some reading matter for you to have a look at while you’re there!

 Living well with a stoma reversal or LARS 

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/RegainingBowelControl_BowelCancerUK.pdf

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/StomaReversal_BowelCancerUK.pdf

Hope these help

Karen x

Hi Suann

I had my ileostomy reversed in May 2023 after having it for 18 months. I wont sugar coat it, the first two to three weeks were not good and I too doubted whether I had done the right thing.

Eight months on and I have no regrets whatsoever. One month post-op I managed to go for a long weekend away with my partner and a group of friends. There were a few close calls and I did carry an ‘emergency’ kit with me ( wet wipes, spare underwear, and loperomide), although it did help that one of my friends was still recovering from the removal of his prostate, so there was a lot of mutual support and black humour!

I am now able to eat and drink whatever and how much I want without resorting to loperomide. My bowel movements have now settled to a ‘normal’ of four to five a day which is very manageable.

I know now is not a good time for you but it is early days and things will settle down. My colorectal nurse specialist advised that it would take me up to six months to regain a degree of control and 12 months to settle fully. In my case those timescales have been much shorter.

I wish you well on your journey. Patience and adaptability are my watchwords.

Thank you.i appreciate the honesty as I'm still scared about what the next few weeks will hold,I also had a large hernia repair at same time as reversal, so my pain is quite bad,trying to find the fight food is also an issue but now I've read some of the comments on here I feel a bit better,but Jesus I'm sick of being on the loo,think I need to borrow some nappies from my grandaughter,lol

Hey Suzann , Sylvia here. I so feel for you honey. I had my reversal late August 23 after wearing a stoma bag for 10 months and what l had to endure the first month before being prescribed Loperamide( Anti Diarrhoea relief) l wouldn’t have wished on my worst enemy!! Having no understanding, impending warning or support made it all the more horrific for me. I would have bowel movements that would last for over 6 hrs ,sometimes every 5 minutes for that duration. I had to “sleep” in chairs or propped up just to put gravity pressure around the anal area and be close to a toilet.  A Godsent l discovered was sitting on a heated wheat bag to stop the common throbbing one typically experiences. I was dependent on it daily after every bowel attack (l call it).            I found having a similar low fiber diet as l had when l had my Ultra low anterior resection surgery helped despite the surgeon saying it was ok to go back to a normal high fiber diet,phff! (Made it worse). Definitely wet wipes, pat & wiggle don't wipe to avoid soreness and of course use barrier creams. I had it pretty bad to the point my body was going into shock and I was in constant sobbing tears praying aloud for a break. I’m pretty sure l have PTSD from the experience lol. Finally getting in touch with my Surgeon who recommended Loperamide two x twice daily ,l had a turnaround within hrs , 70% improvement and was able to leave my home finally. I’m still on it today (Jan 24) due to when I try to ween down the dose, it still flares up but I’m finally seeing a Continence specialist for strengthening the area. I was told l may have to be on Loperamide for life but l have faith l will be able to troubleshoot those issues naturally and not be dependent in the future. I just have to be patient, learn from others journeys. Again it may be a different journey for you depending on your surgery( l had two thirds of my rectum removed so my “cup runneth half full” as it were thus why l need to go more often) but l wish you love & light and hope you may get something useful out of learning. Heal quick my friend. X 

Hi sambas1 and a warm welcome to the board. Thankyou for your advice and your comment about seeing a continence specialist has reminded me of another link which people might find helpful when searching for information and reading this post?

 Regaining Bowel Control

Hi Suann, as you can see from the people who have replied to your post, the reversal is not the most pleasant thing to deal with. People have different levels of difficulty, but I hope I can reassure you that things do get better. I had my reversal done in July 2021, after having a low anterior resection 10 months previously. (I also had the hernia repair.) At the time of my op, during the Covid pandemic, my wife took over many of the tasks normally carried out at the GP's surgery, such as repacking  and redressing my wound. Although I did not suffer as much as some people have said, with loo problems, there were occasional accidents. I also was advised to take Loperamide, especially as I was reintroducing certain food which had been on the banned list, while on the low fibre diet. I am now, thankfully, well on the mend. I hope your problems get better quickly and don't forget you are not alone in going through this.