Hi AECThis sounds like what I had to test the Bowel rejoin before my reversal. I kept my bag on and then you just lay on your side while they insert the enema and on your back while they check everything is ok. It was totally painless and took about 15 mins. I was then given a large incontinence pad, shown into a private bathroom and told to take as long as I needed - what went in then comes out! It is strange passing something out of your back passage after such a long time and you may see some little blobs of mucus which is nothing to worry about. I would recommend that you spend a good 15 mins in the bathroom as I found that I thought I’d finished but then a few minutes later there was a bit more! Take an old towel for the car seat just in case but I found I was fine and everything was back to normal once I got home.
I would recommend that you start practicing some sphincter exercises which will help you after your reversal. The nurses say that if a sudden urge comes on then it is better to try and ‘hold things in’ until it passes rather than rushing to the toilet.
Ive attached a couple of booklets from the Bowel Cancer uk site which might be useful?
