Hi there. I've been lurking here for a few months and have found information here to be invaluable. Thank you so much for this resource and to all of the contributors.
Back in January of this year, I had a perforated colon, most likely as a result of a diverticulosis episode. Long story short, I had an emergency colectomy. There is still a tiny smidge of my sigmoid colon remaining, and my rectum is intact. It was emergency life-saving surgery, and I'm thankful to be here. I have an end ileostomy. I have adapted to life as best I can with the ileostomy and found products and a routine that seem to work for me. I know for some having an ileostomy is a wonderful life improvement - I have so much respect and admiration. For me, the whole scenario was unexpected, frightening, and is still pretty surreal. If I had/have to have the ileostomy for the rest of my life, I'd/I'll certainly adapt, stay strong, and seek help when needed. That being said, at this point, I am a candidate for a reversal.
I am discussing a reversal with a couple of colorectal surgeons in my area - both with 2 decades of experience. As my rectum is still there, and assuming there are no issues seen with my rectum:
- Surgeon #1 would perform an ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) - that is where my small intestine gets hooked straight up to my rectum
- Surgeon #2 would perform a similar procedure. HOWEVER, he would add a small j-pouch with the end of my small intestine, affixed to the top of my rectum - so as to assist in holding stool - this procedure is called an ileal pouch rectal anastomosis (IPRA). I can't seem to find much information on the procedure with the pouch on top of the rectum (IPRA) - just these two links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19318001/
https://journals.lww.com/journalacs/citation/2005/09001/long_term_functional_and_quality_of_life__qol_.27.aspx
So I would like to humbly ask the following questions:
1. Are there any reversed ostomates with a straight IRA in the group (small intestine hooked up to rectum)? And if so, any thoughts on the experience; and updates on where you are now with bowel movements and quality of life would be greatly appreciated!
2. Has anyone heard of and/or had the IPRA procedure?
FWIW, I am leaning towards the standard straight IRA, as it seems there would be fewer features that could eventually fail - at least that's what my gut says (pun intended).
Thank you so much!
Best,
Colin
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