Rectum Removal Surgery - Hospital Stay & Recovery Experiences?

Well hello everyone.

Needs your prayers. Just saw my surgeon today and they decided to remove my rectum.... Has anyone had this done? How long was the hospital stay and recovery?

Hello Dr. Fields, I had my rectum removed when I had my colon removed. I had terrible abscesses, so it was a blessing. Not sure what your situation was with previous surgery. My total recovery after surgery was about 5 weeks. Good luck and stay well! Penguins7

Hello penguins 7..

Had hysterectomy in 2015.. Damaged nerves in rectum. I have a colostomy, so the mucus that drains I have no control over, so the doctor is going to sew it up.

I too have excessive anal mucus and no control alongside spasmodic bouts of pain so I will be very interested in people's comments on the results of their rectum removal. Let us know how you get on!

Best wishes

Bill

Hi Bill, I'll keep you all posted.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I'm looking at having the same done this fall, hopefully. I get a lot of mucus drainage, but for the most part can control it. My surgeon says if I'm not going to reconnect it, I should have it taken out. I'll be glad to have mine removed, just one less thing to worry about down the road. Keep us posted, I've been trying to connect with whoever I can about recovery from this surgery, just so I have an idea of what to expect when my time comes.

Good luck and take care.

Sasquatch

I sure will

Hello.

I had similar damage with my hysterectomy. I will keep you in my prayers. I had a robotic (da Vinci) hysterectomy that didn't go well. There is a Facebook page called "Unplug the Robot" where a bunch of us had similar experiences. Feel free to take a look and message if you feel like it and pertains to your experience.

Hi, I had this done last December. My total hospital stay was 8 days. I have heard of people having shorter stays though.

Mine was long because post surgery my digestive tract decided to take awhile to function again.

Good luck with the surgery and recovery :)

Mine was the same. Total recovery was about 6 weeks for me. At about 4 weeks, I was able to do for myself.

The very, very important part is post-surgery and paying attention to the area. The better hygiene you have, the quicker the recovery. Listen to your nurses as they will tell you straight how it is looking. Mine even yelled at me once.

Hello, how are you? Can we chat on Hangout? My ID is

Hello, yes we can.

Hello, thank you so much for the info. I will take heed.

Hiya

Hope you are well...

I had a permanent colostomy just over 12 years ago at the age of 40..

Quite a shock but always remained positive to this day..

My recovery was 6 days in hospital, they advised me to be off work 12 weeks.. I returned after 9 weeks on light duties..

Check out irritation with your surgeon. It changes your life and enables you to do anything and everything with no worry.

If you fancy asking anymore questions.. ask away

Martin

Yes, I've had the surgery done on March 19th, 2018, and I'm still recovering. The stay was two weeks, and then I went home. I got a small infection, not to alarm you, on my buttocks. They put a draining and gave me antibiotics and sent me home. So maybe going home from your visit to send you home on antibiotics if need be, but keep reaching out to me. I know that this is a process, trust me. I'm so glad that you reached out. It doesn't just help you, it helps me.

Had my rectum and anus removed. 14 days in hospital. The recovery was not that much of a problem apart from two small drain holes that refused to heal until after 4 months. The medics admitted that there was an infection, and then, lo and behold, it healed in a week. Go for irrigation as soon as possible; it removes 90% of the problems from colostomy bags.

I had the abscess thing that required medicine and a drain being placed. Since then, no problem. I'm still recovering. I'm just able to sit for 20 minutes at a time right now.... I understand.

Drfields24 had a colon and rectum removal in 2009. 5-6 days in the hospital and 2-3 weeks at home walking a lot. Start slowly and when you can, increase distance and time. The walking is a whole body wellness regimen. It worked for me. Just no moving objects with your feet, not even a door stop.

Be well,

Scooter Trash

I'm almost 4 weeks post-surgery and my biggest issue is hemorrhoids. It was quite sore the first week but manageable with pain meds.

Haven't heard of irrigation, but I'm interested. Could you tell me more about it?

Shocking though this may sound, it isn't an unusual procedure for rectal cancer. It requires a colostomy. I can recommend the Cleveland Clinic and their much less invasive robotic surgery if that can be arranged. I can recommend the surgeon, but I am not sure what the rules on this site are. I was in the hospital for about 5 days. My abdomen was never that sore, but my butt was sore for at least a year. Write me back if you'd like to know more.

Richard

Thank you.

Irrigation involves introducing, through a cone, normal warm tap water into the bowel through the stoma. This can be done from a bag hanging at shoulder height or a special pump. Approximately 1 or 1 1/2 liters is used, the water temperature is approximately 37 degrees Celsius. The bowel responds by evacuating through a sleeve into the toilet. This all takes approximately 30 minutes. It keeps things clear for 24 hours for some people, 48 hours for others. No sudden bag changes or leaks or odor problems and confidence to live normally.

I just had that done in March. I had a colostomy and rectum done at the same time. I am still on the mend. I did too much after the surgery and split the stitches and go for wound care every day for at least another month. I keep thinking I'm thirty so used to bouncing back fast. Do what the dr. tells you, take it easy after surgery; I made the mistake of doing too much.

I had a total proctocolectomy in November 2015, so my anus/rectum were removed at the same time as my colon. My best advice to you is to get an Ehob waffle cushion. Do not get a donut cushion! I ordered my waffle cushion from Ehob directly, and it came inflated, but you can get them on Amazon and at Walmart -- just Google and see where they are available near you. They come in different sizes, and believe me, they do help.

I keep the area dry, that was the main thing. I also purchased a sitz bath that fit on the toilet so I could soak in warm water and dry very, very well after that. But I am sure your doctor and his staff will give you all that info.

Good luck! Oh, I was in the hospital for 3 days... went in on a Tuesday morning at 5:30, surgery at 7:30 (about a 6-hour surgery) and home on Friday morning... but then I was fortunate that I had no complications whatsoever.

Paula

Sasquatch,

What is your hurry in taking out the rectum? You haven't said why you have an ileostomy...UC? I had an emergency ileostomy done in 2012. Instead of having my rectal stump removed, I decided to get proactive and research into what I could do to reduce my inflammation. It is now 2018. Last Nov., I had my stump scoped and there is now NO sign of UC anymore!!! The surgeon just wants to leave me alone. (My first surgeon wanted to take it out) But I now have options which is empowering:)) The rectal stump removal does NOT guarantee the eradication of UC. That is a falsehood. It can pop up elsewhere and as autoimmune issues. It is better to work at reducing inflammation. I use my rectal stump as a gauge as to whether I have active UC or not. Just food for thought. Rectum removal is a tough surgery to heal from. One person I know personally took a year to heal. It is a very personal decision. All I say is make your well thought out and researched decision your own, not just what a surgeon says.

Thank you. I had the same surgery in March 2018, and I'm still recovering. Do well.

Hi, I had mine done at the same time as my colostomy surgery. I had rectal cancer. When I asked why it was necessary, it was mentioned to prevent problems with intestines trying to get out. Ha, not good. Recovery was about 5 weeks until stitches were removed. The worst part was the intense itching as they were drying out. A gel pillow from Costco made sitting not too bad. I still use it for long flights and car trips. Overall, it wasn't too bad. Haven't looked back. Good luck and take care.

Wow, another surgery, kind of sucks. I will pray for you. I had this done about 38 years back, so I don't remember much about it. Except that it was not as bad as I expected or as I was told it would be. I'm sure it's completely different now. For me, they split me stem to stern. I'm thinking now they do minimally invasive. I think I sat on a donut for a few days or so, but it healed up quickly enough and has not been a problem for the last 4 decades. Stay strong. For me, I don't remember being given the choice. They were going in, and they were taking all they could. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect because I figured there would still be a hole without any control. The way they described it to me, they needed to leave at least a small opening for "drainage" (sure, whatever). Anyhow, I have not had any issues with the backside, but that damn stoma itch.

Hi, you probably are still trying to comprehend what is happening. I didn't believe it until days before the op. I had arguments with my doc, but there was no option. I had everything from my lower bowel removed and replumbed with a stoma for life, but it was better than the alternative. I was in the hospital for 10 days. The stoma was okay; it took a week for my stomach to work, but the removal of the bits below was not good. I'm sorry. Get an inflatable cushion before you go home and lots of soft pillows as you will try to sleep in different areas of your house. It was 4 months before I could sit without a bag. I have other man problems because of the surgery, which is getting me down, but at least I'm alive and that's the most important lesson.