Surgeon Suggests Ileostomy After Colostomy Reversal - Why?

 Hi. This is my first post here. I am hoping someone can answer this question for me as I have googled the heck out of it and have not found a single post related to it. 

 First thing.  I had emergency surgery on Oct 7 2020 for a perforated bowel that was later diagnosed to be stage 4 metastatic colon cancer that spread to my liver.

 I had a colostomy placed during the initial surgery. 

One moth ago I developed c-diff. It has since cleared.

 I will have my liver resection on April 6. The colostomy will be reversed and an temporary ileostomy will be placed. The ileostomy will be reversed in 4 to six weeks.

 This brings me to my question. 

 What are the benefits of going this route rather than just having the colostomy reversed? My thoughts on this is that it is an unnecessary procedure that will extend my recovery by an extra 6 weeks.

 This whole ordeal has been traumatic and life changing for me and I am uncertain on how to proceed. 

 Has anyone had this type of experience before?

 Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

Hi Jim my oldest bro had colon cancer and a temp colostomy and after chemo and cleared of cancer they did a temp ilieo. to let the colon heal where it was reconnected. Your surgeon should have explained this at consultation.

Good Morning, Jim~

When reading about your situation, my thoughts mirrored Ron's:  You had a section of your colon removed, requiring the colostomy.  Now that your remaining colon is in better shape, your surgeon will surgically reconnect the two cut ends of your colon, and the ileostomy is needed to divert output so those ends can heal back together without problems.  

Ron's also right about the needed explanation from your surgeon.  Consider asking that question of your surgeon, directly.  If you do not trust your surgeon for some reason, get a second opinion from another thoracic/GI surgeon.  (And, if you don't trust your surgeon...that could be indicative of another issue, entirely.)

You need to have enough information to make a decision for yourself with which you are comfortable.  Knowledge is power.

Be Well!

Lily17~

Welcome, Jim. So sorry about all the stuff you’re going through and thankful for the great advice you’ve gotten here. As Lily suggests, you deserve ALL the information a patient needs to make major decisions that will affect them down the road. For the ostomy parts of your situation you need a surgeon who specializes in guts and he/she should consult with the oncology person. They should then explain their plan in terms you clearly understand.
Let us know what you decide.
Respectfully,
Mike

 Thank you all for responding to my question. Lily17 the information you provided was very helpful. 

 I don't want to throw my surgeon under the bus here as she did explain everything in detail and I do trust her explicitly. 

 Maybe I'm still suffering from chemo brain but initially it just didn't make sense to me.

 Once again  thank you Ron in mich Lily17 and imacG5.

 Living with this is one thing but having knowledgeable people to turn to with your questions is priceless.

Thank you all. 

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister